Taiwan remains safe for travelers amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, according to a Taiwan Tourism Bureau official in Jakarta on Monday.

"The medical facilities in Taiwan are already advanced, so people shouldn't be afraid to come to Taiwan,” Abe Chou, director of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau in Kuala Lumpur, told a press conference in Jakarta on Monday.

Chou added that people in Taiwan always wore protective face masks in public, including when riding public transportation, and advised visitors to apply similar protection as well, in addition to normal hygiene practices.

According to The China Post, 28 people in Taiwan have been infected by the coronavirus, and one person has died. The disease, which broke out in Wuhan, China in December 2019, has had a significant impact on tourism around the globe.

Read also: Taiwan makes its way up the medical tourism ladder

“[The outbreak] perhaps has made Indonesian travelers reconsider flying [to Taiwan], hence there is sure to be a decrease [in the number of tourist arrivals],” said Chou, adding that the agency had yet to receive official data regarding the matter.

“However based on data issued by travel agencies, around 60-70 percent of travelers have canceled or rescheduled their trips [to Taiwan],” Chou said.

In 2018, the country reportedly welcomed 210,985 Indonesian travelers. In 2019, the number increased to 229,960 people.

As a tourist destination, Taiwan is famous for its natural landscape and it is currently promoting hiking tourism as it is home to around 268 mountains. Among the country's most popular mountains is Yushan, also known as Mount Jade, which is the highest mountain in Taiwan at 3,952 meters above sea level and best explored between May and August. (kes)