Chinese tourists are no longer required to join tours in order to visit, the Bureau of Immigration said yesterday.
As of Wednesday, amendments to the Regulations Governing the People of the Mainland Area Engaging In Sightseeing Activities In Taiwan (大陸地區人民來臺從觀光活動許可辦法), a by-law of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), took effect, stipulating that a Chinese person may travel individually, as long as he or she is able to obtain a Taiwan Area Travel Permit.
"Before the amendments, Chinese tourists had to be in a tour group made up of at least seven people in order to visit," Chen Cheng-rui (陳政叡), a bureau official, said yesterday.
Last October, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications loosened its regulations covering Chinese tourists in a bid to boost cross-strait tourism.
The Ministry of the Interior followed suit by amending its related regulations.
In order to streamline the processing of Chinese tourists' travel documents, all paperwork will be handled by the Travel Agent Association of ROC Taiwan, including the receiving and forwarding of documents, visa distribution and security deposits. Previously such documentation was processed by whichever tour agency a Chinese visitor had signed up with.
Local tour agencies wanting to arrange tours for Chinese visitors must put down a NT$1 million (US$32,000) security deposit with the association.
Chinese joining group tours must abide by strict measures aimed at stopping them from leaving their group without the government's approval.
If a Chinese citizen needs to leave his or her tour group because of an emergency or other appropriate reason -- subject to approval by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau -- he or she must inform their tour leader of the name and address of the person or entity being visited and the time the person will be rejoining the tour group. The tour leader must relay the information to the tourism bureau. Visitors who violate the rules are subject to deportation.
The amendments also call for more stringent rules on tour leaders and travel agencies providing services to Chinese tourists. For example, a tour group's landing information must be sent to the tourism bureau 39 hours prior to the group's arrival. Tour leaders are also required to report any illegal activities by tour members to the authorities immediately.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS