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Lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun hoped mainland authorities could speed up the procedures to approve travelers' permits to Hong Kong so that more and more people could come down south to boost spending and business.
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His appeal came as he referred to the government's figures that only 5,046 of some 30,000 who had come to the SAR were mainland residents since the border reopened on Sunday (Jan 8). The rest were all Hongkongers.
The number logged on the first day of border reopening was similar to that recorded the day before at 4,929, Tien noted. He also didn't see areas like Mong Kok and the Northern district flooded by mainlanders.
He then said the number of mainland travelers stuck at the 5,000 level has something to do with the slow permit approval on the mainland and called on authorities to fast-track the procedures before the Chinese New Year holidays.
“Otherwise, the market will die right in front of you,” Tien warned.
Tien, who is also the boss of boutique chain G2000, went on to say that mainland customers used to take up about 40 percent of the group's businesses, and the number plummeted to about one-tenth after the pandemic.
“I checked the sale volumes, and the numbers on Saturday (Jan 7) and Sunday (Jan 8) were the same. Only about 6 percent of purchases were made by mainland customers on both days. What's wrong with that?” Tien blasted.
He further said the figures by the Immigration Department explained that many Hongkongers headed north after the border reopened, leading to the number increasing one way.
He added he knows a ton of mainlanders who want to come to the SAR, but their permit applications couldn't be handled in time, as they complained that the offices of the mainland's Affairs of Exit-Entry Administration Bureau remained closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
Tien also urged Hong Kong to remain in close contact with the mainland on public health, pointing to the axed vaccine pass scheme and concerns about the rising Covid trend.
File photo.
