Residents of 13 more cities on the Chinese mainland will be eligible to travel to Taiwan as individual tourists, according to an announcement made on Sunday at the fifth Straits Forum in Xiamen, Fujian province.

As a result of recent negotiations between tourism authorities on both sides of the Straits, residents of Shenyang, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Suzhou, Ningbo and Qingdao will be able to visit Taiwan individually starting from June 28, said Shao Qiwei, head of the National Tourism Administration.

Residents of Shijiazhuang, Changchun, Hefei, Changsha, Nanning, Kunming and Quanzhou will have to wait until Aug 28, he said.