TAOYUAN, Taiwan, Oct 13, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - Taiwan welcomed its first batch of
international tour groups after the island fully reopened its borders
Thursday, ending strict quarantine rules in place since the coronavirus
pandemic began.

A group of holidaymakers from Thailand arrived shortly after midnight and
were greeted at Taoyuan airport with flower garlands and an exuberant dancing
bear mascot.

Valaisurang Bhaedhayajibh, 53, said she was visiting Taiwan the first time in
20 years and was accompanied by her daughter Sisiree.

"I heard about the lakes and all the nature, and also shopping. She's on her
school break so I am bringing her over here," she told AFP.

"It's very convenient. We didn't have to do anything much, you know, in terms
of preparation. But we got vaccinated and everything."

Pairry Kalong, another Thai tourist, said she planned to eat hot pot "first
thing" as well as visit Ximending, Taipei's neon-lit shopping district.

Tanachot Jaiungwattana said he was last in Taiwan shortly before the pandemic
sealed the borders.

"I miss here very much," he said. "I love the people and food."

Taiwan has won praise for how it handled the pandemic, although like nearby
Japan and Hong Kong it has been very cautious in reopening.

As most countries vacillated on restricting travel at the start of the
pandemic and saw deaths soar, Taiwan quickly shut its borders and stamped out
the first wave.

It remained comparatively coronavirus-free at the expense of closed borders.
Tourism industries suffered badly but the island's export-driven economy
continued to grow.

Like Hong Kong, which also fully reopened to tourists recently, Taiwan is
among the last places in the world to end mandatory quarantine.

Mainland China is the last remaining major economy that is still keeping its
borders sealed.

Under Taiwan's current rules, three days of hotel quarantine have been
replaced with seven days of "self-monitoring" where tourists are expected to
keep an eye on their health and wear face masks indoors and outdoors.

The system will operate largely on trust, with tourists given coronavirus
test kits on arrival to use throughout their stay.

That contrasts with Hong Kong where tourists must submit to regular tests for
a week after their arrival and cannot enter bars and restaurants for the
first three days.