TAIPEI - AROUND 13,000 Chinese tourists have travelled to Taiwan for the Lunar New Year holidays, and the number is expected to reach up to 360,000 this year amid warming cross-Strait ties, officials said on Tuesday.

The Chinese tourists spent a daily average of US$293 (S$444) during the holidays from Jan 24 until Feb 1, according to a survey by Taiwan's Tourism Bureau.

'The number of Chinese arrivals did not beat our forecast,' Mr Anthony Liao, president of Taiwan's leading tour operator Phoenix Tours, said.

But he added that he was 'cautiously optimistic' that Chinese arrivals would average 1,000 a day as Beijing is expected to further ease restrictions on Taiwan-bound tours.

Chinese authorities on Jan 20 opened up a further 12 provinces and cities to Taiwan, meaning its citizens from 25 provinces and cities are now allowed to visit the island.

China is expected later this month to raise from 33 to 100 the number of Chinese tour operators offering Taiwan visits, Mr Liao said.

Mr Shao Qiwei, of China's National Tourism Administratio,n is scheduled to lead a group of 500 tour industry delegates to Taiwan on Feb 25, he said.

'If the target of bringing 1,000 Chinese tourists to Taiwan per day is realised, it would generate business opportunities worth up to NT$20 billion (S$896.8 million) this year, and therefore increase 10,000 jobs here,' Mr Liao said.

Taiwan's China-friendly Ma Ying-jeou administration and Beijing held talks and signed agreements in June to launch regular direct flights and treble the number of Chinese allowed to visit the island to 3,000 daily.

But Taiwan's pro-independence opposition Democratic Progressive Party warned the Ma administration not to rely too much on China for economic stability.

China and Taiwan have been governed separately since the end of a civil war in 1949 but Beijing considers the island part of its territory and is determined to get it back, by force if necessary.

But relations have improved dramatically since Mr Ma Ying-jeou of the Kuomintang party took office last May. -- AFP