Hong Kong Immigration Life: On the 30th, Lin Jianyue, Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, stated in Hong Kong that in the first 8 months of this year, the number of mainland tourists visiting Hong Kong with a single-entry "Individual Visit" visa decreased by 7.7% year-on-year, with a trend of further decline. He suggested that Hong Kong simplify the application process for mainland tourists applying for a visit visa, such as allowing online applications for visas for mainland tourists holding electronic passports, in order to attract more mainland visitors.
On the same day, Lin Jianyue stated at a roundtable discussion on the prospects of Hong Kong's traditional industries that from January to August this year, the number of overnight visitors from the mainland to Hong Kong decreased by 5.9% year-on-year, among which the number of tourists holding a single-entry "Individual Visit" visa decreased by 7.7%. During the recently concluded "Golden Week", the number of mainland "Individual Visit" tourists also saw a significant drop of 8.3% year-on-year. These tourists mostly come from regions outside South China, stay longer in Hong Kong, and have higher spending power, making them an important source of visitors that Hong Kong actively seeks to attract.
Lin Jianyue stated that in order to attract high-quality mainland tourists to Hong Kong, more convenient services should be provided, such as allowing travelers holding electronic passports to apply for travel visas online. He pointed out that approximately 20 million residents in the mainland currently hold electronic passports, most of whom have considerable overseas travel experience and higher spending power. The new measures could first be piloted in the 49 cities covered by the "Individual Visit" policy, and then further expanded to other regions.
Lin Jianyue said that tourism is one of Hong Kong's pillar industries, accounting for about 5% of the local GDP and directly or indirectly providing over 700,000 jobs. The decrease in mainland tourists, and even the trend of further decline, has significantly impacted Hong Kong's tourism industry, affecting the livelihoods of countless citizens. He noted that some popular tourist destinations nearby, such as Japan and South Korea, have simplified the visa application process for mainland tourists, resulting in a year-on-year surge of 116% in mainland visitors to Japan in the first half of this year, and an increase of 12.4% to South Korea.
In addition to optimizing the procedures for mainland tourists to obtain travel documents, Lin Jianyue stated that Hong Kong should also build new large-scale tourist attractions, promote multi-destination travel routes, develop cruise tourism and the convention and exhibition economy, and strive to host more international events in Hong Kong to maintain its competitiveness in tourism.