TAIPEI, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- A cross-Strait tourism exhibition was opened here on Friday, drawing tourist operators from both Taiwan and the Chinese mainland to showcase their products.
A total of 155 tourist agencies on the mainland attended the four-day event, who set up 255 exhibition zones in an effort to attract more Taiwan visitors.
At the show, the "post-Olympics tourism" and "World Expo tourism" became special promotion items.
"While visiting the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, Taiwan tourists now can also visit the Olympic venues like the 'Bird's nest' National Stadium and the 'Water Cube' Aquatic Center," said Jiang Yan, an official with the Beijing Tourism Association.
Shanghai, which will host the World Expo 2010, also tried to draw more Taiwan visitors by including nearby renowned attractions like Zhouzhuang and Wuzhen Towns into its promotion.
The exhibitors from both mainland and Taiwan also expressed hope for more facilitated visits to each other.
Zhang Quanyue, an official with the tourist bureau in eastern Zhejiang Province, said, "We hope the two sides can reach agreement on direct sea transport, which will make visits easier; tourist numbers will sure double in number."
Hong Xiao-ying, a manager from Taiwan's Gloria General Travel Service, said if the two sides could also reach agreements on increasing the number of terminals and flights, Taiwan's tourism sector will be further boosted.
