Sun Moon Lake is Taiwan's star sightseeing destination and very well-known to mainland visitors.(Photo: CCTV.com) Photo Gallery>>>

    BEIJING, May 12 -- Taiwan's tourism industry is gearing up for expanded cross-strait travel for mainland tourists starting in July.

    Sun Moon Lake is Taiwan's star sightseeing destination and very well-known to mainland visitors. Local restaurant owners and lake boat runners have been busy upgrading facilities and expanding services.

    Restaurant owner Liuyang Shuyao said, "I have built another restaurant and have bought some new boats. I believe the more I invest, the more I will get in return. I am expecting the visitors so much. "

    It's hoped that tourism from the mainland will help reinvigorate Taiwan's economy, which in recent years has lagged behind others in the region. Three thousand people will be allowed to travel to the island everyday. That means one million per year, and a 1.3 billion US dollar business.

    Zhong Fusong, manager of Ali Mountain Tourst Center, said, "We are ready for mainland visitors. Three thousand people everyday will not be a problem. We have trained 200 guides. They will show our mainland compatriots the lovely forests, sunrise and sunset glow in Ali Mountain. I believe they will just love everything here."

    If a tourism deal does go through in July, it will be one of the first tangible results of promises by Taiwan's newly elected leader, Ma Ying-jeou, who will take office on May 20, to forge closer links with the mainland.

    (Source: CCTV.com)