Taipei  - The 2009 Taipei International Travel Fair opened Friday with its focus on China, as Taipei-Beijing ties showed improvement and China ranked as the biggest source of tourists bound for Taiwan.

President Ma Ying-jeou cut the ribbon for the travel fair at the Taipei World Trade Centre. He said Taiwan's tourism industry has done well despite the global financial crisis and the August typhoon disaster which damaged many tourist resorts in southern Taiwan.

"Despite the financial crisis and the typhoon disaster, Taiwan's tourist arrivals have soared 28 per cent, which shows Taiwan has rich tourism resources," he said.

Since Taipei opened its doors to Chinese tourists on July 4 last year, 880,000 Chinese tourists have visited Taiwan.

Following in the footsteps of some 30 countries, the 27-member European Union is expected to grant visa-exemption to Taiwan tourist next year, Ma said.

Ma said Taiwan can attract 4.1 million visitors - which includes all inbound foreigners - in 2009, up from 2008's 3.8 million.

Tourism bureaus, travel agents, airlines and hotels from 58 countries and regions have set up 1,206 booths at the four-day Taipei International Travel Fair, held at the Taipei World Trade Centre.

China sent the largest delegation to the travel fair - 480 members - and set up 256 booths.

Taiwan and China plan to exchange tourism representative offices early next year.

China's designated tourism representative to Taiwan, Fan Guishan, is visiting Taiwan with the Chinese tourism delegation.

Fan said that China will send an advance team to Taipei next month to prepare for opening its tourism office in Taipei.

"In the initial stage, our office will have ten staff, but it will be expanded later on," he said at the travel fair. (dpa)