Taiwan stops new group trips to China amid tourism, air route spat

Taiwan's Tourism Administration has halted new group tours to China due to ongoing tensions and flight path alterations.

Taiwan's Tourism Administration on February 7 told travel agents to stop organising new group tours to China since Beijing has yet to allow such trips to the island by Chinese tourists and has altered a flight path in the sensitive Taiwan Strait.

Post pandemic, China has largely resumed permission for its nationals to visit a host of popular tourist destinations including Japan, but has yet to add Taiwan back on its approved list amid ongoing tensions between Beijing and Taipei.

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China claims democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory despite the strong objections of the government in Taipei.

Taiwan had planned to resume group tours for Taiwanese to China from March 1 after they were suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the tourism authority said those already organised from that date to May 31 could go ahead.

But "considering the change in the situation", including China not allowing Chinese to visit Taiwan and China's altering of a flight route through the Taiwan Strait last week, Taiwanese travel agencies cannot arrange any more tours, the Tourism Administration said in a statement.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.