The government would consider adjusting the daily cap on tourists to China after a ban on group travel to the nation is lifted next year if demand exceeds expectations, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said yesterday.
The ministry earlier this month announced that the ban on group tours to China would be lifted on March 1 and it told Taiwanese travel agencies they could begin organizing tours to China, with the earliest departure to be March 1.
However, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Monday said that the number of Taiwanese tourists to China would be capped at 2,000 per day at the initial stage, the same cap as would apply to Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan.
Photo: CNA
“Travel agencies in Taiwan have already begun selling tours to China leaving in March and afterward, as the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced that the group travel ban would be lifted. More than 10,000 Taiwanese have paid a deposit or booked flights,” Travel Agent Association spokesperson Ringo Lee (李奇嶽) said in a video on Tuesday.
“However, the MAC insisted that Taiwanese tourists be capped at 2,000 per day,” Lee said. “This has shocked many travel agents, who are utterly confused by the government’s changing policy. Many travel agents could end up having disputes with their customers.”
Ninety percent of Taiwan’s 4,000 travel agencies have organized tours to China, he said.
They are asking how the daily quota would be fairly distributed among travel agencies, he added.
No travel agencies have limited how many spots they offer since the Martial Law period, Lee said.
The government should rethink its policy, he said.
Wang told reporters in New Taipei City that travel agencies need not worry and should proceed with their preparations for tours to China.
“What the MAC was saying was that the policy should be implemented in phases, as there might not be many tourists in the beginning,” Wang said.
“However, an adjustment would be necessary if there is strong demand for tours to China. Details would be announced before the Lunar New Year holiday next year,” he said.
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