Hainan selected to launch group tours to Taiwan
Recently, 13 more domestic cities were selected as 3rd pilot cities whose residents can be allowed to visit Taiwan individually, according to the plans released at the 5th Straits Forum in the coastal city of Xiamen, Fujian province on June 16th, 2013.
Unfortunately, Hainan is not on the list and residents in Hainan so far can only travel to Taiwan in groups organized by travel agents.
According to the National Tourism Administration, Shenyang, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Suzhou, Ningbo, Qingdao, Shijiazhuang, Changchun, Hefei, Changsha, Nanning, Kunming and Quanzhou are the 3rd group of cities that will be taking part in the pilot travel program.
Hainan has been listed in the 2nd group of cities to launch group tours to Taiwan and there are only 3 travel agents on the island appointed to operate such a business.
There is an increase in Hainan residents choosing to travelers to visit Taiwan but the total number is still relatively low, which may be the reason why Hainan was not included in the scheme, said Liang Changwen, a general manager at Hainan Hao Yang International Travel Co., Ltd.
At present, Taiwan’s airlines companies, including China Airlines, EVA Air, Hainan Airlines and China Southern Airlines has already opened or added direct flights from Hainan to Taiwan and the number of weekly flights between two regions reaches over 10.