The first post-COVID-19 pandemic tour group from China’s Xiamen City arrived in Kinmen County yesterday for a two-day trip.
The 22-member group reached Shuishe Pier at about 10am via the “mini-three links,” which are direct ferries connecting Kinmen and Matsu with Chinese-controlled Fujian Province, and was greeted by a lion dance performance organized by the Kinmen County Government.
The visit came after a group of seven travel industry representatives from Xiamen arrived in Kinmen County on Wednesday for a three-day familiarization tour.
Photo: Wu Cheng-ting, Taipei Times
The Kinmen trips made by the two groups were the result of joint efforts across multiple sectors, the county government said in a statement yesterday, adding that it and the local travel industry held several meetings to enhance the quality of tourism services.
Ferry services between Taiwan and China had been suspended since February 2020 due to COVID-19, with cross-strait ferry travel partially reopened for one month in January last year.
The tour group’s arrival came after the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced on Aug. 30 that Beijing would soon lift restrictions on group and independent travel for residents in Fujian Province to Kinmen.
China halted independent travel to Taiwan on Aug. 1, 2019, citing the poor state of cross-strait relations. It then suspended group travel in early 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began.
The group’s first stop was Shuitou (水頭) in Jincheng Township (金城), famous for its traditional Southern Fukienese-style architecture. They also visited sites such as Chen Jing-lan Western-style House and Southern Stone Tidal Weir Park yesterday.
They are set to visit Mingyi Old Street and the historic Mofan Street today before returning to Xiamen via the direct ferry route in the afternoon.
The Kinmen County Government said it has also approved the applications of 27 independent Chinese travelers to visit the county on Wednesday for a two-day tour.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS