Shanghai's latest move to facilitate residents' travel to the islands of Jinmen and Matsu marks another concrete step toward normalizing cross-Strait tourism exchanges, industry experts and officials said.

Shanghai residents and holders of the city's residence permits can apply at any of the city's 20 exit-entry reception halls for travel permits and entry-exit endorsements to Jinmen and Matsu in Taiwan, the Exit-Entry Administration Corps of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Public Security announced on Wednesday.

The permits and endorsements are available for both group and individual tours, with processing time ranging from five to 10 working days. After obtaining the endorsement, travelers applying for individual-tour endorsements must arrange entry permits to Jinmen or Matsu through qualified travel agencies. Those with group-tour endorsements must join organized tours, with their entry permits handled by the group's travel agency.

Only travel agencies based in Shanghai or Fujian province with proper qualifications are authorized to provide such services.

The tourism endorsements for Jinmen and Matsu are valid for six months and permit a single exit-entry trip. Travelers wishing to visit both destinations must apply for separate endorsements. According to the announcement, travelers must use the "Mini Three Links" — direct ferry services connecting the coastal areas of Fujian with the islands of Jinmen and Matsu.

The move followed an April 29 announcement by the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism that Shanghai residents would be allowed to apply for group and individual trips to Jinmen and Matsu.

A total of 12 Shanghai-based travel agencies, including Shanghai China International Travel Service Co and online travel agency Trip.com, have been authorized to provide group tours to the two destinations. Organized by Shanghai Airlines Tours International (Group), Shanghai's first tour group arrived in Jinmen on Monday.

Routes from Shanghai to Jinmen are especially popular among middle-aged and elderly travelers, Trip.com said, adding that its first tour group to the destinations will depart on June 1.

Tourists have shown a preference for the route linking Xiamen in Fujian with Jinmen because of its flexible itinerary, rich cultural and tourism attractions, as well as diverse travel experiences, the company said.

Zhang Han, spokeswoman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said Shanghai's arrangements for residents' travel to Jinmen and Matsu represent a concrete implementation of the outcomes reached at a think tank forum co-hosted by research institutes affiliated with the Communist Party of China and the Chinese Kuomintang party in February.

The mainland has consistently promoted the normalization of cross-Strait personnel exchanges and communication in various fields. A series of facilitation measures have been introduced, demonstrating sincerity and goodwill, she said.

Meanwhile, tourism practitioners in Taiwan have repeatedly called for the swift lifting of restrictions on cross-Strait tourism exchanges. Relevant authorities in Taiwan should respond to public opinion and create conditions for normalizing cross-Strait exchanges in various fields, Zhang said.

Led by the Shanghai Tourism Trade Association, representatives from 11 Shanghai-based travel agencies made a three-day trip to Jinmen in late April to visit major attractions and hold in-depth discussions with local tourism service providers, aiming to further integrate tourism products, optimize routes and share customer resources.

Xu Ting, secretary-general of the association, said Jinmen not only has rich cultural and historical resources, but also demonstrates a higher-than-expected level of professionalism in tourism services.

A Jinmen tourism promotion event was held in Shanghai on Tuesday. Officials from Jinmen expressed willingness to further expand into the broader Yangtze River Delta market through their initial efforts in Shanghai.

shijing@chinadaily.com.cn