Flights from Shanghai to Taipei for Independent Travel See Price Drop on August 1

Text by Li Xinyi, compiled and reported

To attract more travelers from Shanghai for independent trips to Taipei, the “Taipei – More Than a Visit – Discover 100% Taipei” initiative jointly launched by the Taipei City Government and China Airlines will offer even more attractive prices starting August 1. The price for a 3-day, 2-night refined travel package from Shanghai to Taipei has been reduced from a starting price of RMB 2,620 to RMB 2,470 (a drop of 5.7%), and China Airlines will also increase the free checked baggage allowance by 10 kg.

The “Taipei – More Than a Visit – Discover 100% Taipei” initiative includes refined travel products and comes with the “Discover 100% Taipei Activity Handbook,” which features 12 Taipei Welcome Gifts to choose from and 88 discount offers near MRT stations. Launched in the Shanghai area on June 28, the initiative originally offered a 3-day, 2-night package starting at RMB 2,620 — about 80–90% of the market rate for refined independent travel packages. Starting August 1, the price has been further reduced to RMB 2,470, a drop of RMB 150, and the free checked baggage allowance has been increased by 10 kg, allowing mainland travelers to bring back more Taipei souvenirs.

Currently, travelers from mainland China are the most significant and important source of tourists in Asia. Although Taiwan only opened its doors to mainland tourists in July 2008, by 2010, they had already surpassed Japanese tourists to become the largest group of visitors to Taiwan, accounting for 29.3% of all tourists. The Tourism Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications estimates that total tourist arrivals will exceed 10 million in 2015, with the number of mainland tourists being a key factor. Opening up independent travel for mainland tourists will further expand the foundation of Taipei’s tourism market. For example, based on the current daily quota of 500 independent mainland tourists, if each stays one extra day in Taipei, the city could gain an additional NT$1.2 billion in tourism revenue per year.