As Hong Kong begins to lose its appeal for some Chinese tourists, Taiwan is rising in the ranks.

According to Taiwan's Tourism Bureau, the number of mainland tourists visiting the island over this month's Labor Day weekend holiday rose 33% on-year to nearly 32,000, while Hong Kong saw a 2% decrease to 388,070 visitors, the first drop in nine years.

There are many reasons why fewer Chinese tourists are heading to Hong Kong, from China's slowing economy to locals' complaints against Chinese tourists. Last month, tempers in Hong Kong flared after locals reacted furiously to the sight of a young mainland Chinese child urinating on the street while traveling with his parents. The incident sparked protests, as well as angry debate.

Nearly 80% of 1,065 Chinese-language WSJ readers said in a recently poll that such events have made them less likely to visit Hong Kong.

But whatever is driving Chinese tourists away from Hong Kong, it has been a boon for Taiwan. Official data show that almost 1 million Chinese tourists visited the island in the January-March period, a 36% jump from same period last year. Those figures put the island well on its way to meet its annual target of attracting 3.35 million mainland tourists this year, up from 2.87 million last year.