Individual Visit Scheme

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Individual Visit Scheme
Hong Kong visa issued by PRC.jpg
The Hong Kong Individual Visit Permit issued by People's Republic of China on a Chinese Two-way Permit for Hong Kong and Macau.

The Individual Visit Scheme allows select tourists from designated cities and provinces in mainland China to visit Hong Kong and Macau by using individual visas (as opposed the needing to travel as part of a government-approved tour group). [3] : 144 

Initially, the Individual Visit Scheme was only open to residents of Beijing, Shanghai, and eight cities in Guangdong province. [3] : 144  China's central government expanded the program once it was shown to be successful. [3] : 144  As of 2023, the Individual Visa Scheme is open to residents of 49 Chinese cities. [3] : 144–145 

1 October Golden Week

1 October Golden Week is the period from 1 to 7 October, coinciding with the National Day of the People's Republic of China on 1 October. Therefore, more Mainlanders are able to visit Hong Kong during the holiday. In 2003, this holiday drew 287,000 Mainland visitors to Hong Kong, including 80,000 to 90,000 individual travellers. During, the hotel occupancy rate reached 75% to 80%. The Mass Transit Railway Corporation organised promotional programs at Telford Plaza in Kowloon Bay and Maritime Square in Tsing Yi during the National Day holiday.

In addition, the HKSAR Government has adopted a number of measures to deal with the huge influx of individual visitors. At the Lo Wu border crossing, there was an increase in the number of Hong Kong immigration officers on duty, and the time for checking in was reduced. Also, the number of MTR trains departing from Lo Wu was increased to reduce congestion. In addition, visitors from Shanghai and Beijing were encouraged to travel by plane to prevent congestion in Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau.

According to the statistics released by the Immigration Department, about 800,000 to 900,000 Mainland visitors travel to Hong Kong monthly. The ratio of visitors under the scheme rose from 5% to 16.8% between August and October 2003, and to more than 30% in May 2004.

The increase in the number of Mainland tourists has benefits the economy of Hong Kong, demonstrating the economy is on an upward track. Average occupancy rate across all categories of hotels and tourist guest houses in September 2003 was 82%, the same as that in September 2002. This performance was spread across different types of hotels, with the top-tariff hotels achieving 81% occupancy and those of medium tariff recording 83%. The average achieved room rate was HK$684, the highest figure since April 2003, although this is still 2.8% below the comparable rate for September 2002. And in 2006,among the spending of all the visitors in Hong Kong, mainland visitors has taken up to $400 billion, which is one-third of the income.

The government has set up an Economy Relaunch Campaign, which includes raffles, the Lantau Festival, and Individual Visits to provide extra resources to revive the economy. These enhance the appeal of the Individual Visit Scheme.

"As the scheme is attracting a large number of Mainlanders to Hong Kong, it created a 'positive by-product' to attract overseas travelers to visit Hong Kong," said Miss Kinnie Wong, the assistant commissioner of the Tourism Commission. She added that tourists from overseas markets such as the United States and Australia may feel safe visiting Hong Kong again in the coming winter or during the Chinese New Year.

It has been suggested that more and more Mainlanders coming to Hong Kong will lead to the authorised saving of Ain Hong Kong. This change enables Mainland travellers access to money more easily when they need it. As a result, it will be more convenient for them to shop and trade in Hong Kong. Besides, the simplicity of the visa application process makes it beneficial. Since people are usually not willing to perform complicated procedures to apply for visas before visiting another place, the Individual Visit Scheme helps encourage visitors to Hong Kong. These two effects are considered long term.

She also pointed out that women joining the Individual Visit Scheme come to Hong Kong because they want to purchase brand-name products. An individual traveller, Mrs. Chiu, said that the brand-name products in Hong Kong are of more variety and are much cheaper when compared with other foreign countries.

As a short-term effect, there will be a rise in the employment rate and investment. Owners of shops or companies can foresee this vital trend and will employ more people to meet the needs of the influx of Mainland travellers.

Social impact

The establishment of the Individual Visa Scheme resulted in a surge of tourism to Macau. [3] : 145 

The Hong Kong Government repeatedly pointed out that the crime rate of Mainland visitors under the scheme was very low. From August 2003 to May 2004, the number of individual visitors who were arrested for committing crimes such as theft or fraud was only 183, compared with more than 2 million visitors under the scheme.

Mr. Chan Wing-Kai, the head of the Consumer Complaints & Advice Council, said, "The percentage of complaints made by individual visitors is 9.3%, which is relatively low." The number of complaints made by individual visitors up to October was around 50. Many cases were due to misunderstandings, such as differences between consumer cultures.

Timetable of implementation

Macau visa restrictions

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Chui Sai On: ajustamento da política de visto individual tem influência positiva". Portal do Governo da RAE de Macau (in Portuguese). Gabinete de Comunicação Social. 28 May 2007. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  2. ↑ Press Release
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Simpson, Tim (2023). Betting on Macau: Casino Capitalism and China's Consumer Revolution. Globalization and Community series. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN   978-1-5179-0031-1.
  4. ↑ "关于在陕西省西安市、山东省青岛市签发往来港澳"个人旅游签注"的公告". National Immigraion Administration. 23 February 2024.
  5. ↑ "关于在山西省太原市等8个城市签发往来港澳 "个人旅游签注"的公告". National Immigration Administration. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
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