More mainlanders visit Taiwan for Spring Festival

TAIPEI, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- A record 5,090 Chinese mainland tourists visited Taiwan on a daily average during the just-concluded nine-day Spring Festival holiday, mostly attracted by the island's unique festival celebrations, its sightseeing department said Monday.

A total of 45,811 mainlanders visited Taiwan in tour groups between Jan. 21 and 29, the island's public holiday period for the beginning of the Year of the Dragon, the department said. Mainlanders had seven days off for this year's Spring Festival.

The number of visits by mainlanders in the first six days of the holiday increased by about 26 percent over that of last year, it said in a statement.

Jan. 24, or the second day on the lunar calendar, witnessed a record high of 7,723 visits by mainlanders, it said, adding that besides Taiwan's scenic spots, the island's unique festival celebrations had always been an attraction.

More than 3.05 million mainland tourists had visited the island by the end of last year, since Taiwan allowed mainland tourists to visit in tour groups in July 2008, the department said.