Taiwan Tour Circle Wishes to Restore Chinese Mainland Tours

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, July 30, 2003

Taiwan Tour Circle Wishes to Restore Chinese Mainland Tours

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A very large group formed by Taiwan tourist operators will recently come to the Chinese motherland for a study tour and exchange points of views. This is the first exchange activity organized by Taiwan tour operators when the SARS is over. It is hoped that the tours for Taiwan compatriots to visit the Chinese mainland can be restored as soon as possible after the SARS is over, expressed Yao Daguang, Deputy Board-chairman of Taibei Tour Operators Guild, one of the organizers of this activity. And thereby it is to promote the tourism industry across the Taiwan Strait to develop from a "unilateral" to a "bilateral" movement.

The visiting group is composed of over 300 tour operators and media reporters in the Island, introduced Yao, including around 250 travel agencies which almost cover the travel agencies of all cities and counties in the Island. "It is hoped that the Taiwan operators and media reporters will bring to the common people in Taiwan Island a picture in which everything in the Chinese mainland with rich tourist resources is very normal and in good order after the atypical pneumonia is over, thereby promoting the quickest restoration and development of tourism across the Taiwan Strait."

In recent years, around half of the number leaving Taiwan out for tours are those coming to the Chinese mainland. Except those Taiwan business dealers coming to the Chinese mainland for business the people in Taiwan coming to China's mainland for sightseeing and tours are estimated to have surpassed one million arrivals.

Due to the needs of business, Mr. Yao has been to the Chinese mainland for more than 200 times. He said, the tourism industry has witnessed a very quick development in the Chinese mainland no mater whether the transportation, tourist facilities, shops or restaurants and tourism managements, every aspect has obtained a great progress. It is of great attraction for the common people in Taiwan to make a "tour in the Chinese mainland" and so the Chinese mainland tourist market plays a very important role in Taiwan tourism industry and during recent years continuous progress has been made in the cooperation between the tourist circles across the Taiwan Strait.

During the first half of this year, the tourism industry in Taiwan suffered a great deal due to the SARS influence. Almost half of the people engaged in the business suspended and retained in the business without getting any pay and the other half had to draw half of their pays, said Yao, and so they are faced with a serious problem for survival. He said, as a tour operator, "we are not only paying attention to the restoration for Taiwan compatriots to go to the Chinese mainland for tours and it must be pushed ahead as quick as possible." At present, to recover the vivacity of the "tours to the Chinese mainland" the tour operators in Taiwan are making efforts to work out measures to cooperate with the airlines for the promotion of tours so as to reduce the tour expenses and at the same time they are putting forward some new tour-routes, such as the "New Three Gorges Tours" in order to tout for tourists.

The Taibei Tour Operators Guild has started to urge the Taiwan Authority to open Taiwan tours to the tourists from the Chinese mainland three years ago. "We have already made every preparation to welcome tourists from China's mainland to visit Taiwan and it is urgently expected that the tours across the Taiwan Strait will be developed from the 'unilateral' to the 'bilateral' so soon as possible."

By Han Rongliang, People's Daily Online

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