Travel fair focuses on Straits tourism

By ZHU JIN zhujin@chinadaily.迷你倉com.cn h e ninth Straits Travel Fair will extend coop- eration across the Tai- wan Straits from tourism exchanges to industrial collaboration to bring about mutual benei ts, oi - cials said.The fair, which is being held in Xiamen, Fujian province from Sunday to Wednesday, is one of the major sideline activities of the 17th China Interna- tional Fair for Investment and Trade.Rather than being domi- nated by the government, this year's event will high- light the role of the mar- ket. "It is aimed at provid- ing better projects and more benefits on a larger scale and at less expense in tourism cooperation," said Zheng Weirong, deputy director of the Fujian Tour- ism Bureau, on Friday.Seventy new preferen- tial tourism policies will be announced at the fair as a platform created to release tourism policies at the provincial level. It is the i rst trial for Taiwan and 14 mainland provinces and cities jointly releasing those policies to domestic tour- ists.Experts from both the mainland and Taiwan suggested the two sides should make joint efforts to upgrade the tourism industry. "Attracting more renowned tourism experts to the event is one of the main elements this year, such as experts from the Taiwan Visitors Associa- tion," Zheng said.During the fair, a round- table discussion will be held to discuss new oppor- tunities and challenges in developing rural 文件倉ross- Straits tourism business.Ten tourist spots will be selected from both sides as "rural tourism coopera- tion demonstration bases".h ese bases will operate in pairs, sharing experiences in designing tours in the countryside.Cooperation in tourism education will be devel- oped as well. The Fujian provincial government plans to invite around 10,000 Taiwan students majoring in tourism to study in five universities in the province as part of an exchange program over the next i ve years.Nearly 3,500 guests and exhibitors are expected to attend the travel fair, including tourism admin- istration oi cials from the mainland and Taiwan, travel agencies and tourism experts, according to the organizers. It is the largest ever such event.The six-day initiative will launch more than 200 investment projects for tourism, with the goal of attracting 100 billion yuan ($16.3 billion).Data showed the total number of visits made by people from both sides of the Straits surged from 4.7 million in 2008 to 7.05 million in 2012, with an annual growth rate of 14 percent.h e mainland is now the largest source of tourists for Taiwan, whi le Taiwan is the third-largest source of tour- ists for the mainland.So far, residents from 26 mainland cities are allowed to visit Taiwan as individual tourists under a pilot tour- ism program agreed upon by the two sides, with 13 mainland cities newly approved in June.存倉