Taiwan to admit solo mainlanders
Mainland tourists will be able to travel to Taiwan on their own from next year, in yet another sign of warming cross-strait ties.
The plan, announced by Taiwanese Premier Wu Den-yih yesterday, is tipped to further boost the island's economy, in addition to NT$29.5 billion (HK$7.2 billion) in mainland tariff waivers agreed to by the two sides in a landmark trade pact late last month.
Mainland tourists have been able to visit the island since 2008 as a result of ground-breaking talks between the two former rivals, but only in tightly controlled tour groups. Those historic talks, which significantly improved cross-strait ties, stemmed from mainland-friendly Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou's policy of engaging Beijing. Taiwan had long banned direct visits by mainlanders because of fears that some could be spies while others might end up becoming illegal immigrants. The 2008 deal has allowed up to 3,600 mainland group tourists a day.
Wu said yesterday that with the number of mainland tourists expected to hit 1.5 million this year, it was time for the two sides to review their travel policies to allow mainland tourists to visit the island individually as well. 'I hope that if our two sides are able to complete preparatory measures [in time], individual mainland tourists will be able to travel to Taiwan on a trial basis as early as the Lantern Festival next year,' he said. That festival falls on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar, - mid February next year.
Wu said that during the initial period, up to 500 individual tourists would be allowed to travel to the island each day, and tourists from the mainland's southern and eastern coastal areas would be among the first batch of visitors to be allowed in.
Wu declined to name the places, but some Taiwanese media, quoting unnamed negotiators at the recent fifth round of cross-strait talks, said they included Beijing, Tianjin , Shanghai, Chongqing and Nanjing .
Asked if the government no longer had security or illegal immigration concerns about visitors from the mainland, Wu said that since Taiwan allowed mainland tourists to come in groups in July 2008, the number of tourists jumping ship or suspected of engaging in illegal activities in Taiwan had been 'very limited'.
More than 1.2 million mainland tourists have visited Taiwan since the government opened the island for group visits. Taiwan's Interior Ministry said 40 had gone missing, with eight later apprehended.
Wu said permission for visits for individual tourists would further boost the island's tourism revenue.
Statistics released by Taiwan's Tourism Bureau showed that visits by mainland tourists since July 18, 2008, had created NT$50 billion in business profits for the island.
More importantly, Wu said, the impact would no longer be limited to certain hotels, tour bus companies and tourist spots because mainland tourists coming on their own would be able to visit and spend money anywhere in Taiwan.
The present policy has disappointed some business operators, including taxi drivers, who are not able to get a share of profits mostly monopolised by travel agents.
'It is absolutely a positive development for Taiwan's tourism and economy if mainland tourists are allowed to travel individually,' said Tseng Kuo-cheng, assistant manager of Southeast Travel Service in Taipei.
Lin Chu-chia, professor of economics at National Chengchi University, said the recent signing of the Economic Co-operation Framework Agreement (ECFA) with the mainland would attract more foreign companies to invest in Taiwan, and individual tourist visits would encourage those companies to build more tourist hotels.
Taiwan signed the ECFA - a semi free trade pact - with the mainland on June 29. It saves Taiwan NT$29.5 billion in tariffs on 539 industrial items exported to the mainland.
Economic rewards
Admission of individual mainland tourists will boost Taiwan revenues
This comes on top of last month's mainland-Taiwan semi free-trade pact which ratified mainland tariff waivers worth, in Taiwan dollars: $29.5b
