Chen Li, 28, arrived Tuesday with a 17-member Chinese group for a seven-day tour of Taiwan. The group checked into the King of France Palace Hotel in Nankang near Taipei, the China Times daily reported.
When the group met at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday to start the day's tour, Chen was absent. A search of Chen's room showed that she had left the hotel with her luggage.
Some group members remembered seeing Chen sitting with her luggage in the hotel lobby about 8 p.m. Tuesday, making calls with her cell phone. When they asked what she was doing, Chen said she was going to send the luggage to a group member on the sixth floor.
Police assume that Chen left the hotel Tuesday night, maybe with the help of a Taiwan friend.
If she is arrested, she will be deported to China, as Taiwan no long welcomes Chinese defectors.
Shihtong Travel, which is in charge of the Chinese tour group, said the itinerary will not be affected, but it will take precautions to prevent other Chinese tourists from escaping.
The Taiwan Tourism Bureau fines Taiwan travel agencies if a Chinese tourist has gone missing.
The travel agency must pay a fine of NT$200,000 (US$6,000) for negligence, plus another NT$200,000 (US$6,000) per missing Chinese tourist.
In 1987, Taiwan allowed its citizens to travel to China for family reunions, sightseeing and business but continued to bar mainlanders from entering Taiwan for security reasons. Taiwan gradually loosened the ban to allow mainland artists, athletes and academics to visit Taiwan.
In recent years, Taiwan has allowed Chinese groups to visit Taiwan as part of their overseas tours. Such groups come to and from Taiwan via Hong Kong or Bangkok, as there is no direct air links between Taiwan and China.
China encourages Chinese tour groups to visit Taiwan to promote exchanges, in hopes of coaxing Taiwan to fully open the door to Chinese tourists.
