Special Report: Spring Festival Special 2009

    BEIJING, Jan. 27 -- Tourists from Guangdong Province became the first in the mainland to celebrate their Spring Festival in Taiwan, signaling a milestone in cross-strait relations.

    Mainland China and Taiwan started tourism charter flights in July 2008, sending the first mainland tourist group to Taiwan since 1949.

    The Guangzhilv International Travel Agency organized about 60 tourist groups, or more than two thousand people, to travel to Taiwan during the Spring Festival holiday. On average, 7 groups set out for Taiwan everyday, four times the number for the National Day Golden Week holiday in October last year.

    SOUNDBITE: A tourist from Guangzhou, Mr. Li: "I'm going to experience the Spring Festival in Taiwan. This will make it a wonderful trip."

    Over 500 tourists in total left for Taiwan on Friday and Saturday, just in time for a New Year's Eve banquet in Taiwan.

    Taiwan travel agencies prepared their own versions of festive dishes for their guests such as 'Happy Family with Fish Every Year', representing family reunion.

    Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Guangzhou.

    (Source: XHTV)