Visit scheme targets luxury shoppers

Eunice Lam

Some Shenzhen residents who carry multiple-entry individual visit scheme permits - which resumed yesterday after a nine-year hiatus - say they intend to buy luxury goods in Hong Kong but not everyone is as enthusiastic.

Launched in 2009, the scheme allows Shenzhen residents to visit Hong Kong and stay for up to seven days each time.

But in 2015 they were limited to visiting once a week to ease the problem of parallel trading and the curb continued through the three-year pandemic.

Previously the scheme only allowed Shenzhen permanent residents, but now even nonpermanent residents holding residence permits can also apply for the scheme.

They can apply through counters or kiosks at 10 Public Security Bureau branches in Shenzhen, with each multi-entry permit costing 80 yuan (HK$85.96) and a "quarterly-entry" permit costing 15 yuan.

Reporters yesterday saw some 20 kiosks set up at the Luohu District Public Security Bureau, where each application took some five minutes to complete.

Among the applicants is a Shenzhen resident originally from Anhui who said she will visit Hong Kong often to buy luxury goods. She added: "I will buy watches and gold in Hong Kong, where the tax rates are lower and there are more discounts."

But a nonpermanent Shenzhen resident surnamed Li felt the previous "one-trip-per-week" arrangement was good enough.

"Ten years ago we would buy Apple phones or supplements in Hong Kong as they were cheaper there and the quality was guaranteed," Li said.

"But now the exchange rate is not so favorable so it would be less likely for me to visit Hong Kong for shopping."

A Shenzhen resident surnamed Chen visited Sheung Shui - Hong Kong's parallel trading center - right after she got her multi-entry permit.

Despite the rise of e-commerce in the mainland, Chen felt cosmetics sold in Hong Kong are more quality-assured and cheaper.

Choi said she originally planned to shut down her cosmetics store in Sheung Shui as business dropped 70 percent after the pandemic.

But with the resumption of multi-entry permits, she changed her mind. She added: "We will struggle for two to three more months to see if the business will improve."

The Hong Kong Tourism Board earlier expected more than 17 million people would be eligible for multi-entry permits.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po blogged that he hopes the new arrangement will support businesses linked to tourism, retail and catering.

eunice.lam@singtaonewscorp.com