Mainland travelers to receive visa upon arrival for small Taiwan islands

Travelers from the Chinese mainland holding a Taiwan travel permit can receive their visa upon arrival for the islands of Jinmen, Mazu and Penghu, from the start of 2015, according to Taiwan officials.

Before departure, visitors only need to file an online application, which takes about four hours to be processed.

The visa upon arrival cost 600 new Taiwan dollars ($19) and is valid for a 15-day stay. The new policy is expected to boost local tourism and economy of the three destinations. The special visa is not valid for entering Taiwan Island.

During the past three months, over 6,000 mainland tourists have entered Taiwan though Jinmen, Mazu and Penghu. That number is expected to reach 70,000 in 2015 after the new policy is put into effect.

Taiwan received nine million inbound tourists by December of this year, and over one million of them are individual tourists from the Chinese mainland, both numbers are record highs for Taiwan tourism.