READY TO SEIZE NEW OPPORTUNITIES

The island's tourism industry is expected to profit in a big way from the new travel opportunities, as individual travelers are often younger and more willing to spend their money.

E-go, one of the island's largest car rental services, recently spent 70 million NT dollars to purchase 30 new mini-buses.

"More than 20 clients from Beijing and Shanghai rented cars and mini-buses from us today," said Hsu Hao-yuan, E-go's general manager.

Hsu said that he is very optimistic about the business potential that has been unlocked by the lifting of the individual travel ban.

Unlike tourists in tour packages, who usually take larger buses, individual tourists prefer to rent smaller, more flexible vehicles. Since they can't drive themselves in Taiwan, many of them choose to employ the services of local drivers, Hsu said.

"I expect my company's revenues to increase by at least 15 percent with the increased business coming from individual tourists," he said.

Many Taiwanese travel agencies are working on new products and services that will cater to individual tourists.

"We have a lot of business to attend to, on top of helping mainland tourists to apply for travel permits and book hotels," said Henry Liu, general manager of the Taipei-based Lion Travel tour company.

Small tour packages of one to three days are predicted to become quite popular, Liu said.

"Individual tourists tend to stay in big cities. If they want to visit suburban sites without easy public transport, small tour packages will be more convenient," he said.

Major department stores in Taipei are also getting ready for an influx of new customers. Internationally-branded products are often cheaper in Taiwan, making the island a top destination for eager mainland shoppers.

The Taipei 101 department store recently finished renovating two of its floors, added larger showrooms for famous brands such as LV and Prada.

The island's media companies are also looking forward to the arrival of individual mainland tourists.

XinMedia, a Taipei-based media company, recently collaborated with a Beijing-based publishing house to create a new travel book specifically targeted at individual tourists traveling to Taiwan. The book is already available in Taiwan and Hong Kong and will hit the mainland market in August.

"We wrote the book specifically for mainland readers. We highlighted sites that have proved to be most popular among mainlanders and introduced cultural connections between the two sides," said Melody Hsieh, deputy general manager of XinMedia.

POSITIVE IMPACT ON ECONOMY

The latest report from Taiwan's tourism department said a mainland tourist spent an average of 245.34 U.S. dollars daily in Taiwan last year, higher than the average 221. 84 dollars spent by tourists from other countries and regions. Mainland tourists spent the most in shopping. Each of them spent an average of 138.1 dollars in daily shopping. The figure for Japanese tourists was 76.77 dollars, the report said.

"The impact of letting in mainland individual tourists is comprehensive, and it will not only benefit the tourism industry but also inject energy into the Taiwan economy, as an increasing number of in-bound tourists will stimulate consumption and then benefit various economic sectors," said Roget K.C. Hsu, general secretary of Travel Agent Association of Taiwan.

Lai Cheng-i, chairman of Shining Group, a local real estate and hotel corporation, said that as lifting the ban on individual travelers will ease cross-Strait travel, more mainland people might be interested in real estate investment in Taiwan.

"We have seen an increasing number of mainland people buy properties in North America and Australia, and this might happen in Taiwan if the policies are eased," Lai said.

A recent research report from H&B Business Group, a local real estate agency, said that the prices of commercial properties increased rapidly in the island's three big cities, which are frequently visited by mainland tourists.

Taipei's east end, where a large number of department stores are located, saw the fastest growth of real estate prices.

Monthly rent of a shop at Shilin Night Market, a popular destination in Taipei after dark, also increased by 70 percent over the past year, the report said.

Despite obvious positive impacts on the economy, both sides of the Taiwan Strait have not rushed to fully open individual travels.

There are worries that human trafficking rings might take the advantage of easier cross-Strait travels.

A daily quota of 500 individual tourists from selected mainland cities has been adopted. The two sides agreed to gradually increase the quota.

Taiwan authorities also imposed comparatively strict requirements on mainland individual tourists.

A mainland resident will be able to apply for the individual travel permit if he or she is above 20, has an annual income of at least 500,000 NT dollars, or a bank deposit of at least 200,000 NT dollars, or holds a gold credit card issued by mainland banks.

In addition, a mainland student from 18 to 20 years old will be able to apply for the travel permit as well but has to provide a student certificate and a statement showing that the travel is agreed by a guardian.

A seminar on how to jointly combat human trafficking among Taiwan, the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao was held in Taipei on June 16.

At the seminar, Hsieh Li-kung, head of the island' s immigration agency, urged both sides to prepare for possible human trafficking issues and step up judicial cooperation to combat cross-Strait crimes.