More than 109,000 visitors from the Chinese mainland crossed into Hong Kong on Sunday on the first day the multiple-entry Individual Visit Scheme for Shenzhen residents was reinstated.

The figure marked a sharp increase over the total number of 78,721 visitors from the mainland a year earlier, according to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s immigration authorities.

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The resumption of the multiple-entry policy allows more than 17 million residents in the neighboring Guangdong provincial city to make unlimited visits to the SAR, with each stay capped at seven days.

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The number of mainland travelers to Hong Kong on Nov 30 had exceeded 138,000 - a significant increase from some 85,000 visitors the previous day, and nearly doubled the 69,720 recorded a year ago. The surge came a day after the mainland authorities announced on Friday that the policy would be restored.

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Under the previous policy, Shenzhen residents could visit Hong Kong only once weekly and stay for up to seven days.

Under the new policy, individuals, without a Shenzhen hukou, or household registration certificate with a residence permit, are also eligible, benefitting more than 10 million people.

The “one permit, multiple entry” policy for Shenzhen residents was initially implemented from 2009 to 2015 in an attempt to bolster Hong Kong’s economy.

Contact the writer at lilei@chinadailyhk.com