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From January 1, 2004, the Individual Visit Scheme will be further extended to six Guangdong cities (Shantou, Chaozhou, Meizhou, Zhaoqing, Qingyuan and Yunfu), a Government spokesman said today (December 30).
At present, the Individual Visit Scheme is implemented in 10 Mainland cities (Jiangmen, Foshan, Zhongshan, Dongguan, Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Shenzhen, Huizhou, Beijing and Shanghai). Residents with permanent household registration in these cities may apply for an "individual visit" endorsement from the Mainland public security bureau offices to visit Hong Kong.
"We welcome the extension of the Individual Visit Scheme to the other Guangdong cities which will further benefit local tourism, retail and other related industries," the spokesman said.
"Immigration Department will deploy sufficient manpower to cope with the anticipated increase in the number of visitors," the spokesman added.
The endorsement is valid for three months and good for one or two visits to Hong Kong. The holder can stay in Hong Kong for seven days on each visit. Eligible applicants may apply for a new endorsement once the current one has expired or has been used up. There is no quota on the number of endorsements to be issued.
"From the tourism angle, this scheme will further increase the number of Mainland visitors coming to Hong Kong on 'individual visit' endorsement and will benefit hotels, retail and entertainment industries. The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is working with its travel trade partners to disseminate relevant information on Hong Kong covering shopping, dining and the various attractions, so that visitors will be aware of the choices of activities available to them in Hong Kong. We also expect that the travel trade will come up with products to suit this group of customers. At the same time, the Tourism Commission will work with the HKTB and the industry to maintain and enhance quality services and ensure consumer protection for tourists," the spokesman added.
As at December 29, over 0.65 million Mainland residents have visited Hong Kong under the Individual Visit Scheme, spending over an estimate of HK$3.5 billion in Hong Kong.
End/Tuesday, December 30, 2003
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