TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan will allow tour groups to visit China from March at the earliest, reports said Friday (Nov. 3).

At the opening of the Taipei International Travel Fair (ITF), Transportation Minister Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said the end of the ban was likely to be issued before the Lunar New Year. Registration for the tour groups begins March 1.

The ban on tours of China was imposed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but travel agencies have been pressuring the government for a change.

Tour groups from China will also be allowed to visit Taiwan, even without a corresponding decision by Beijing, the Liberty Times reported. Wang said travel operators now had three months to prepare for the reopenings.

If China showed goodwill, the end of the travel ban might be moved up, reports added.