Taiwan och Kina utbyter turistkontor

PRESS RELEASE

Government Information Office

October 28, 2009

Taiwan, mainland to swap tourism offices

The Executive Yuan announced October 23 that it would open an office of the Taiwan Strait Tourism and Travel Association in Beijing early next year with a mandate to promote tourism to Taiwan, increase the number of mainland Chinese visiting Taiwan, and set up mechanisms for facilitating communication for tourists and responding to emergencies. Yang Rui-zong, deputy director of the Executive Yuan's Third Division, was tapped to serve as the director of the office.

Premier Wu Den-yih noted that the establishment of the Beijing office is a milestone, and he foresees that it will be a boon for tourism and provide assistance to cities and counties holding tourism fairs in the mainland.

Meanwhile, the mainland-based Cross-Strait Tourism Exchange Association will set up an office in Taipei, with the organization's deputy secretary-general, Fan Guishan, serving as the office's first head. This marks the first time the two sides will open semi-official offices in each other's territory.

The Tourism Bureau added that the number of tourists from mainland China arriving between January and September of this year exceeded 680,000, making the mainland the largest source of tourists to Taiwan after Japan. The bureau estimates that the total number of mainland visitors will reach 900,000 by the end of the year.