Taiwan gears up for influx of Chinese tourists
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Chinese officials have confirmed individual citizens will be provided the right to visit Taiwan from 28 June onwards.The pilot programme will allow individuals from Shanghai, Beijing and Xiamen the right to visit the country, marking a major turning point in Chinese-Taiwanese relations.Taiwan has agreed to accept 500 tourists a day from each city. Individuals planning a trip to the country will have to first provide a range of details to Chinese authorities, including proof of adequate funds. Under previous legislation, Chinese tourists keen to visit Taiwan were forced to do so as part of large tour groups of up to 4,000 people.China and Taiwan have also agreed to boost passenger flights between the two countries from 370 to 558 per week.According to recent government statistics, China ranked as Taiwan’s number one source market for tourists in 2010, with more than 1.6 million Chinese making the cross-strait journey.Meanwhile, a new report published at International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) Asia has found that Chinese mainland tourists spent more on shopping than any other country worldwide in 2010.The inaugural report, published as the Chinese Luxury Traveller White Paper, revealed that Chinese tourists were responsible for 17 percent of all shopping sales revenue generated worldwide in 2010, marking a 91 percent increase on the 2009 result.As a result of the increase, Chinese tourists topped the global consumer index for the first time, followed by Russia with 16 percent, Japan and the US with five percent, and Indonesia with four percent of the global market.Jewellery, watches and fashion accessories topped the list of most desirable items among Chinese tourists.
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