The recent expansion of the mini three links has raised the interest of nearly two-thirds of Taiwan salaried employees in using the route for upcoming vacations, according to the results of a survey released yesterday by the online employment service provider 1111 Job Bank.

The survey showed that 66.46 percent of the respondents have an increased interest in traveling to the outlying Taiwan-held island of Kinmen and the southeast Chinese coastal city of Xiamen, following the opening of the mini three links to non-Kinmen residents.

Of that total, 66.35 percent said they that want to travel the route to rest and relax, 56.58 percent to enjoy the scenery and 28.49 percent to shop and enjoy the local delicacies, according Ryan Wu, vice general manager and spokesman for 1111 Job Bank.

The survey also found that 32.91 percent of the respondents have an increased interest in working in Kinmen or Xiamen following the expansion of the mini three links.

Another 27.32 percent mentioned an interest in investing in Kinmen or Xiamen following the expansion, with 42.57 percent of that total saying they would like to pool their capital to open a business, 32.34 percent to make a direct investment and 27.06 percent to buy real estate there.

Meanwhile, 42.62 percent of the respondents said they would choose the mini three links route over the recently launched weekend direct cross-strait charter flights if they are heading to China, with 59.02 percent of that total mentioning lower costs as the primary reason for their decision, and 57.38 percent saying that Xiamen City would be their main destination.

Analyzing the survey results, Wu said that the mini three links have played a vital role in strengthening exchanges between Kinmen and Xiamen.

He suggested that the mini three links be expanded to include citizens of China, Macau and Hong Kong to lay a solid foundation future development of the links.

The survey was conducted by the 1111 Job Bank between July 4-10. A total of 1,109 samples were collected via email. The survey is said to have a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.