Expansion of individual visit scheme kick-starts with Qingdao and Xi’an starting Mar 6

The Individual Visit Scheme allowing Chinese tourists to visit Hong Kong without a guided tour will be expanded to cover Qingdao and Xi’an starting March 6 following the State Council’s approval, the National Immigration Administration said on Friday. 

Eligible citizens and residents from these two cities can apply for an individual visa at the application windows of their respective domestic security bodies’ entry-exit administrations, according to the official statement. 

The visa to Hong Kong is categorized into one or two visits within three months and one or two visits within one year, whereas the Macau visa is categorized into one visit within three months or one year. Visa holders must not stay in Hong Kong or Macau for more than seven days. 

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu welcomed the arrangement and said the cities each contain over 10 million in population and their GDP exceeds 1 trillion yuan, meaning they have tourists with high income and consumption power. 

When asked if Hong Kong will re-introduce the multiple-visit endorsement or further expand the Individual Visit Scheme to cover more mainland cities, Lee said he wants things to proceed one step at a time. 

He continued that the SAR is increasing its capabilities in terms of hotel accommodation and human resources and will steadily roll out plans to lure more tourists. The government will fight for more measures benefiting Hong Kong from the Central Government and will make timely announcements. 

Sources earlier said Qingdao was chosen due to its rapid economic development in recent years and is one among some rather wealthy northern cities, with its GDP increasing by 5.9 percent to 1.58 trillion yuan (US$219 billion) in 2023. 

Sources also believe that tourists can help boost the city’s consumption and play a part in reviving the hotel business. 

Currently, the scheme covers 49 mainland cities, including all 21 cities throughout the whole Guangdong province, Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chengdu, Changsha, and Wuhan.