Only 169,159 Chinese tourists have visited Lienchiang (Matsu) and Kinmen counties this year, compared with more than 2.3 million Taiwanese visiting China, as Beijing’s ban on Chinese nationals visiting Taiwan proper continues, data showed.
According to Mainland Affairs Council data, 2.77 million Taiwanese visited China last year, and about 2.34 million visited from January to September this year.
From March last year to September this year, Taiwanese travel agencies organized tours to China for 25,000 people.
Photo: Reuters
Taiwan from September 2023 have allowed Chinese living outside of China to visit Taiwan as tourists.
A total of 116,000 such tourists came to Taiwan last year, and 96,000 came from January to September this year.
In addition, Chinese residing in China made 43,578 visits to Kinmen and Lienchiang last year, increasing to 169,159 visits this year up to September, data showed.
Although the government bans organized tour groups from visiting China, some domestic travel agencies sell packages to independent travelers or lead groups to China under the pretext of religious exchange or visiting relatives, a person familiar with the matter said yesterday.
These are mostly organized by smaller agencies, which hope the government does not lift the ban so that they do not have to compete with large agencies, the source said.
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
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