Taipei (dpa) – Taiwan authorities marked a record year for tourism Wednesday by welcoming the 6-millionth visitor to the island. The South Korean woman who was traveling with her family was given a gift basket of local snacks and products at Taoyuan International Airport Wednesday morning. Visitor arrivals in Taiwan are expected to increase by more than 8 per cent this year compared to 2010, according to statistics from the Tourism Bureau. Warming relations with China have played a large part in boosting those numbers. Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou, who is friendly to Beijing, lifted the ban on mainland tourists in 2008 by allowing Chinese who sign up for package tours to visit Taiwan. This year, tourists from Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen were given the opportunity to travel independently on the island for two-week stays. The two initiatives have made China the largest source of tourists for Taiwan. From January to November of this year, more than 1.6 million Chinese tourists visited Taiwan, representing 29 per cent of all overseas arrivals, according to the Tourism Bureau. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/uq9lr Tags: Taiwan, Tourism, Visitors Section: East Asia, Travel
