Hong Kong sees tourism recovery

cctv.com 03-12-2004 15:03

An important policy under CEPA is the promotion of tourism in Hong Kong by simplifying visa application procedures and allowing travelers to visit the city without having to join a tour group. Hong Kong's tourism industry has enjoyed a sharp rebound since the scheme was introduced last August.

For the relatively cheap price of a return airfare, permanent residents of Beijing, Shanghai and 14 cities in Guangdong Province can easily spend a weekend shopping in Hong Kong. Since the central government simplified the entry-exit procedures for Hong Kong, the city has witnessed an increasing flow or tourists from the mainland.

Figures from the National Administration of Tourism showed that there were more than 5 million visits from the mainland to Hong Kong in the past 6 months, 36 percent more than in the same period last year.

While the number of visitors soaring, consumption is also rising rapidly. Tourist spending in the city reached about 6 billion yuan in the past half year. The Hong Kong Tourism Board says visitors from the mainland are the main contributor to the city's tourism economy, accounting for more than half of the sector's revenue.

Mainland travel agencies say three-day shopping trips to Hong Kong are becoming one of their most popular products.

The free circulation of Renminbi in Hong Kong is another engine behind the growth in tourism revenue. The convenience of using Renminbi has promoted greater retail consumption in the city.

Ge Qun, marketing manager of China Youth Travel Service, said, "We have undertaken a study -- it shows that the average consumption used to be about 5000 yuan per person, but now it's 8000 to 10,000 yuan."

Hong Kong's tourism industry is expected to surge further when the scheme is extended to cover the whole of Guangdong Province by May this year. The SAR government has forecast an optimistic GDP growth rate of 6 percent in 2004. Experts say if this rate is achieved, it will be largely due to the continued recovery of the tourism industry.

Editor:Zhang  Source:CCTV.com