Travel between Taiwan and mainland China significantly increased in the first eight months of the year, with visits by Taiwan residents rising by 19.63% year-on-year, according to statistics from Taiwan’s tourism authorities, cited by Xinhua News Agency.
Mainland China remained the second-most popular outbound destination for Taiwan residents during this period, indicating sustained demand for cross-Strait travel despite ongoing political tensions and travel warnings.
The report revealed that monthly visits surpassed 300,000 from March through August, with each of these months recording double-digit annual growth.
The increase outpaced the 15.24% growth in Taiwan residents’ total outbound trips over the same period, showing that travel to mainland China expanded faster than overall outbound travel.
Tourism demand spans generations, from older travellers opting for organised tours to younger visitors independently exploring major cities and sharing their experiences on social media.
A student from Taiwan informed Xinhua that older travellers frequently choose destinations such as Xinjiang and Yunnan, while younger visitors are drawn to cities like Chongqing and Shanghai, partly influenced by travel content on Xiaohongshu, a popular Chinese social media platform.
The student also noted that trips to the mainland had become increasingly common among their social circles, with travellers sharing photographs and experiences online.
Zhang Wensheng, deputy dean and professor at Xiamen University’s Taiwan Research Institute, attributed this sustained travel to shared cultural ties, growing personal connections, and opportunities in tourism, education, and employment.
He contended that direct experience of mainland China allows Taiwan residents to form their own assessments of conditions there, irrespective of political disagreements and official travel warnings.
Zhang added, “This trend reflects the fact that people-to-people exchanges across the Taiwan Straits are an irresistible trend.”
According to Zhang, Beijing has also introduced measures aimed at attracting Taiwan residents, particularly younger people. He stated that economic opportunities and an improving environment have contributed to the mainland’s appeal.
“As a result, many Taiwan residents are still willing to visit the mainland despite obstacles imposed by the DPP authorities,” the expert said.
He continued, “By seeing the mainland for themselves, they can form their own judgments and assess the claims made by the DPP authorities. For most Taiwan residents, a visit to the mainland is an opportunity to see the facts firsthand and distinguish fact from fiction.”
On 14 October, Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for mainland China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, accused Taiwan’s authorities of obstructing tourism exchanges and disregarding the interests of tourism businesses and the public.
Chen urged the DPP authorities to remove restrictions on cross-Strait travel and resume travel by mainland residents to Taiwan, arguing that existing barriers had damaged the island’s tourism industry.
Nevertheless, the latest travel figures highlight continued demand for mainland destinations among Taiwan residents, demonstrating how tourism remains a channel for contact between people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, alongside the political tensions shaping their relationship.
