Mainland China tourist spending rises in Taiwan

Average daily spending by mainland Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan increased to US$270 in 2011, up from US$234 in 2008, according to the Tourism Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications July 6.

“A breakdown of expenditures shows that the money mainland tourists spend on shopping has jumped from an average of US$118 per day in 2009 to US$160 in 2012, while the money spent on accommodation during the same period has fallen from US$71 to US$45,” the bureau said, adding that the reasons for the decline in hotel expenses are still unknown.

According to the Taipei-based Taiwan Strait Tourism Association, the number of mainland Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan with tour groups reached a record 935,000 in the first half of 2012, up 56.52 percent year on year.

“This number is very close to 1.2 million, the total number of mainland Chinese visitors who visited Taiwan on group tours in 2011,” the TSTA said, adding that the number of solo mainland Chinese sightseers has also increased significantly, from 29,000 last year to 58,000 as of the end of June 2012.

In order to bring more convenience to mainland Chinese tourists, the ROC government has made it a top policy to simplify the application process for visitors. Currently, it takes only 48 hours for National Immigration Agency officials to process the relevant paperwork, the Tourism Bureau said.