The total number of mainland tourists to Taiwan from January to May has reached 526,000, and is estimated to top 1 million by the end of this year, Wang Yi, head of the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office said Monday, chinanews.com reported.

Wang was speaking at a grassroots cross-strait forum that kicked off in Xiamen on June 19.

In the last year, the number of people from both sides visiting has reached a record high of 5.4 million, including 930,000 from the mainland, which was 3.4 times the 2008 numbers.

This year the visits are continuing, as tourists from Taiwan topped 1.96 million, a 10.3 percent increase from last year; 526,000 mainland visitors also meant a jump of 90 percent. It’s predicted that in 2010, personnel exchanges will hit 6 million, with more than 1 million tourists from the mainland.