First batch of Xi'an and Qingdao individual travelers arrive in HK

The first batch of individual travelers from Xi'an and Qingdao have arrived in Hong Kong after the two cities were officially included in the Individual Visit Scheme starting Wednesday.

Lawmaker Benson Luk Hon-man, also the standing member of the Qingdao Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said six independent travelers from Qingdao arrived in Hong Kong - including a newlywed couple and a food blogger.

Luk said those six applied for the individual travel permits this morning and got approved within an hour, prompting them to immediately grab air tickets to Hong Kong.

Luk added that the Tourism Board and the Hong Kong Qingdao Native Association had arranged a dozen representatives to welcome the travelers at the airport and present them with commemorative gifts.

He expects that the expansion of the individual travel scheme will result in a 30 to 50 percent increase in visitor numbers from Qingdao.

Cheung Ki-tang, director of CTS HK Metropark Hotels Management, said that an increase in visitors from Xi'an and Qingdao could be expected in mid-March. 

He estimated that the travelers would stay in Hong Kong for 2 to 3 days on average, and noted the hotel booking rates for March were slightly higher compared to non-public holiday days last month.

Hong Kong Tourism Association executive director Timothy Chui Ting-pong said due to the distance between Xi'an, Qingdao, and Hong Kong, it is expected most individual travelers would choose to visit Hong Kong as part of a multi-destination trip within the Greater Bay Area.

He believes these travelers will focus on shopping, catering and entertainment, and the new monthly pyrotechnic and drone performances would draw more mainland tourists to Hong Kong during the Labour Day Golden Week.

He also suggested that the industry collaborates with different individual travel cities to promote reciprocal visits to benefit both sides.

Separately, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung will visit Xi'an and Qingdao starting next Tuesday (Mar 12). He will meet with officials from both cities and attend briefing sessions for tourism and trade.