Dozens of tourism professionals from eight Chinese mainland cities newly added to Hong Kong’s Individual Visit Scheme said on Tuesday that they hope to draw more local tourists to the city through in-depth tour experiences that highlight the area’s cultural diversity.
They made their remarks when attending an ongoing five-day promotional trip to Hong Kong organized by the special administrative region.
Starting from May 27, residents of eight mainland cities — including Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region; Harbin, Heilongjiang province; Lhasa, Xizang autonomous region; and Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region — can apply for individual-visit endorsements to visit Hong Kong and Macao without joining tour groups
Starting from May 27, residents of eight mainland cities — including Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region; Harbin, Heilongjiang province; Lhasa, Xizang autonomous region; and Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region — can apply for individual-visit endorsements to visit Hong Kong and Macao without joining tour groups.
On Sunday, about 40 tourism and media representatives from the eight cities arrived in the city at the invitation of the SAR government to experience Hong Kong’s tourism charm in a bid to better promote the city in their hometowns.
Following the visits to Hong Kong Disneyland, Central Market, Lantau Island’s Ngong Ping 360 cable car, and other spots over the past two days, the delegation boarded an open-top double-decker in Tsim Sha Tsui on Tuesday to appreciate urban views and pose for group photos in front of the buses.
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Speaking to reporters after the bus tour, Huang Ning, deputy general manager of Heilongjiang International Travel Service Group, said the direct flight from Harbin to Hong Kong, which just launched on Sunday, shortens the travel time between the two cities to about five hours.
It greatly improves convenience for traveling and increases people-to-people communication between the two cities, she said, adding that more people have come to her agency to inquire about trips to Hong Kong since the direct flight launched.
Huang said her company will design more in-depth itineraries of Hong Kong, including studying tours to the city’s universities as well as visiting art exhibitions, science museums and other cultural landmarks.
Liu Xiaochun, general manager of Gansu Legend Travel, said Hong Kong’s coastal landscape is very attractive to people living in inland regions such as Gansu province.
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Liu also mentioned her visits to a local outlet shopping mall and Hong Kong Disneyland, saying the employees of the two places are enthusiastic. She hopes the central government can raise the tax-free allowance for mainland tourists in the future to boost their shopping experiences.
Zhang Tenghong, executive director of Tibet Tourism Investment and Tourism Service, said he was impressed by the city’s attractions, believing the greatest charm of Hong Kong is its diverse culture.
The national railway authorities announced on Tuesday that the high-speed sleeper-train run between Hong Kong as well as Beijing and Shanghai will operate beginning June 15. The overnight sleeper trains are expected to providing new options for mainland tourists heading to Hong Kong.
Zhang said diversified means of transportation will help more visitors to come to Hong Kong for shopping.
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Huang said senior people prefer railway rather than air transport, and overnight sleeper trains will allow elderly tourists to have better rest and enhance their travel experience.
The delegation will take the Peak Tram, and visit Hong Kong Palace Museum and M+ in the coming two days.
Apart from inviting tourism professionals to experience the city in-person, the Hong Kong Tourism Board also said it is cooperating with Kuaishou, a popular short-video platform on the mainland, inviting key opinion leaders to produce social media contents on Hong Kong tourism to generate positive publicity.
Intern Chen Xiyun contributed to the story.
