CEO John Lee announced new initiatives aimed at promoting tourism in Hong Kong.
The new cities under the personal visit system are Taiyuan in Shanxi province, Hohhot in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Harbin in Heilongjiang province, Lhasa in Tibet, Lanzhou in Gansu province, Xining in Qinghai province, Yinchuan in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and Urumqi in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Together with Xi'an and Qingdao, VIS now covers 59 cities in mainland China.
New Hong Kong Tourism Voucher Details
Hong Kong tourism vouchers can be used at various restaurants and stores. The Hong Kong Tourism Board will continue to work with airlines and other sectors to promote unique cultural, heritage and environmental experiences. Some airlines are already planning to increase flights from cities such as Harbin and Urumqi.
Mr Lee added that about 60% of mainland tourists took part in the scheme last year. Since the newly added cities are state capitals, they hope to make further contributions to the economy. The goal is to attract around 300,000 tourists, with economic expenditure equivalent to around HK$1.5 billion (approximately US$192 million).
“These cities collectively contribute to strong economic output, and incorporating them into the tourism framework can bring significant economic benefits,” he said.
Increase in number of visitors
Hong Kong received 3.4 million tourists in April, an increase of 20% from the previous year. Half of them were not visitors from the mainland. By the end of Ramadan, tourists from Indonesia increased by more than 80% compared to last year.
When it comes to long-haul travel, the U.S. and Canada also surged more than 80% year over year. A total of 14.62 million people visited the city from January to April. This number is twice as much as last year.
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This story first appeared here.
All currency conversions were made at the time of writing.
(All image credits: Robson Hatsukami Morgan/Unsplash)
Related: No more group travel: Hong Kong expands individual travel scheme to more Chinese cities