No plan to expand Hong Kong’s individual visit scheme to more mainland Chinese cities, says minister
Commerce Secretary Greg So says the government does not want to stoke conflicts even though the tourism sector is suffering
A much-debated scheme that has opened the floodgates for mainland visitors to Hong Kong will not be extended to more cities, the minister in charge said on Wednesday.
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Greg So Kam-leung contradicted a widely publicised claim by former chief secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen last month, when he quoted the mainland tourism chief as saying the SAR government had asked for more mainland cities to be included in the scheme.
Hong Kong government presses for more mainland Chinese cities to join tourism scheme, says former chief secretary
Under the individual visit scheme, residents from 49 mostly tier-1 and tier-2 cities can visit Hong Kong as individual travellers instead of having to join tour groups. First launched in 2003, the scheme has not included any new cities since 2007.
Statistics from the Tourism Board showed the number of mainland visitors in February declined 26 per cent year on year.
Overall visitor numbers in the first two months fell by 13.6 per cent compared with the same period last year.
At a special Finance Committee meeting on the government’s budget for commerce, industry and tourism in the coming year, several lawmakers questioned what measures the authorities would implement to boost the tourism industry amid the downturn.