Legislator Advocates Cap on Mainland Visitors
A cap on the number of visitors from mainland China has been suggested by Legislative Council member James To, reported Radio Television Hong Kong last week.
The Democratic Party legislative councilor’s remarks followed a surge in tourists visiting from mainland China over the Chinese New Year holiday period, which saw Ocean Park forced to halt its ticket sales for two consecutive days after reaching maximum capacity.
Urging the government to consider placing a cap on visitors, To argued that “the large number of visitors were affecting the daily lives of local residents,” stated RTHK. The incident also prompted different responses from various parties. The South China Morning Post quoted Michael Wu Siu-ying, chairman of the Travel Industry Council, as saying that the number of tourists in fact has not yet reached “saturation.” Meanwhile, Starry Lee, a member of the Executive Council, told RTHK in an interview that it was “not practical to limit the number of visitors.”
The number of mainland visitors has long been cause for debate. The Individual Visit Scheme has brought in a large number of tourists from the mainland, which has now exceeded 100 million. The Standard reported a separate incident that also took place over the holidays, where a group of 36 mainland tourists were allegedly denied access to a three-star hotel due to a hitch in the booking process. The visitors opted to spend the night on the bus they had traveled in, citing the inadequacy of the alternative accommodation offered to them as their reason.
While opinion continues to be divided on the issue, some policymakers agree that a cap might be the answer. SCMP cited legislator Gary Fan to be in agreement with To, while Lee also added in the aforementioned interview that more control should be placed on policies allowing mainland tourists’ travels to Hong Kong.