Hong Kong to attract more Mainland tourists

HONG KONG – Financial secretary of Hong Kong John Tsang Wednesday proposed a string of measures to boost the city’s tourism, including attracting more Mainland tourists through Individual Visit Scheme.

“In face of the current economic difficulties and competition from other regions, we should take proactive action to facilitate the continuous development of tourism,” said Tsang while delivering his budget speech at the Legislative Council on Wednesday.

Tsang said that Hong Kong would, in collaboration with the Guangdong and Macao governments, seek to extend the coverage of the pilot liberalization measures of the Individual Visit Scheme from Shenzhen to the rest of Guangdong Province.

From the launch of the Individual Visit Scheme in July 2003 up till the end of last year, over 35 million Mainlanders had visited Hong Kong under the scheme, serving as an important stimulus for the city’s various consumer industries, said Tsang.

Besides, the government will develop new tourism products and step up promotion in high-growth source markets, including Japanese seniors, the young Taiwanese and Indian families.

“We are actively discussing with The Walt Disney Company the expansion of Hong Kong Disneyland and any capital realignment of the joint-venture company involved,” Tsang expressed hope that agreement would soon be reached to make Hong Kong Disneyland more attractive as well as serve the overall interests of Hong Kong.

The government will step up the promotion of Hong Kong as an Asian wine and gourmet center through the “World of Food and Wine” Festival which will be held in this October.

Tsang said that the city had signed co-operation agreements with a number of winegrowing trading partners which would reinforce Hong Kong’s status as a regional hub for wine distribution and trading.