China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) Director Shao Qiwei leads a delegation to Taiwan today as the Chairman of the China Tourism Association (CTA) upon the invitation of the Taiwan Visitors Association (TVA). The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) extends its welcome to the visiting delegation and hopes they have a successful and fruitful trip in Taiwan.
MAC indicates that after prior communication between both sides, it was hoped that the delegation’s visit to Taiwan would be made as simple as possible. Arrangements have been made for the delegation to inspect major tourist sites and facilities, and reception services, as well as meet with representatives from tourist associations and the Travel Quality Assurance Association ROC. The host TVA has specifically arranged an exquisite itinerary to make a lasting impression of Taiwan’s beauty on the Chinese visitors. MAC will coordinate with the related agencies to provide proper assistance to TVA if it requires any assistance during the CTA delegation’s visit,
MAC emphasized that allowing Chinese tourists to visit Taiwan is an established government policy. The government already announced this policy program on November 23, 2001, and implemented it on a trial basis in 2002. We expect that CNTA Director Shao Qiwei and the rest of the delegation will gain a better understanding and full experience of the fine sceneries and landscapes and high-quality tourism environment in Taiwan. This should further facilitate the implementation of the policy declaration made by the Chinese authorities to allow Chinese tourists to visit Taiwan.
MAC reiterates that it is a required procedure for the Chinese authorities to form a delegation to inspect Taiwan’s tourist spots and facilities before allowing their people to travel to new overseas destinations. In recent years, various sectors have hoped that Chinese tourists would be allowed to visit Taiwan. The itinerary for Mr. Shao and other CTA members will be very simple, which includes visits to major tourist sites and meetings with representatives from the tourism industry. Their visit will not include any non-tourism-related activities or cross-strait negotiations. We hope that the public will respect the purpose of the delegation’s visit and not interfere with their stay. It is hoped that the delegation will successfully complete its itinerary and gain a wonderful impression of Taiwan.