The Chinese mainland will soon resume group tours for residents of Shanghai and Fujian Province to the island of Taiwan. The Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism made the announcement on Friday. Hu Nan has the details.
Local residents and potential tourists in Shanghai are excited about the opportunity to visit Taiwan in the near future.
TOURIST "I've never been to Taiwan. Now I can imagine myself in Taiwan for live concerts, enjoying local food, and taking photos at locations I often see in my favorite TV shows. I'll go for 4 to 5 days this time, and longer for thorough tours in the southern parts of Taiwan in the future."
TOURIST "For a group tour I think 1 to 2 weeks is a better choice. I want to visit more smaller cities besides Taipei for their unique culture. Also the Sun Moon Lake, which we learned from the textbook of our primary school, I'd like to see if it's the same as I've imagined."
Local travel agencies and authorities in Shanghai and Fujian Province are preparing tour packages.
ZHOU WEIHONG, Deputy General Manager of Spring Tour "We're busy preparing for the Taiwan tours, including the training of tour guides, agenda design, supplier sourcing, because the market has changed a lot these years. Tourism plays an important role in Taiwan's economy, so resuming group tours is good news for both the Taiwan tourism industry and for tourists."
HAN MING, Director of Fuzhou Tourism Association "Most of the residents in Fujian province share the same language and similar living habits with people living in Taiwan or even have relatives there. Therefore, we have our advantages to organize group tours to Taiwan."
As stated by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the resuming of group tours to Taiwan is an effort to boost cross-strait exchanges, and to respond to the enthusiastic anticipation of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait for peace, development, exchanges and cooperation.
SU MEIXIANG, Head of Institute of Taiwan Studies, Fujian Academy of Social Sciences "However, the outcome of the measures still depends on whether the tourism industry in Taiwan is well prepared. At the same time, we hope that the Taiwan authorities will recognize the mainstream public opinion and listen to industry voices, lift the ban on group tours, cancel the travel warnings, and fully restore direct flights. Therefore, they can create favorable conditions for exchanges in various fields."
As the Spring Festival approaches, tourism industry insiders on both sides are eager for the implementation of the measurements. Hu Nan, CGTN, Shanghai.