The Association for Tourism Exchange across the Taiwan Straits (ATETS) and the Taiwan Straits Tourism Association (TSTA) have agreed that Ji'nan, Xi'an, Fuzhou and Shenzhen residents will be granted personal visits to Taiwan beginning Aug 28.

Shao Qiwei, chairman of the ATETS, announced at a cross-Straits tourism communication roundtable conference on Aug 8 that 11 mainland cities will gain access to individual tours to the Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu Islands starting Aug 28.

The cities include Wenzhou, Quzhou and Lishui in Zhejiang province; Ganzhou, Fuzhou, Shangrao and Yingtan in Jiangxi province; and Meizhou, Chaozhou, Shantou and Jieyang in Guangdong province.

In order to promote tourism talent cultivation and cross-Straits communication, the ATETS will invite 500 tourism majors from Taiwan to study in the Chinese mainland.

Two policies were unveiled before the roundtable conference.

First, another 52 travel agencies were authorized and invited to visit Taiwan for tour route design.

Second, tourists from the mainland were permitted to depart from Hong Kong for Taiwan by ship, and continue their sea travel to Japan or South Korea before they return to the mainland.

The new policies are sure to attract more mainland tourists.

Edited by Lin Hong and Michael Thai