BEIJING -The Chinese mainland's Association for Tourism Exchange Across the Taiwan Strait and Taiwan's Taiwan Strait Tourism Association will meet in Beijing on Thursday to discuss issues on allowing more mainland cities' residents to visit the island as individual tourists, a mainland spokesman said Wednesday.

The mainland feels positive about expanding the number of mainland cities that Taiwan allows to take individual trips through a trial program, said Yang Yi, spokesman of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, at a press conference.

During China's 7-day National Day holiday, more than 21,600 mainland tourists visited Taiwan, including 19,225 who visited in groups and 2,386 as individual tourists, Yang said.

As of October 7, 868,000 tourists, including 11,000 solo tourists, visited Taiwan this year, and a hike in the number is expected after the tourist rush season of October and November, Yang added.

"More mainland tourists visiting Taiwan will help promote understanding between compatriots across the Strait, and we will continue to firmly ensure the sound development of the program," Yang said.

Taiwan began accepting organized tour groups from the mainland in 2008 after years of a policy that banned visits.

Since June 28, Taiwan has opened the door to residents of the mainland cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen. They can make individual trips to the island through a trial program that is expected to boost cross-Strait travel.

About 290 individual tourists from the mainland arrived in Taiwan on the first day the ban was lifted.