XIAMEN - The Tourism Development Association of Taiwan's Penghu county has opened a representative office in China's coastal city of Xiamen.

At the office's founding ceremony on Sunday, Wang Chien-fa, head of the county, said, "Xiamen's tourism industry has seen fast development, and we hope more people in the mainland will be attracted to visit Penghu with our promotion."

Xiamen is a coastal city in southeastern China's Fujian province, which is located on the west bank of the Taiwan Straits.

Figures from the association show that Penghu attracts an average of 30,000 mainland tourists every year, most of them on group tours.

According to the association, its Xiamen office will focus on both Penghu's tourism development and its economic and trade ties with the mainland, providing promotions of tourist attractions.

Wang expressed hope that direct charter flights will be available between Penghu and mainland cities in the future.