Ctrip.com International, Ltd. (CTRP.NASDAQ), a Chinese online travel agent, has recently joined hands with Taiwan's largest tourism website, ezTravel, to expand its business into Taiwan.

The move established Ctrip.com as the first tourism website for the Chinese mainland to enter the tourist market in Taiwan.

Tourism services to Taiwan from the Chinese mainland were previously carried out mainly by tour agencies.

So far, tourist routes to Taiwan offered by Ctrip.com only leave from Shanghai.

Tang Yibo, an executive with Ctrip.com, disclosed that Ctrip.com purchased a stake in ezTravel's and reached a cooperation agreement in 2005, which paved the way for expanding its market into Taiwan.

(Tradingmarkets.com April 1, 2009)