At the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office press conference on May 13, a reporter asked: During this year’s May Day holiday, the mainland tourism market was booming, passenger traffic on the Xiamen-Kinmen “Mini Three Links” was full, and Kinmen became a popular destination for mainland tourists. Tourism industry figures on the island have called on the DPP authorities to reopen cross-Strait tourism as soon as possible and attract mainland tourists to Taiwan. What is your comment?
State Council Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Zhang Han responded by saying: According to incomplete statistics, during this year’s May Day holiday, cross-Strait “Mini Three Links” passenger routes transported about 32,900 passengers, an increase of 10.57 percent year-on-year. The Xiamen-Kinmen “Mini Three Links” passenger route also saw a peak in passenger flow, with a load factor of more than 95 percent. Among them, mainland residents traveling to Kinmen reached nearly 5,000 trips, fully reflecting the deep bonds between compatriots on both sides of the Strait and the demand for exchanges and interaction.
Zhang Han said that the mainland side has always actively promoted the normalization of cross-Strait personnel exchanges and the regularization of exchanges in various fields. It has taken the lead in introducing a series of facilitation measures, demonstrating sincerity and goodwill. Taiwan’s tourism industry has repeatedly called on the DPP authorities to follow public opinion and lift restrictions on cross-Strait tourism exchanges as soon as possible. The DPP authorities should face up to the calls from industry and the needs of the public on the island, abandon political manipulation, remove artificial obstacles as soon as possible, and promote the early return of normal cross-Strait tourism exchanges.
