More and more passengers either from Chinese mainland or Taiwan are heading home for the Spring Festival,boarding the Haixia, a high-speed passenger ferry linking the city of Taichung in Taiwan and Pingtan county in the mainland's Fujian province.

"During the Spring Festival travel rush, it is more than difficult to get a ticket for a flight or other cross-Strait sea routes," said a Taiwan resident surnamed Chow who has worked in the mainland for more than 10 years and only occasionally returns to Taiwan for a New Year's family reunion.

On Thursday, the Haixia, literally meaning "Strait," ferried some 500 passengers on its last voyage ahead of the Spring Festival, marking the most passengers it has carried since its maiden voyage on Nov. 30 last year, according to Ye Huatao, general manager of Haixia's operator Fujian Cross Strait Ferry Corporation.

"Most of the passengers are heading back home either from Taiwan to the mainland or vice versa," Ye said. "Tickets for cross-Strait flights or other sea routes have all been in short supply."

Lin Shaoning and his family chose the Haixia for a different reason. He got a refund on his flight from Taipei to Xiamen, Fujian province, because the Taichung-Pingtan route would markedly shorten their journey back home.

"It is only a 10-plus-minute drive from the port of Pingtan to my parents' home, but a two-hour drive from Xiamen," said Lin.

Chien Heng-chui, Lin's wife and a native of Taiwan, has travelled to Fujian for the Spring Festival in recent years, and she found this year's trip to be "the most convenient ever."

The Haixia sails at a speed of 83 kilometers per hour and can cross the Taiwan Strait in 2.5-3 hours, depending on weather and the size of waves, according to Ye.

Services provided on the vessel are also very good, Chien said, adding that she is planning a return trip on the Haixia in about 20 days.

Since last November, the Haixia has carried an estimated 1,500 people across the Taiwan Strait, according to Ye.

The Taichung-Pingtan route is not the quickest for Mr. Chou, a businessman from Keelung, Taiwan, but he would like his two daughters to "feel what it is like on the Haixia."

Moreover, a single ticket costs 400 yuan (about 63.36 U.S. dollars), a price Chou considers "very desirable."

"I hope the journey home that the Haixia provides will be as fast and smooth as promised," Chou said.

The Haixia has also attracted travel agents from Taiwan who are interested in reaching out to more and more mainland tourists.

Sunny Tsai, the director of a travel agency in Taichung, took the Haixia on an inspection tour to Fujian in mid-January. After two days, he decided to lay out a tour route spanning the entire island of Taiwan and scenic spots in Fujian like Wuyi Mountain and Meizhou Island.

"A round-trip journey via the Haixia will be a highlight of the route," Tsai said.

Tsai was accompanied by over 150 others working in the Taiwan tourism industry, and they were all looking for investment opportunities in Pingtan.

"Pingtan will serve as a starting point, from which our tour packages will be extended to cover the entire mainland," said Chang Jing-yun, head of the inspection group and secretary general of the Taiwan Travel Association.

The Haixia can carry 760 passengers and 260 cars, making it very competitive in organizing large tour groups with more than 500 members, Ye Huatao said.

According to Ye, the Haixia has mostly been operating as a charter vessel since its maiden voyage, with eight return trips conducted in December and 12 planned for January and February, respectively.

As of March this year, the ferry will set sail on a regular basis, departing from Pingtan at 9:00 a.m. and returning from Taiwan at 2:00 p.m. every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, Ye said.

"The Haixia, once operating regularly, will better facilitate cross-Strait trips," he said.

The corporation is also expected to purchase another vessel this year, promising to open a new route between Pingtan and Taipei, according to Ye.

"Expanded routes across the Strait will bring along expanded exchanges between people on both sides," Ye said.