The opening meeting of the second session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 4, 2024. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

National legislators and political advisers from Hong Kong have joined a chorus calling for measures to attract tourists, proposing an increase in duty-free allowances and an expansion of multiple-entry visas for mainland visitors, during this year’s two sessions. 

As middle and high-end consumer groups among mainland tourists tend to choose destinations outside the Chinese mainland, the duty-free shopping limit for mainland tourists visiting Hong Kong should be raised to 30,000 yuan ($4,167) from the current 5,000 yuan, said Stanley Ng Chau-pei, a Hong Kong deputy to the National People’s Congress, the country’s top legislature. 

Emphasizing that the tourism industry is one of the traditional pillars of Hong Kong’s economy, Ng said a boost for the sector could drive the coordinated development of the city’s service, transportation, and retail sales, creating a large number of job opportunities. 

Starry Lee Wai-king, a Hong Kong member of the Standing Committee of the NPC, suggested that Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland can streamline the visa application process in order to boost people-to-people exchanges

Mainland visitors accounted for nearly 80 percent of Hong Kong's inbound tourists last year. Out of around 34 million visitors to the city during 2023, approximately 26.5 million were from the mainland, according to official data. 

ALSO READ: Xi'an, Qingdao to join HK, Macao individual visit scheme

Starting from Wednesday, the expanded Individual Visit Scheme will come into effect, allowing people from Xi'an in Shaanxi province and Qingdao in Shandong province to visit Hong Kong on an individual visa. The move has brought the total number of IVS cities to 51. 

The program, which was implemented in 2003, allows eligible residents of designated mainland cities to apply for an endorsement to visit Hong Kong as individuals. 

Stanley Ng Chau-pei, a Hong Kong deputy to the National People’s Congress (NPC), the country’s top legislature. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Starry Lee Wai-king, a Hong Kong member of the Standing Committee of the NPC, said the current duty-free limit of 5,000 yuan is a far cry from meeting mainland tourists’ shopping demands, which could weaken the city’s competitiveness. 

Henry Tang Ying-yen, a member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the CPPCC, proposed to reinstate multiple-entry visa program for Shenzhen residents and extended it to other cities within the Greater Bay Area

She also suggested that Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland can streamline the visa application process in order to boost people-to-people exchanges.

Henry Tang Ying-yen, a member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the nation’s top political advisory body, this year proposed to reinstate multiple-entry visa program for Shenzhen residents and extended it to other cities within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. 

READ MORE: Two sessions: DAB to table 31 proposals aimed at GBA ties

As one of the world’s wealthiest city clusters, the GBA’s economic output is estimated to top 13.6 trillion yuan in 2023 — 1 trillion yuan more than that in 2021 — data from Guangdong's Development and Reform Commission show.