China Economic Review
Charting China’s changing economic terrain · Since 1990
Exchanging tourism offices with China
July 27, 2009
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Tourism Bureau Director-General Janice Lai said, on her return from a visit to China, that a proposal for Taiwan and China to set up tourism offices in each other’s countries will help enhance the quality of cross-Taiwan Strait travel, which has become a priority issue amid a surge in the number of Taiwan-bound Chinese tourists. Janice Lai noted that Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation and its Chinese counterpart, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits — the two semi-official intermediary bodies representing the respective governments on each side — reached a consensus on the matter last year, when they signed an agreement on admitting larger numbers of Chinese tourists to Taiwan.
Janice Lai said, "The increase in the number of people traveling across the strait over the past year confirms the need for the two sides to exchange tourism offices." Anyone who has had extensive experience with tourism offices will wonder whether that statement invariably holds true.
Taiwan News said that Janice Lai stressed, however, that the offices will only be in charge of promoting tourism and providing travel information, and will not offer visa services.
