The 39-member Chinese delegation, which arrived in Taipei Monday to inspect local tourism routes and facilities, yesterday set off their islandwide tour to see for themselves Taiwan's tourist attractions by visiting the eastern county of Hualien, warmly received by local tourism leaders.

After visiting scenic spots in Hualien, the delegation members were arranged to meet representatives of hotels, travel agencies and crafted items at a dinner party held at the Farglory Hotel, exchanging views on how to jointly cash in on the market opportunities to be generated by the upcoming visits to Taiwan by mainland Chinese tourists.

Shih Sheng-lang, chairman of the Hualien Tourism Association, said that the Hualien tourism sector greatly welcomed the arrival of the Chinese tourism delegation, hoping that they can better understand the real characteristics of the tourism resources of the Hualien County.

The delegation will tour another eastern county of Taitung today and spend one night in the county before traveling to southern Taiwan.

Yang Wen-da, chairman of the Taitung Tourism Association, said that the tourism sector of Taitung has been well prepared to welcome the mainland delegation. Although the delegation doesn't have much time for touring scenic spots, the association has arranged a seminar for both sides to exchange views on tourism promotion.

Yang continued that his association will offer a full range of information on tourist activities in Taitung County to delegation members, so that they can place Taitung as a key stop on the itineraries for the future inbound Chinese tourist groups.

The group, mostly composed of managerial staffers of Chinese travel agencies and headed by Fan Guishan, deputy secretary general of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait, was the first travel delegation to visit Taiwan after the two sides of the Taiwan Strait signed agreements last Friday on the launch of direct cross-strait charter flights on weekends and the expansion of Chinese tourist arrivals beginning in July.

"Our main mission is to check out Taiwan's tourism resources and facilities as well as popular travel routes and relevant tour packages," said Fan.

The group will also make extensive contacts with Taiwanese travel service providers during its 11-day visit to forge relationships and exchange information in preparation for organizing Chinese tour groups to Taiwan, Fan said.

The delegation visited the National Palace Museum in suburban Taipei -- home to a large collection of ancient Chinese art treasures -- shortly after its arrival.

Addressing a dinner in honor of the Chinese visitors, Tourism Bureau Director-General Janice Seh Jen Lai said travel agents on both sides have reached a consensus that quality should take precedence over quantity in organizing Chinese tour packages.

Lai gave assurances that government authorities will get involved to ensure that unscrupulous tour groups will be unable to sabotage the cross-strait tour market order.

According to agreements signed in Beijing last Friday by the two quasi-official intermediary bodies on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, Taiwanese and Chinese carriers will jointly operate 36 charter flights from Friday through Monday every week beginning July 4 and up to 3,000 ordinary Chinese citizens will be allowed to visit Taiwan per day for sightseeing from July 18.