The number of Chinese residents applying for permission to visit Taiwan has surged in advance of the Lunar New Year peak season.
According to the National Immigration Agency, 61,000 Chinese residents applied for landing permission on January 15-16 alone.
However, unlike in previous years, Taiwan’s government has not decided to relax quotas of Chinese visitors during this year’s Lunar New Year season. The resulting backlog in applications is the largest since Chinese tourists were first permitted to enter Taiwan. China-based tour operators have asked Taiwan’s government to increase quotas as in previous years, but most applicants will have to wait until after the Lunar New Year season is over.