Taiwan high speed rail pass to go on sale on Chinese travel site
2012-04-20 13:17:46One of China's biggest online travel agencies will soon begin selling Taiwan high speed rail passes asthe island prepares to welcome more independent Chinese tourists.
Ctrip.com, which provides discounted travel services to over 14 million members, will cooperate with Taiwan's ezTravel in offering the high speed rail pass to "tap into the market of individual travelers to Taiwan," the report said.
Chinese nationals can already book the pass through a number of travel agencies, according to Taiwan High Speed Rail Company (THSRC), and Ctrip.com will give consumers an additional online outlet through which they can buy the pass.
The three-day and five-day passes, priced from 525 Chinese yuan (US$83.15), allow ticket holders to take trains on the high-speed rail line within the designated time periods as many times as they want and between any of its eight stations, the report said.
The pass, which offers passengers savings of roughly 30-50 percent from regular fares, is available to all foreign nationals who reside outside of Taiwan, the company said.
The Free Independent Traveler (FIT) program, which is currently restricted to residents of Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen, will be open to people who live in Tianjin, Chongqing, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Chengdu beginning April 28, the Mainland Affairs Council said earlier this month.
Travelers from Jinan, Xian, Fuzhou and Shenzhen will also be allowed to visit Taiwan without having to be part of a tour group sometime this year, the council said.
A total of just over 56,000 Chinese had traveled to Taiwan under the program between late last June and March 26, 2012, representing only about 40 percent of the available quota, according to Taiwan's Cabinet-level Tourism Bureau.
But Taiwan is hoping that the numbers will pick up with residents of more Chinese cities soon becoming eligible for the program.