Pufferfish, also known as blowfish, balloon fish or globefish, is famous for its deadly poisonous spawns and organs, and its delicious taste.

Eating poorly prepared pufferfish can be fatal, and it is illegal for restaurants and vendors to sell.

But the manager of the travel agency in Hangzhou, insisted the decision to launch the dining tours was based on positive feedback in market surveys.

The manager, surnamed Zhou, said most travelers surveyed were eager to dine on the pufferfish in picturesque settings.

In one two-day package plan offered by the agency, travelers can eat pufferfish for 2,888 yuan ($374), and stay in "five-star accommodation".

Zhou said: "The main aim of the trip is to taste the two kinds of delicacies. During the trip, each traveler will taste two dishes of pufferfish cooked in different styles and a dish of saury."

Zhou added that as the market survey showed, many travelers in Hangzhou who enjoy luxurious trips would not be fazed by the trip's expense, as they wanted to eat quality delicacies.

He also said that the meat of pufferfish was not poisonous, as long as the fish was prepared the correct way.

Zhou added there has been a long tradition for restaurants in many major cities in Japan and those in Jiangsu Province to serve pufferfish. "We are very careful in choosing the hotels and the chefs," he said.

Eight brave travelers have signed up for the trip after it was launched two weeks ago.

However, there are some Hangzhou residents who are reluctant to sign up.

"I like traveling a lot and love to taste the indigenous delicacies very much," a young white-collar worker surnamed Cheng said. "However, pufferfish is forbidden to eat by the central government.

"If the customer gets sick after eating the pufferfish, who will be responsible for this?"

The market division chief of Hangzhou Tourism Commission, surnamed Wang, said: "There is no detailed regulation to manage travel agencies' plans. However, the local sanitary authorities are in charge of the safety of food".

The officials of the sanitary department in Zhejiang said that the food sanitation regulation states that the restaurants and market vendors were forbidden to sell pufferfish.