United International Travel Service targets over 100 Taiwan outlets by 2027

United International Travel Service (旅天下) plans to expand its franchise network in Taiwan, focusing on neighbourhood services and travel products departing from central and southern Taiwan. According to a 9 November report in the Commercial Times, chairman Li Chia-yin told the company’s 2026 investor briefing that it aimed to have more than 100 outlets nationwide by 2027. It currently has 86 outlets and intends to expand through franchise recruitment presentations and by recruiting existing travel agencies with ground-floor shopfronts.

From outlet expansion to neighbourhood services

Franchising is central to the company’s strategy. It uses its platform to bring together resources from other travel businesses while pursuing digitalisation, platform development and international expansion. Positioning itself as a ‘good neighbour for travel’, it wants its physical outlets to become neighbourhood-based businesses where residents can access travel advice and services.

The announcement sets out a future expansion target, rather than a milestone already achieved. For prospective franchisees considering Taiwan, the key issue is not simply the number of outlets, but how the franchisor combines its product range and platform resources with local advisory services. Its plans to recruit existing travel agencies also show that bringing together established travel-service resources is an important part of its network expansion.

Departures from Taichung and Kaohsiung become a second growth priority

The company sees departures from central and southern Taiwan as its second growth engine, describing this market as fast-growing and profitable. It plans to establish a dedicated product department for these regions, with authority to develop itineraries, negotiate supplier terms and set prices, expanding the range of travel products departing from Taichung and Kaohsiung.

For its product portfolio, the company plans to introduce tiers for its scheduled group tours and launch a ‘Good Neighbour’ range. It also intends to create a dedicated team for bespoke group travel alongside the expansion of its corporate services business. These remain company plans and should not be taken to mean that every franchise outlet already offers these services.

The company says it will continue to strengthen its partnerships with China Airlines, EVA Air, STARLUX Airlines and low-cost carriers. It intends to differentiate products using full-service airlines from those using low-cost carriers, while balancing sales volume and gross profit.

Revenue growth alongside directly operated business expansion

The company reported revenue of NT$3.487 billion for the first three quarters of 2026, up 7.7% year on year. Net profit after tax was NT$64.33 million, with earnings per share of NT$2.42. Citing statistics from Taiwan’s Tourism Administration, under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the report said Taiwanese residents made 16.26 million outbound trips between January and September 2026, equivalent to around 86% of the total for 2025. These figures count trips, not franchise customers, and do not indicate outlet revenue.

Alongside franchise expansion, the company aims for its broader directly operated business, including corporate services, to account for 8% of revenue in 2027. It also plans to open a company-operated flagship outlet in central or southern Taiwan to serve as a model branch. Corporate client development will target businesses in science and technology parks, financial institutions and major manufacturers, with a focus on employee trips and incentive travel.

A two-track approach to franchising: distribution and products

To bring more industry partners into its network, the company plans to expand its presence in traveller source markets through two routes: distribution-channel franchising and product franchising. It also intends to enter targeted school and university travel segments through Hong Tian Xia Travel Service, its joint venture with Hong Hsi Travel Service.

At the destination end, it plans to establish destination companies through joint ventures with overseas travel businesses. The aim is to secure distinctive or lower-cost local ground-handling services in Japan, South Korea, South-East Asia and other destinations. This initiative runs alongside its Taiwan outlet expansion but operates at a different level of the business. Plans for overseas resources should not be interpreted as a guarantee of profit for individual franchisees.

In practical terms, prospective franchisees should first clarify how the rights and responsibilities differ between distribution-channel and product franchising. They should then check which departure-based products their outlet would be able to sell, what support the franchisor provides and the terms of the franchise agreement. The central question is whether an outlet can serve its local customer base effectively—not simply whether the network reaches its 100-outlet target.