Taiwan may allow free travel for tourists from the mainland starting perhaps as early as next July. Possibly first in line will be tourists from Beijing and Shanghai.
The idea reportedly came up in a meeting between the Fujian Provincial Tourism Bureau, the Taiwan Strait Tourism Association and Yang Jui-tsung, Taiwan Strait Tourism Association’s representative in Beijing. The Fujian Tourism Bureau had suggested Fujian tourists to be the test group but this seems to have been rejected.
Beijing and Shanghai are cities so populous that allowing tourists from there alone would prove to be a huge task. The projected number of visitors from the mainland this year, including for business, is 1.5 million, a 50% increase from the 970,000 tourists reported last year.
China Post reports the relaxed tour schedules for tourists will require much cooperation and planning from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. It is being approached on all sides with due deliberation and great care.