A manager surnamed Guo with China Comfort Travel Group's Fujian branch said the move may result in a surge of mainlander tourists to Taiwan.

As individual travel to Taiwan was opened at the end of last year to residents of Fuzhou, the capital city of Fujian province, there was a sharp increase in individual tours, Guo said.

He said more young people tend to travel to the island due to their preference for traveling alone.

Ge Rui, who works as a public servant in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, said he felt excited about the program as he has long intended to visit Taiwan.

"I'm going to make a travel plan and pack my stuff. I'm sure an individual tour would help me know the island better," Ge said.

Dai Shugeng, a professor of economics at Xiamen University, said the tourism industry has played an increasingly important role in stimulating the economy and generating jobs.

"These individual tours to Taiwan, which have benefited and will continue to benefit Taiwan's economy, are important channels for facilitating cross-Straits people exchanges," Dai said.

Taiwan first opened its door to individual tourists from mainland cities on June 28, 2011, but only to residents of three major cities - Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen.

In 2017, another 10 mainland cities - Chengdu, Tianjin, Nanjing, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Jinan, Xi'an, Fuzhou and Shenzhen - joined the list.

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