Taipei and Beijing have agreed to add eight more cities to Taiwan’s independent mainland Chinese visitor program, Tourism Bureau Deputy Director-General David W. J. Hsieh said Feb. 9.
Hsieh confirmed the news after representatives of Taipei-based Taiwan Strait Tourism Association and its Beijing counterpart, the Cross-Strait Tourism Association, concluded two days of talks in Hong Kong.
The bureau official declined to name the eight cities, stating that an announcement will be made after both sides finish reviewing the list and accompanying measures.
“The joint decision takes into consideration a number of factors such as regional participation, city economic development and the incidence of tourists absconding from their groups,” Hsieh said.
The program, which was launched in June 2011, permits a maximum 500 mainland Chinese to enter Taiwan per day for visits of just over a fortnight. Currently, only residents of Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen are eligible under the agreement.
According to Hsieh, the daily cap on visits should be sufficient for accommodating tourists from 11 mainland China cities. Any future adjustments will be made in consultation by the Tourism Bureau, Mainland Affairs Council and National Immigration Agency, he said.
Echoing Hsieh’s remarks, MAC spokesman Liu Te-shun said the daily cap is set by Taiwan in respect of market demand and infrastructure capacity.
Bureau statistics show that an average of 184 mainland Chinese visited Taiwan per day since the program took effect in June 2011. But this number increased dramatically in November and December last year, hitting 365 and 476, respectively.
Sources familiar with the matter attribute the growth to a mainland Chinese preference for avoiding Taiwan during the January presidential and legislative elections, as well as the need to be home for the Lunar New Year vacation.
Hsieh said he expects the average number of visitors to climb from 349 in January to 450 end-February, with similar figures continuing for the rest of the year. (JSM)
