More mainland visitors favor Taiwan

BEIJING - The number of visitors from the mainland to Taiwan hit a record high in the first 11 months of 2012, new data has showed.

According to statistics released on Tuesday by the National Tourism Administration, tourists from the mainland made over 1.8 million visits to Taiwan in the January-November period, up 60.6 percent year-on-year. The figure accounted for 35 percent of inbound trips in the same period.

Of all the trips from mainland, 1.64 million were made by group travelers, 159,000 by individuals, the NTA said.

The surging growth was mainly attributed to tourism authorities on either side of the Taiwan Strait, which have made joint efforts to implement policies to reinforce the newly established tourism tie this year.

The number of mainland visitors is expected to increase further, as the forthcoming Spring Festival is likely to prompt more mainlanders to experience this traditional holiday on the other side of the Strait.

Taiwan first opened the door to individual tourists from mainland cities on June 28 last year. The Chinese mainland has since become the largest source of tourists for Taiwan.