The province of Fujian could be the site of a pilot project allowing individual mainland tourists to visit Taiwan.

The doors for individual tourists could open as early as June, Fujian-based website taihainet.com said.

Preventing price wars among mainland travel agencies organizing trips to Taiwan is also on the agenda as cross-Straits tourism authorities meet Friday in Hong Kong.

Mainland tourists visiting Taiwan are now required to be in groups of at least five, including tour guides from the mainland and Taiwan.

Taiwan's tourism authorities said mainland travel groups are now focusing on "several special scenic spots, shops and restaurants", giving mainland travelers a limited taste of Taiwan and creating tourist crunches in those areas.

While allowing individual traveling will ease the crowding, the benefits brought by mainland tourists might spill over to other industries.

Taiwan tourism authorities said there are 2,710 homestays in Taiwan who could provide more than 100,000 rooms to individual tourists, while passenger service operators and taxi drivers are eagerly looking forward to individual mainland travelers.

However, Mao Chi-kuo, Taiwan's "minister of transportation and communications", said the daily quota on mainland visitors would remain at 3,000 through the second half of the year.

Since last July, 4,105 mainland tourist groups have visited the island, with an average of 447 daily arrivals, according to mainland statistics.

The number of mainland tourists surged in March, with an average of more than 1,000 trips registered every day.

(China Daily May 5, 2009)