By Zhang Rui

One of the landmark hometels in Gulangyu, Xiamen. [China.org.cn]

Representatives from the bed and breakfast industries in the Chinese mainland and Taiwan signed an agreement Tuesday at the first ever industry summit, held in Xiamen, Fujian Province.

The 2014 Summit Forum for the Development of Bed and Breakfast Inns across the Strait was held from September 15 - 17, attracting more than 200 professionals from the mainland and Taiwan.

The Gulangyu Hometel Association and Taiwan B&B Association signed the agreement to launch a cooperation mechanism which allows them to communicate with each other in a timely fashion. The agreement will also promote both sides across the Taiwan Strait to explore brands, improve their influence, seek out talent, strengthen the exchange of experience, and perfect and initiate legislation and regulation for their industry. They also devised a collaboration mechanism in addition to projects for bed-and-breakfast-themed tourism amid plans to hold industry summits regularly.

"Although Taiwan has opened itself to individual mainland travelers for years, mainland tourists have to contact travel agencies to get relevant credentials," said Xu Yixin, the president of Gulangyu Hometel Association. "And the travel agencies always book large hotels for tourists."

The situation has worried Taiwan's bed and breakfast industry. "Without sufficient information about Taiwanese B&Bs, mainland tourists have to comply and bypass the B&B option." Xu added that, thus far, Taiwanese B&Bs haven't gotten a piece of mainland tourism's big and profitable pie. The ample attendance at the summit bore witness to the large numbers of Taiwanese B&B entrepreneurs who want to explore the mainland market.

More than 100 B&B entrepreneurs from 14 cities and counties in Taiwan have come to the summit to promote exchange between Taiwanese B&Bs and mainland B&Bs in Xiamen, Beidaihe, Qingdao, Shenzhen, Lijiang and other places.

Chen Ru-bin, the founding chairman of Taiwan B&B Association, expects Xiamen to be a main transfer terminal for those traveling between the mainland and Taiwan. "Xiamen is the top tourist destination in the mainland, and Xiamen is a leading city of the bed and breakfast industry in the mainland." He hoped to plan a tourist route that will allow mainland tourists to extend their journey to Taiwan and stay in Taiwanese B&Bs after finishing their trip to Xiamen, which is just on the opposite shore of the Taiwan Strait. "We can provide general arrangements and planning for those tourists who come to Taiwan," he said.　　

Gulangyu Hometel Association president Xu Yixin said they want more tourist professionals to learn about the demands of the industry through this forum. "For Taiwan bed and breakfast professionals, this is a business opportunity. For Xiamen tourist market, it is a business opportunity, too. This collaboration will create a win-win situation."

Chen Sheng-shan, former Tourism Bureau Director-General of Kaohsiung and one of the distinguished speakers at the forum, said, "We should examine the qualities of the tour now. Individual mainland tourists should experience Taiwanese bed and breakfasts in order to get to know Taiwan's local culture and features. The regular group tourism led by normal travel agencies will not bring you such quality experiences."

There are 4,709 legitimate B&Bs in Taiwan, according to the latest official statistics released by Taiwan's tourism bureau. While there are more than 1,000 B&Bs in Xiamen alone, 400 of them are on the small scenic island of Gulangyu, and many of them have only opened in the past five years. The summit forum also discussed the subjects of cultural heritage protection, and future legislation for the B&B tourism market.