Relaxed rules for individual mainland tourists to Taiwan; Mini Three Links to expand to 33 cities by month-end

By MOOK Travel Life Network, Li Xinyi, compiled and reported

The pilot cities for individual travel from mainland China to Taiwan were initially opened in June 28 last year, including Beijing, Shanghai, Xiamen, Tianjin, Chongqing, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, and Chengdu. The Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation announced that starting August 28, four more cities—Jinan, Xi'an, Fuzhou, and Shenzhen—will be added, bringing the total to 13 mainland pilot cities whose residents can travel to Taiwan individually. Since the opening of individual travel from the mainland to Taiwan up to July this year, the cumulative number of visitors has exceeded 107,000, averaging 266 arrivals per day.

The 4th Cross-Strait Tourism Exchange Roundtable Conference was held at the Howard Plaza Hotel Kaohsiung. In addition to deciding to open four more cities for individual travel to Taiwan, the conference also expanded the existing Mini Three Links individual travel program. Originally, residents of nine cities in Fujian—Fuzhou, Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, Putian, Sanming, Nanping, Longyan, and Ningde—were allowed to travel individually to the Kinmen, Matsu, and Penghu regions. This year, 11 more cities will be added: Wenzhou, Lishui, and Quzhou in Zhejiang; Meizhou, Chaozhou, Shantou, and Jieyang in Guangdong; and Shangrao, Yingtan, Fuzhou, and Ganzhou in Jiangxi. In total, residents of 20 cities across four provinces on the mainland will be eligible for Mini Three Links individual travel to Kinmen, Matsu, and Penghu, also launching on August 28.

On the issue of travel quality for mainland tourists visiting Taiwan, Mr. Hsieh Wei-chun, Chairman of the Taiwan Strait Tourism Association, also stated that in the future, in terms of accommodation, plans will be made to require that a certain proportion of nights during group tours be spent in star-rated hotels, in coordination with an increase in the number of certified star-rated accommodations. To enhance tour bus safety, highway authorities have established disaster warning mechanisms for major road sections and bridges in case of floods or typhoons. When specific alert levels are reached and roads are closed, closure information will be immediately sent via SMS to receiving agencies and tour guides handling mainland tourist groups, allowing timely adjustments to itineraries and avoidance of dangerous roads and bridges.

Taiwan is actively developing its cruise tourism market. Starting this year, international cruise companies bringing over 250 passengers will receive incentives of $10–25 USD per passenger based on the number of arrivals. From January to July this year, 32 international cruise ships have visited Taiwan. The conference also mentioned the strategic complementarity between Taiwan and mainland China’s cruise homeports, suggesting the establishment of a “Greater Taiwan Strait” loop route.

● Read more: Download the app and get an EasyCard—Kaohsiung attracts individual mainland travelers

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