Locals have shown great interest in Taiwan-bound tours after the mainland reached an agreement with Taiwan on tourism affairs yesterday morning.

Two local travel agencies have been qualified to organize tour groups to Taiwan - the Shanghai CYTS Tours and the Jinjiang International Travel Service Co Ltd - local tourism authorities said.

The first special group has been fully booked. The agencies said they had also received thousands of phone calls seeking information on the tour.

The first group to Taiwan from the city, which will include 100 members, is expected to set out on July 4. They will stay on the island for 10 days. The price and the specific itinerary is yet to be decided, said the Shanghai Tourism Administrative Commission.

The commission has urged the agencies to do business honestly, to found a brand on Taiwan-bound tourism.

After the first special group, the next packages to Taiwan are expected to cost about 8,000 yuan (US$1,143) to 10,000 yuan each, for a 10-day trip. The price will depend on air tickets and hotel price, said the Shanghai CYTS Tour, one of the qualified agencies.

According to the agreement, tourists from the Chinese mainland will not stay in Taiwan for more than 10 days. And a tour group should have 10 to 40 members.

"We have designed several packages to meet requests, but they will still cover almost all of the famous scenic spots on the island, such as the Sun Moon Lake," said Liu Xiaojun, an official with the agency. "The frequency of groups going to the island will depend on the market response."

"At present some details of organizing tour groups to Taiwan are still not clear, such as the entering process," he added.

Liu said the agency had been prepared for Taiwan-bound tourism, such as designing products and training tour guides.

He said it will not attract tourists with low price, but high travel quality. The agency won't arrange many shopping trips during tours to guarantee as much time as possible for sightseeing.

(Shanghai Daily June 14, 2008)