Taiwanese visits to mainland China reached about 3.24 million in 2025, marking a nearly 17% increase from 2024 but still 20% below the pre-pandemic level in 2019. Taiwan's Tourism Administration reported these figures. The slow recovery is linked to worsening cross-strait relations and partial travel bans. Taiwan’s Central News Agency said the decline reflects increasing political tensions and a ban on group tours to the mainland since 2020. Many Taiwanese tourists now prefer destinations like Japan and South Korea. Since 2020, Covid-19-related travel restrictions had suspended cross-strait visits. In 2024, Beijing eased some limits, allowing residents of Fujian province to visit islands controlled by Taipei, such as Quemoy (Kinmen) and Matsu. The two sides agreed to expand tourism exchanges gradually and speed up group tours for Fujian and Shanghai residents. Mainland Chinese visitors to Taiwan numbered 637,060 last year, up from 438,212 in 2024 but well below over 2.7 million in 2019, according to Taiwan’s statistics. Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office reported nearly 5.45 million cross-strait personnel exchanges in 2025, a 25% rise from 2024 despite ongoing travel restrictions by Taiwan’s ruling party. The office also noted that more than one-third of Taiwanese visitors to the mainland were youth but did not specify ages. Political tensions have escalated since Taiwan’s leader William Lai Ching-te took office in 2024, calling Beijing a foreign hostile force. Lai introduced 17 security measures last March to counter mainland infiltration and espionage. Beijing called Lai a "Taiwan independence separatist" and conducted multiple military drills around Taiwan since May 2024.