The measures on permitting Chinese mainland people to visit Taiwan for sightseeing tours, amended by Taiwan authorities, officially took effect on January 17, according to Taiwanese media.

From now on, Chinese mainland residents need only to produce the qualifying documents issued by Chinese mainland authorities before applying for sightseeing trips to Taiwan.

Other key amendments include a reduction of the minimum number of people needed to organize a tour group from 10 people to five, and an extension of the maximum length of each visit to Taiwan from 10 days to 15 days.

In addition, the amount of security deposits required from the island's travel agencies was reduced from NT $2 million to NT $1 million, and the amount of security deposit deducted to penalize a tourist's overstay in Taiwan was lowered from NT $200,000 to NT $100,000 per person.

By People's Daily Online