Two Hong Kong travel agencies have opened offices in Guangdong that will offer organised tours to Macau and Hong Kong under the latest phase of the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (Cepa).
They do not expect to make much profit, but are hoping the central government will allow Hong Kong investors to enter the lucrative market of organising overseas tours for mainland residents.
Hong Thai Travel has three outlets in Guangdong and Wing On Travel has opened one office. They will start organising tours next year.
Hong Thai Travel general manager Lau Mei-sze did not expect the new market to generate much more revenue.
'Many Guangdong residents are very familiar with Hong Kong. Also, because of the individual visit scheme, it is very convenient for them to go to Hong Kong on their own. The new liberalisation is not that lucrative. We just want to join the game first,' she said.
'What we are really looking for is an overall liberalisation of outbound tours for mainland residents. As they get richer, their demand for overseas travel is surging. This is where the big money lies. In Guangdong alone, the population is 10 times that of Hong Kong.'
