Rapid transit ‘offers chance to bring visitors into bay area’

The 15 million foreign visitors who stream into Hong Kong each year — typically staying three days before heading for other Asian countries — could be a key resource for the tourism industry in the Greater Bay Area.

The Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong, the city’s major business-oriented political group, on Wednesday proposed pushing forward tourism development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. It intends using the Hong Kong-ZhuhaiMacao Bridge and Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, which will be commissioned this year.

The promotion would help draw Hong Kong’s 15 million foreign visitors toward mainland cities inside the bay area, achieving mutual development and prosperity.

The group made the remarks when meeting with the media in Beijing.

For the new five-year National People’s Congress term, the alliance has three deputies. The BPA also has six members in the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

Peter Lam Kin-ngok, CPPCC National Committee member who chairs the Hong Kong Tourism Board, said the city has about 15 million foreign visitors annually who only stay for about three days before heading to other Asian cities.

With the giant bridge and XRL set to be launched, Hong Kong could also take the initiative by promoting tourism of the Greater Bay Area. It aims to attract foreign tourists to mainland cities during the three days they have in Hong Kong.

The bridge will cut travel time between Hong Kong and Zhuhai from three hours to just 30 minutes, while the XRL will reduce the Guangzhou-Hong Kong journey to 48 minutes.

The foreign tourists could experience South China’s rich culture and traditional Guangdong delicacies, making their stay in Hong Kong worthwhile, Lam said.

He also revealed that the Tourism Board would go to Japan in November, promoting bay area tourism as well as helping other cities in the area go global by attracting more foreign visitors.

Highlights of speeches by CPPCC National Committee members