Taiwan prepares to reopen for Hong Kong, Macau visitors after Covid-19
- All travel restrictions for residents of the two cities will be lifted on February 20, three years after they were imposed
- Entry permits will be available online for the first time since the pandemic and individual sightseeing tours will also return
Residents of the two cities will be able to travel to Taiwan for individual sightseeing visits from Monday, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Tuesday.
They will be able to apply for entry permits through the internet, as they did before the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the MAC, the island’s top mainland policy planner.
“The latest decision is made in consideration of the [easing] of the pandemic in Taiwan,” MAC vice-chairman Liang Wen-chieh said in Taipei.
“All restrictions imposed on visits by residents of Hong Kong and Macau during the pandemic will be removed as well.”
Taiwan imposed travel restrictions on residents of the two cities on February 6, 2020, and now allows only people travelling for family, humanitarian and work-related reasons to visit. Tourists in sightseeing groups are also approved for visits of up to 15 days.
From Monday, residents born in Hong Kong and Macau – or who obtained residency before the handover of the two cities to mainland China in 1997 and 1999, respectively – can apply online for entry permits valid for 30 days.
Residents who previously were issued entry permits or were authorised to enter Taiwan can also apply online.
Travellers who want to stay in Taiwan for more than 30 days will need to apply via the website of the island’s Ministry of the Interior, according to the regulations.
Plans to lift the restrictions much earlier were delayed by the ending of lockdowns and travel bans by Beijing, with Taipei wanting to assess the impact on Hong Kong and Macau of an influx of mainland visitors, Liang said.
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“Since the Covid-19 infection data is more transparent in Hong Kong and Macau, this allows us to have a better understanding of the conditions there and [assess] when to resume normal travel activities for Hong Kong and Macau residents,” he said.
Asked whether Taipei would also lift restrictions on travellers from the mainland soon, Liang said it depended on the decision of the island’s Central Epidemic Command Centre.
Liang said Taiwan was not included in the 20 travel destinations for mainland tourists announced by Beijing on January 20.
“Also, it has yet to allow its travel agencies to organise tours to Taiwan or permit its people to travel to Taiwan for individual sightseeing visits,” he said.
Beijing banned mainlanders from going on individual holidays to Taiwan on August 1, 2019. The ban has remained in place ever since.
Liang said Hong Kong and Macau residents visiting the island must follow local laws and refrain from doing anything contradictory to the stated purposes of their visit.
The island had a strict review system to ensure that visitors would not have issues of security concerns, he said without elaborating.
Timothy Chui Ting-pong, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Association, welcomed the relaxation, saying it could encourage more people from the city to travel to Taiwan.
“Previously, travellers could only apply for travel permits through travel agencies as part of a group of at least five people. A tour guide was also required. This is not how Hongkongers usually travel in Taiwan,” Chui said.
But he said group tours would remain attractive for some.
“Many of the group tours allow more in-depth experiences such as visits to outlying islands, Penghu and Alishan. There is also demand for group tours,” Chui said.
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Steve Huen Kwok-chuen, executive director of travel agency EGL Tours, said the reopening would make travelling to Taiwan more convenient and encourage more people to go there.
“Taiwan is one of the beloved travel destinations of Hongkongers … Flights to Taiwan and the cost of travel there is cheaper [than in other regions]. Its language and cuisine also make it attractive to Hongkongers,” he said.
Eddy Yip Cheuk-ming, product and marketing director and Hong Kong territory manager of online travel agency Trip.com, said the number of bookings for flights to Taiwan surged 12 times between midnight and 4pm on Tuesday, compared to the same time last week.
Meanwhile, asked if there would be any change in the decision to allow Chan Tong-kai to enter Taiwan, Liang said there was not.
Chan is a Hongkonger suspected of murdering his 19-year-old pregnant girlfriend during their visit to Taiwan in early 2018.
Hong Kong authorities have said he cannot be prosecuted there because the alleged murder did not happen in the city. They say Taipei should issue a visa for Chan, who was released from jail in 2019 and expressed willingness to give himself up to Taiwan.
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“It is not just a simple matter of issuing him an entry permit. It involves exercising jurisdiction rights and employment of government power,” he said, adding that Taipei authorities had asked the Hong Kong government many times for judicial help, but in vain.
In his remarks on Tuesday, Liang stressed the Taipei authorities needed help from the Hong Kong government to ensure fair justice in the case.
Lawmaker Reverend Canon Peter Koon Ho-ming, an Anglican priest who has been helping Chan, said whether Chan could enter Taiwan was irrelevant to the dropping of travel restrictions.
“No matter whether the border is reopened or not, as long as Taiwanese authorities are willing to issue an entry permit or do not prevent [Chan] from entering, I believe the issue can be resolved,” he said.
“I urged the Taiwan government to handle the matter in a humanitarian manner so Chan can head back as soon as possible.”
