The government’s position of welcoming Chinese tourists remains unchanged, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, following Shanghai Deputy Mayor Hua Yuan’s (華源) comments that the city administration would promote group tours to Taiwan.
“People across the Taiwan Strait are a family. The more frequently we visit each other, the closer we become,” Hua told the participants of the annual Taipei-Shanghai Twin-City Forum in Taipei.
“I invite Taiwanese to visit Shanghai and hope Shanghainese can visit Taiwan more often. We will promote group tours to Taiwan among Shanghai residents, and travel itineraries would definitely include Taipei,” he said.
Photo: Taipei Times
Hua’s statement was perceived as a signal that China would soon allow Shanghai residents to visit Taiwan.
The Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism in August gave permission to residents of China’s Fujian Province to visit Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties. Beijing still imposes a travel ban on Taiwan proper.
“We are not sure whether the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism or Shanghai has the final say [in lifting the travel ban to Taiwan]. Nevertheless, the government’s position of welcoming the arrival of Chinese tourists remains unchanged,” the council said in a statement.
The council said it had on Aug. 24 announced plans of resuming cross-strait tourism, and agencies are ready to do that.
It said it is waiting for an official announcement of details from the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said Beijing would consider lifting the travel ban to Taiwan proper and Penghu County if the Taiwanese government lifts a ban on group tours to China and removes what it calls the barriers impeding exchanges and partnerships for people across the Taiwan Strait.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications said that Beijing has yet to show any goodwill in terms of tourism, as more Taiwanese visit China than Chinese visiting Taiwan.
China allows its Fujian residents to visit Matsu and Kinmen individually or in groups, the Tourism Administration Director-General Chou Yung-hui (周永暉) said, adding that the administration welcomes tourists from other provinces as well.
“We continue to implement cross-strait tourism exchange in accordance with the principle of reciprocity and review the policy by taking into account the status quo,” he said.
High Quality of Travel Association public relations representative Ringo Lee (李奇嶽) said that travel operators are ready to accept Chinese tourists.
“We also hope that the government would soon lift the group tour ban to China, and in doing so the cross-strait tourism would continue to develop in a normal direction,” Lee said.
Chinese tourists used to spend about seven to eight days traveling in Taiwan, regardless of which airport they entered, he said.
While all international tourists would visit Taipei during their tours in Taiwan, a majority of them — 80 percent — would only stay in the capital, Lee said.
Chinese tourists were more likely than others to travel to tourist attractions in central, southern and eastern Taiwan, and their visits can directly help tourism in those regions, he said.
How much Taiwan would benefit from the visits of Shanghai tourists depends on the tension between Taiwan and China, Lee said, adding that more Chinese tourists would come if tensions ease.
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