TAIPEI - Travel agents in Taiwan have been told to stop organising new group tours to China since Beijing has yet to allow such trips to the island by Chinese visitors and has altered a flight path in the sensitive Taiwan Strait.
Since the end of the pandemic, China has largely resumed permission for its nationals to visit a host of popular tourist destinations including Japan, but has yet to put Taiwan back on its approved list amid ongoing tensions between Beijing and Taipei.
China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory despite the strong objections of the government in Taipei.
Taiwan had planned to resume group tours for Taiwanese to China from March 1 after they were suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the Tourism Administration said those already organised from that date to May 31 could go ahead.
But “considering the change in the situation”, including China not allowing mainlanders to visit Taiwan and Beijing’s altering of a flight route through the Taiwan Strait last week, Taiwanese travel agencies cannot arrange any more tours, the Tourism Administration said.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Taiwan’s government expressed anger after China “unilaterally” changed the flight path close to the strait’s median line, saying it appeared to be a deliberate attempt to change the status quo for possible military means.
China has downplayed the furore, saying it was a routine measure to alleviate pressure on airspace in the area.
Taiwanese are still able to visit China on individual trips, while Chinese who live in third countries have since last September been allowed to come to Taiwan again as tourists.