Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/03/09
By: Chen Ting-wei, Chen Chun-hua and Kuan-lin Liu

Taipei, March 9 (CNA) A Tourism Bureau official rebutted local media claims Friday that

CNA file photo

China is preventing its nationals from touring Taiwan by withholding tour leader certificates, pointing out that China has actually phased them out in favor of more encompassing tour guide certification.

Liu Shih-ming (劉士銘), director of the bureau’s Travel and Training Division, explained that with the 2016 revision of its tourism law, China has eliminated a differentiation that previously existed between a tour leader certificate and a tour guide certificate.

The tour leader certificate, currently used by Chinese nationals that head tour groups to Taiwan, is formally known as the “China Outbound Tour Leader” certificate, and this will no longer be issued, not only to those going to Taiwan, but to any Chinese tour leader going anywhere, he clarified.    [FULL  STORY]