Taiwan travel drop natural; there's no quota, official says

Changing political climate 'triggering concerns' from tour operators, others

The government has never set quotas for mainland tourists traveling across the Taiwan Straits, the spokesman for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office said on Wednesday about a recent decline in mainland tourists to the island.

"The change in tourist numbers is mainly driven by the market and based on the willingness of tourism operators and tourists. The government has never set any quota to limit the number of tourists traveling to Taiwan," spokesman An Fengshan said at a news conference on Wednesday. An is also the deputy director of the office's media affairs section.