EIGHT MAINLAND CITIES ADDED TO HK SOLO TRAVELLER SCHEME

Urumqi, Lhasa and other remote capitals make up the expansion that aims to boost tourism to city

People from eight mainland cities in remote regions such as Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and Tibet will be able to visit Hong Kong without the need to join group tours after Beijing announced it would further expand a solo traveller scheme to boost tourism.

The National Immigration Administration yesterday said residents in the cities would be able to apply to visit from May 27.

The eight cities are all provincial and regional capitals: Taiyuan in Shanxi; Hohhot in Inner Mongolia; Harbin in Heilongjiang; Lhasa in Tibet; Lanzhou in Gansu; Xining in Qinghai; Yinchuan in Ningxia; and Urumqi in Xinjiang.

Under the Individual Visit Scheme, tourists can apply for a visa that allows them to stay in Hong Kong or Macau for up to seven days at a time. They can choose from single-entry or double-entry visas valid for three months or a year.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu expressed gratitude to Beijing for further expanding the scheme, which brought the number of cities covered to 59.

“I thank the central government for its keen concern for Hong Kong and its full support … The central government once again actively responded to the Hong Kong government’s suggestions,” he said.

Lee said at the end of last month that he would urge Beijing to expand the scheme.

“[The expanded scheme] covers all provincial capital cities across the country, carrying great significance for boosting Hong Kong’s tourism industry and overall economic development, and promoting people-to-people ties between mainland and Hong Kong residents,” he said.

Lee noted the eight cities all had large populations, high levels of consumption and had recorded rapid economic growth.

“Further expansion of the individual travel scheme will effectively boost the economic activities of Hong Kong’s tourism, retail, catering, hotel and related industries, bringing a large amount of revenue, and at the same time promoting two-way travel between Hong Kong and different provincial capital cities,” he said.

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yunhung pledged to strengthen coordination and maintain communication with relevant agencies and the industry.

“We’ll strive to establish and enhance direct flight capacity between Hong Kong and the eight cities, while ensuring the smooth operation of border control points, tourist facilities, hotels and public transport networks to welcome tourists,” he said.

Authorities announced the move two days after Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, told Yeung the local administration must revitalise its offerings amid “profound changes” in the market and treat every corner of the city as a potential spot to lure visitors.

The sector has been struggling to recover, with the number of trips to the city over the Labour Day “golden week” holiday earlier this month hitting just two-thirds of pre-pandemic levels. The growing trends of mainland visitors making only day trips to the city or choosing to spend their nights in cheaper hotels across the border have also added to the pressure.

Beijing expanded the scheme in February to add tourists from Xian and Qingdao, although it generated a lukewarm response.

Some residents in the two cities said the arrangements did not change much, suggesting individual travellers who held group tour visas had made independent trips to Hong Kong for years. Travel agents also said there had been no jump in bookings.

Hong Kong Tourism Board chairman Pang Yiu-kai called the expansion a “gift” for the sector, saying Beijing’s decision to update the scheme twice in three months reflected its “full support and confidence” in the city. “With the new measures facilitating visitor arrivals to Hong Kong, the city will be able to tap into a broader range of source cities and explore new sources of visitors,” he said.

The Tourism Board said it would step up promotional activities in the cities, including partnering with mainland social media platforms, the travel trade and airlines to promote offerings.

Hong Kong Tourism Association executive director Timothy Chui Ting-pong also hailed the move as a “big gift” from Beijing and said it would provide a great boost to the industry.

“They are all wealthy cities with good spending power. In the past there might not be many chances for them to travel outside. Hong Kong may be their first cross-border destination in recent years,” he said. “These groups of additional mainland tourists will definitely stay overnight in Hong Kong, with many expected to use up the seven days allowed under the visa.”

Chui described the expanded scheme as a “strategic move” as it would prove helpful for the city’s role as an aviation hub and a gateway for new groups of mainland tourists to travel to the rest of the world for business purposes.

“It will prompt local airlines to strengthen their capacity and extend their aviation network to provide more direct flights between Hong Kong and these mainland destinations,” he said.

The Airport Authority said it currently had direct flights with four of the eight cities, adding that airlines were planning to start scheduled flights to and from Harbin and add more flights to and from Urumqi next month.

But Simon Lee Siu-po, an honorary fellow at the Asia-Pacific Institute of Business at Chinese University, took a less optimistic view of the scheme’s expansion.

“There will be some positive effects. But the mainland economy continues to be sluggish with shrinking purchasing power,” he said. “It may not produce an immediate result and the impact will only be short term.”

Lee said Hong Kong should avoid relying on mainland authorities for more sweeteners under the solo travel scheme, adding it should focus on strengthening its competitiveness and attraction to overseas tourists.