Agencies flouting China travel ban
- Home
- Taiwan News
Tue, Oct 20, 2026 page3
-
- By Huang Yi-ching,
Wu Liang-yi
and William Hetherington / Staff reporters, with staff writer
Some travel agencies are using labels such as “cultural visits” to advertise tours to China despite the government’s ban on organized group travel
The number of Taiwanese traveling to China rose 19.63 percent year-on-year to 2.49 million in the first eight months of this year, making China the second-most popular overseas destination, after Japan.
Taiwan has maintained the ban since February 2024, allowing only independent trips to China. However,of the Taipei Times) that travel agencies are advertising China tour packages under labels such as “cultural visits” and “group independent travel.”
People visit the Forbidden City in Beijing in an undated photograph.
Taiwan first banned travel agencies from organizing outbound tours in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ban was scheduled to be lifted in 2024, but Taipei maintained the restrictions in response to Beijing’s prohibition on Chinese tour groups and independent travelers visiting Taiwan.
Statistics released by the Tourism Administration on Saturday show that Taiwanese made 14.53 million overseas trips from January through August, including 2.49 million to China, accounting for 17.4 percent of the total. Commenting on the increase, Providence University Department of Tourism associate professor Huang Cheng-tsung (黃正聰) said the increase in travel to China was consistent with the overall growth in overseas travel.
Meanwhile,ng itineraries to popular Chinese destinations, including Jiuzhaigou, Xinjiang, Zhangjiajie and the Yangtze River. The Web sites listed daily itineraries resembling conventional group tours, but marketed them as cultural visits or group independent travel
However, in practice, agencies were dispatching their staff to accompany travelers, potentially violating the restrictions, they said.
When reached for comment on Sunday, Tourism Administration Deputy Director-General Huang Ho-ting (黃荷婷) said that travel agencies remain prohibited from openly soliciting members of the public to join organized tours to China. Violators face fines of up to NT$50,000 under the Regulations Governing Travel Agencies (旅行業管理規則).
An industry was for associations, community groups, village and borough wardens, businesses, government agencies, or groups of friends and relatives to organize their own trips and hire travel agencies to handle the arrangements
The traveling in Gansu Province this year as an example
Another method involves travelers departing Taiwan separately as independent travelers, then gathering in China to join an organized tour. This allows some agencies to continue recruiting participants discreetly despite the ban, the
“For travel agencies, it is a strange rule that does little damage, but is deeply insulting,” the
Travel Association of Chinese chairman Hsu Chin-ruey (許晉睿) said agencies might legitimately post tourism information on their Web sites for reference, provided listings do not include departure dates or indicate that trips are open for registration.
Such information might fall within the normal scope of a travel agency’s business, he said.
However, members of the public who find Web sites listing departure dates and opening registrations can report them to the Tourism Administration.
Huang said agencies may still organize visits and inspection tours, arrange trips organized by groups themselves, and book plane tickets and accommodation for travelers heading to China.
Exchange or inspection delegations invited by Chinese organizations are exempt from the suspension if they have specific purposes, designated destinations and eligibility requirements for participants, she said.
She urged agencies to comply with the rules and avoid illegally soliciting customers, which could lead to travel disputes.
If the Tourism Administration confirms that an agency has illegally solicited participants for an organized tour to China, it can order the agency to make improvements by a specified deadline or impose a fine of NT$10,000 to NT$50,000, Huang said.
- By Huang Yi-ching,
-
Most Popular
-
You might also like
Taiwan to buy 292 VTOL drones from Shield AI
2026-10-18
DEFENSE PROCUREMENT:
Taiwan could become the largest operator of V-BAT drones outside the US once they are delivered, the Ministry of National Defense said The navy and the coast guard are acquiring 292 units of MQ-35A V-BAT vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) surveillance drones manufactured by US-based defense technology company Shield AI, making Taiwan one of the largest buyers of the drone.
The Coast Guard Administration budgeted NT$1.2 billion (US$37.1 million) to buy 12 drones, which have been delivered, Shield AI said in a report on Oct 13.
The navy is planning to spend NT$36 billion under a four-year program code-named Project Yuan Xiao (遠鴞) to acquire 280 V-BAT drones, the Ministry of National Defense’s fiscal 2027 report showed.
The combined procurement is expectedBy Lo Tien-pin
and Jake Chung
DPP takes New Taipei City lead in poll
2026-10-14
MAYORAL RACE:
Su Chiao-hui made gains by persuading undecided voters and winning over voters in KMT-leaning districts, a pollster said Legislator Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧), the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) candidate for New Taipei City mayor, has a 13.1 percentage point lead over her Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) rival Lee Shu-chuan (李四川), a poll released yesterday showed.
The poll, commissioned by the Taipei Trust in Democracy Association, showed that 43.1 percent of respondents said they would vote for Su, up 7.9 percentage points from a poll conducted in late August, while support for Lee was at 30 percent, down 4.7 percentage points.
It showed that 48.6 percent of respondents thought Su would make a suitable mayor, compared with 35.9 percent for Lee.
Independent candidateBy Chen Yu-fuand Jake Chung
Chinese naval carrier group enters western Pacific
2026-10-15
A Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy aircraft carrier group was being monitored after entering the western Pacific, the Ministry of National Defense said today, after Beijing yesterday criticized Taiwan for using a water cannon against a Chinese fishing boat near the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島).
A Chinese naval task group led by the aircraft carrier Liaoning (遼寧) yesterday sailed to the western Pacific for training, Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency quoted the PLA Navy as saying.
“The drill is part of the annual routine training plan aimed at testing and improving the troops’ combat readiness and enhancing their ability toBy Fang Wei-li and Fion Khan
Nurse recalls questioning by Chinese state security in Tibet
2026-10-14
Pulled aside onto the balcony of an empty hotel room by Chinese state security officers, a Taiwanese tourist on a trip to Tibet described facing an unnerving barrage of questions about his military background and political loyalties.
The man surnamed Lin (林) reported his experience in a viral post on Threads before accepting an interview with the Central News Agency (CNA) yesterday.
Lin, who works as a nurse, told CNA that he knew some Taiwanese had run afoul of Chinese law enforcement, but he thought he would be safe, as he did not post much about his personal political views online.
It cameBy Jonathan Chin
