750 set to make trip to Taiwan

By Xin Dingding, Liang Qiwen and Hu Meidong (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-01 07:39

More than 750 people will be onboard the first direct tourist charter flights from the mainland to Taiwan on Friday, the Cross-Straits Tourism Exchange Association (CTEA) said on Monday.

Zhu Shanzhong, the association's secretary-general, told a press conference that tour groups - the first since the signing last month of a landmark agreement allowing direct flights - will fly from five cities and will be headed by CTEA Chairman Shao Qiwei.

A total of 353 people will fly from Beijing, while four other groups, each comprising 100 travelers, will leave from Shanghai, Nanjing, Xiamen and Guangzhou, Zhu said.

The Beijing group will comprise mostly members of the public, but also journalists and representatives from the tourism industry for the purpose of exchange and inspection, he said, without giving exact numbers.

The tourists will stay in Taiwan for up to 10 days, while the officials will be there for just a week, he said.

During their stay, the tourists are expected to travel in separate groups with different itineraries, but all will get to see Taiwan's many attractions, Zhu said.

Each tour package varies in length and price, with the cheapest being 8,000 yuan ($1,160) for those flying from Fujian, Xinhua reported.

Wang Jian from Guangdong China Travel Service Ltd said people traveling from Guangdong province have paid 10,888 yuan for a 10-day trip, which will include visits to 12 cities and scenic spots, including Sun Yat-sen's memorial hall in Taipei.

In Beijing, tourists were charged 9,980 yuan for an eight-day trip, while in Shanghai, a 10-day trip was priced at 12,888 yuan, according to media reports.

Chen Ling, vice-director of the Fujian Taiwan affairs office, said: "The launch of the cross-Straits weekend charter flights marks a great leap forward for relations between the mainland and Taiwan."

Flights to Taiwan from Xiamen, Fujian province, will become a key route for the city, like those to Hong Kong and Macao, she said.

Mainland travel agencies have said they were surprised at the high numbers of people applying for the tours, considering the reported opposition to the high prices.

In a survey by online travel service Ctrip.com, just 20 percent of respondents said the 8,000 yuan price tag was fair, while 43 percent said it should be under 5,000 yuan.

Li Renzhi, a director of the CTEA, said any mainland tourists who fail to return on time could be banned from traveling to Taiwan in the future. Also, the respective travel agency could be banned from arranging future tours to the island.