People across the Taiwan Straits have taken more than 300,000 trips via two passenger ferries which sail on sea routes between Pingtan in Fujian province and Taiwan, china.com.cn reported on Aug 28, citing sources from transportation authorities in Pingtan.

The Haixia makes its inaugural voyage to Taipei from Pingtan in Fujian province on Oct 9, 2013. [Photo by Lu Ting/China Daily]

The two liners are the Haixia, a high-speed roll-on and off passenger ferry launched by the mainland’s authorities in Nov 2011, and the Natchan Rera, a diesel-powered catamaran owned by Taiwan and which was put into operation in May 2014.

At present, the Haixia sails on the Pingtan-Taipei route on Mondays and Saturdays, and the Pingtan-Taichung itinerary on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. A single trip takes about 2.5 hours.

The Natchan Rera commutes between Taipei and Pingtan every Tuesday and Wednesday, with a single-trip time of 3 hours.

The Haixia is said to be one of the world’s fastest roll-on and off ferries, with a capacity of 780 people, 260 small cars and 1000 tons of cargo, while the Natchan Rera is able to carry 774 passengers at one time. Both have won acclaim from travelers from across the Straits for their efficiency, convenience and safety.

With the growing amount of passengers and cargo, the ferries have helped to increase cross-Straits communications and catapulted Pingtan, the closest point to Taiwan Island on the Chinese mainland, to a prospective cross-Straits traffic hub with booming tourism.

Fujian’s tourism authorities have been actively exploring Pingtan’s tourism potential by taking advantage of the two passenger ferries. 14 travel agencies in the mainland have come up with special tours featuring cruise tours on the Haixia and Natchan Rera. Pingtan’s authorities have also organized a large number of promotional events and insiders from across the Straits to make inspection tours.

As traveling become more versatile, the next growth area for cross-Straits tourism is probably going to be car tours. And Fujian’s authorities have pledged to push for green-lighting vehicles from Pingtan and Taiwan to take to the roads in each other’s jurisdictions, which will make Pingtan a hotter destination for Taiwan’s visitors, the website said.