Beijing ‘actively considering’ raising Hong Kong’s duty-free shopping allowance for mainland Chinese tourists
- Senior Beijing official also hints in meeting with NPC delegates that series of preferential policies to support city’s tourism would be proposed
- Sources say mainland side ‘well noticed’ gap between 5,000 yuan duty-free limit per trip enforced in Hong Kong and the 100,000 yuan limit per year in place in Hainan
Beijing is “actively considering” raising Hong Kong’s duty-free shopping allowance for mainland Chinese tourists, as proposed by a majority of the city’s representatives attending the country’s largest annual political gathering in the capital, the Post has learned.
Zhou Ji, executive deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), was wrapping up a meeting with the city’s members of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and drew attention to a recent policy change allowing residents of Xian and Qingdao to visit the financial hub in a personal capacity. Residents from 51 cities are now eligible for the Individual Visit Scheme.
“Why just two more [mainland cities]? This will be followed by a series of preferential policies in supporting Hong Kong,” said Zhou, who oversees the day-to-day operations of the office.
“You have to test whether the fundamental facilities, for example the border crossings, accommodation and consumption, can cope. This will just take some time.”
The proposal to raise the duty-free allowance – from 5,000 yuan (US$694) to 30,000 yuan per person for each trip – for mainland tourists has been gaining steam, becoming a focus for Hong Kong delegates attending the key political meetings in the capital, known as the “two sessions”, or lianghui.
Sources familiar with the matter said the mainland side “well noticed” the gap between the duty-free limit enforced in Hong Kong and the island province of Hainan, which is also popular with mainland travellers. After gradual increases of 5,000 yuan since 2011, the allowance now stands at 100,000 yuan per year.
On Wednesday, Hainan authorities announced that over the Lunar New Year period, the island province recorded duty-free sales of 7.4 billion yuan (US$945.8 million), generated by shoppers’ 938,000 trips.
