Starting today, citizens of 47 cities on the Chinese mainland will not be allowed to travel to Taiwan with individual tourist travel visas, the mainland-based Association for Tourism Exchange Across the Taiwan Straits said yesterday.
The statement added that the decision was made on the basis of current cross-Straits relations.
Tourists from the Chinese mainland have been officially allowed to travel to Taiwan since July 2008. However, the options were limited to tour groups, business trips, academic visits and trips related to family affairs.
The first trial batch of mainland residents visiting Taiwan as individual tourists was launched on June 28, 2011. Citizens from three cities – Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen – were able to visit Taiwan on individual tours and enjoy a 15-day stay. However, only 500 people were allowed to visit Taiwan each day.
Since then, the number of cities from which residents are able to apply for individual tours to Taiwan has seen an expansion. In 2015, a total of 47 cities from the Chinese mainland made the list.