Annual ridership on Kinmen-Fujian ferry services tops 1.5 million

Taipei, Dec. 30 (CNA) More than 1.5 million passengers have traveled by ferry this year between the Taiwan-controlled island of Kinmen and China's Fujian province, the Kinmen County government said Tuesday.

The number was 10.8 percent higher than in 2013 and the highest in the history of the ferry service, which was launched as part of the "mini three links" in 2001, the county government said.

Kinmen is less than 10 kilometers away from the Chinese coast, making ferries the most convenient way to get between the two destinations.

At present, the outlying islands of Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu all maintain ferry services with various ports in Fujian.

From Jan. 1, Chinese tourists traveling to the three islands will be given landing visa privileges, as part of the government's efforts to promote tourism.

(By Huang Hui-min and Y.F. Low)ENDITEM/ls