Thirty-six more trips by Taiwanese and Chinese airlines are scheduled this weekend, with 90.7 percent of the 14,608 seats now booked

The second weekend of direct cross-strait charter flights will begin today, with 90.7 percent of the 14,608 seats on the 36 scheduled flights already reserved, Civil Aeronautics Administration Director-General Billy Chang said yesterday.

At a press conference following the Cabinet's weekly meeting, Chang unveiled this weekend's charter flight schedule, with 18 flights operated by Taiwanese airlines and 18 by Chinese airlines.

Chang said five of the flights were fully booked, adding that the lowest occupancy rate - 52.3 percent - was on a flight to Nanjing.

A total of 17 flights are scheduled to arrive in Taiwan from China today, eight of them at Taipei's Songshan Airport, seven at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, one at Kaohsiung International Airport the other at Hualien Airport.

Most of the flights this weekend are scheduled for today and Sunday, while there will be five flights tomorrow and four on Monday. The majority of the outgoing flights from Taiwan are heading for Shanghai.

Chang said the occupancy rate of last weekend's cross-strait charter flights was good, as 81.5 percent of the available seats were sold.

Meanwhile, Tourism Bureau Director-General Janice Lai, who also attended the press conference, said both sides of the Strait had agreed to allow a daily maximum of 3,000 Chinese tourists to visit Taiwan after July 18. The exact number of tourists arriving would depend on demand, she said.

She said that Chinese tourists who wished to visit did not necessarily have to take the weekend charter flights, as long as they hold official permits.

She said Chinese tourists who visit Taiwan in the future may not necessarily take an around-the-nation trip, adding that the bureau was looking to promote themed package tours that highlight regional characteristics around the nation.

Lai said the bureau had made efforts to ensure the quality of travel.

She said the improvements have been made for all domestic and foreign travelers, not just for Chinese tourists.

In related news, Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Chiang Pin-kung yesterday expressed optimism about the effects of the weekend charter flights and the increased numbers of Chinese tourists, and promised to increase the number of flights and tourists in the future.

Chiang hosted a luncheon yesterday for Shao Qiwe, director of the China's Cross-Strait Tourism Association, and a delegation of 31 Chinese officials who visited along with the first batch of Chinese tourists last weekend, saying he expected the cross-strait flights and tourists to have a positive impact on the nation's economy.

"The SEF and China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait [ARATS] restored cross-strait negotiations and have reached a consensus on major issues. The two accords will be the beginning of more cross-strait exchanges," Chiang said, addressing the luncheon yesterday at the Sherwood Hotel in Taipei.

Chiang signed the accords with ARATS Chairman Chen Yunlin last month during his trip to China.

Shao suggested that the two sides continue to develop and promote cross-strait tourism. He suggested that visits to Taiwan's high-tech industry or other in-depth tours could be included as tour package ideas for Chinese tourists in the future.

Shao met with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung and former KMT chairman Lien Chan last week.

In response to concerns that there were fewer Chinese tourists visiting than expected, Shao said over 50 million Chinese have expressed an interest in visiting Taiwan and the cross-strait tourism market has a lot of potential.