Taiwan's Travel Restrictions on China to Ease

The International Herald Tribune was one of a number of sources reporting that Taiwan will open up to more Chinese visitors. The Paper notes:

The Taiwan government has cautiously welcomed Beijing's offer, saying the island could accommodate 1,000 Chinese tourists a day and might allow the tourists to stay for up to 10 days.

Chinese tourists have proved to be a potent economic force. In the year or so since Beijing relaxed rules on travel to Hong Kong, a tourism boom has bolstered retail sales and been an important factor in its economic recovery.

Several years ago, as the Taiwan government development ambitious plans to expand tourism, this was foreseen as the only option. By comparison to the other Asian competition, Taiwan has little to offer in the way of ruins, clean beaches, ancient history, mountain climbing, skiing, hiking, and other activities. There's been quite a bit of development of such resources in the last 10 years, but the obvious source of tourists for Taiwan was always China. Wonder what they'll say about the island when they come here?

UPDATE: Is this our future? ESWN looks at a survey of China tourists about Hong Kong. The shine has worn off, the luster has dimmed....

[Taiwan] [China]