Taiwanese society expects the opening of tourism to mainland tourists
Kinmen tourism is picking up, and the surge in mainland tourists during the May Day holiday has driven the occupancy rate of the “Mini Three Links” sharply higher Shanghai’s opening of group and individual tours to Kinmen and Matsu helps the tourism industry welcome the return of visitors
The Mainland’s “May Day” holiday has driven up travel demand, making Kinmen one of the popular outbound destinations. Data from the Kinmen County Government shows that on May 1 alone, about 1,940 travelers from the Mainland entered Kinmen, and the seat occupancy rate on the XiamenKinmen “Mini Three Links” ferry services exceeded 95%.
Against this backdrop, Shanghai announced on April 29 that it would open group and individual travel to Kinmen and Matsu for residents, which Kinmen authorities viewed as an important boost for the tourism industry. The report noted that Kinmen’s tourism has long relied on Mainland visitors and has been hit hard over the past period due to a decline in source tourists.
The article also mentioned that Taiwan’s tourism industry as a whole has clear expectations for the return of Mainland tourists. According to the data cited in the article, in 2025 the number of Mainland residents traveling to Taiwan was about 557,700, far below the peak in 2015; during the same period, about 4.8918 million Taiwan residents traveled to the Mainland, and the gap in the tourism industry’s balance of payments widened. Industry players on the island and related associations have also called on the authorities to promote the resumption of crossstrait tourism exchanges in order to drive demand in related sectors such as lodging, transportation, and food services.