The city view of Hong Kong
Businesses in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) expect more individual visitors from the Chinese mainland, where more cities have joined the individual visit scheme (IVS) that allows residents to visit Hong Kong and Macao without a guided tour. Analysts said such expansion bodes well for the two SARs as it looks to boost their economies by increasing tourist spending.
Starting from Wednesday, two cities – Xi’an in Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province and Qingdao in East China’s Shandong Province – will be added to the IVS, bringing the number of designated mainland cities to 51, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) announced.
Residents from IVS-covered cities can apply for individual travel endorsements for Hong Kong and Macao. Holders of this document can stay in the two SARs for a maximum of seven days per visit, said the NIA.
The expansion is widely welcomed by Hong Kong’s tourism industry, which is making concrete preparations…
