Immigration officials refused to allow the tourists from Beijing to enter upon their arrival at Taoyuan Airport in northern Taiwan and demanded they return on the same flight, an immigration official said.

However, the Chinese group refused to depart and briefly scuffled with immigration officers before they finally agreed to get on the plane.

Immigration authorities have fined China's Hainan Airlines 460,000 Taiwan dollars ($A15,799) for its failure to verify the passengers' travel documents before boarding.

Taiwanese authorities have said that the island's tourism industry grew faster than anywhere else in Asia last year due to an influx of mainland visitors.