BEIJING -- The Chinese mainland and Taiwan have reached consensus on a majority of issues concerning individual mainland tourist travel to the island, and such tourists are expected to be allowed to visit some selected places in Taiwan before the end of June, a mainland official said Wednesday.

Yang Yi, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, told a press conference that the two sides have yet to decide which places will be the first authorized to host mainland individual tourists.

Currently, mainlanders are only allowed to visit Taiwan in tour groups. According to Taiwan authorities, 1.82 million mainland tourists visited the island on tour packages from July 2008 to the end of 2010.

Yang said tourism associations on both sides, which are authorized to handle cross-Strait tourist affairs, have played a key role in serving tourists, safeguarding their rights and interests and regulating the tourist market order across the Taiwan Strait.