The government should prioritize the re-entry of Chinese business travelers to boost economic activity amid packed flights from China after Beijing reopened its borders on Sunday, the Travel Quality Assurance Association (TQAA) said yesterday.
Flights to China were nearly full, primarily with business travelers, as well as Chinese spouses and students, returning for the Lunar New Year holiday, after the country lifted international travel restrictions, TQAA spokesman Ringo Lee (李奇嶽) said.
Over the past three years, China has restricted flights from Taiwan to airports in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Xiamen to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, he said.
Photo: Tony Yao, Taipei Times
The number of cross-strait flights and Chinese airports that can accommodate Taiwanese flights should be increased as the current flight capacity would not meet rising demand, he said, adding that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic 4 million Taiwanese per year traveled to China.
“It is our hope that Chinese business travelers would be allowed to re-enter first, as it is important to resume economic and trade exchanges between China and Taiwan. The government should decide whether Chinese tourists should be allowed to visit after taking into account the pandemic situation there,” Lee said.
“We also hope that the ‘small three links’ connecting Kinmen and Lienchiang counties with China can resume normal operations, which would give Taiwanese businesspeople in China another way home,” he said.
Taiwanese returning from four Chinese airports and through the “small three links” must undergo saliva polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests at their port of entry.
Travelers who test positive are asked to observe five days of home care and self-health management.
From Friday last week to Jan. 31, Taiwanese departing from China or entering via Hong Kong or Macau must obtain a PCR test report within 48 hours before boarding flights or undergo rapid antigen screening within 24 hours. Those leaving directly from Hong Kong and Macau are not subject to the testing.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS