BEIJING, 22 May 2023: China is easing rules to allow travel agencies to resume the sale of group tours for Taiwan residents to visit the mainland, according to a Reuters report quoting China’s Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.
The easing of regulations governing tour group movements between China and Taiwan was effective last Friday.
Global Times, an official news channel of the PRC, confirmed that starting last Friday, travel agencies could resume the business of group tours for Taiwan residents coming to the mainland quoting Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, who in response to a media inquiry said: “We warmly welcome Taiwan compatriots to visit the mainland.”
Also on Friday, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued a notice, saying that travel agencies and online travel companies will resume inbound group tours and “air ticket + hotel” business for Taiwan residents.
The ministry asked all localities to steadily promote the resumption of travel agencies’ tourism business for Taiwan residents’ inbound group tours while upholding the conviction that people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits are of the same family. The ministry said they should guide local travel agencies to better design routes and related products, and implement group travel management systems.
Global Times noted that Spring Airlines currently operates a Shanghai-Taipei flight every Friday.
(Source: Reuters/ Global Times)
