Greater Bay Area

Hong Kong and Macao's tourism industry ushers in new opportunities for development

2024-05-20   

Approaching the peak summer tourism season, the Hong Kong and Macao tourism market is receiving good news. The State Council recently approved the addition of eight cities, including Taiyuan City in Shanxi Province and Hohhot City in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, as "personal travel" cities for mainland China to Hong Kong and Macao. This is another big gift package sent by the central government to Hong Kong and Macao after Xi'an City in Shaanxi Province and Qingdao City in Shandong Province joined the "Individual Tour" plan in the spring of this year. Popularity is wealth. Tourism is one of the pillar industries in Hong Kong and Macau, and the prosperity of the tourism industry is crucial for the economic and social development of Hong Kong and Macau. Since its launch in July 2003, the "Individual Tour for Mainland Residents to Hong Kong and Macao" has continuously injected economic vitality into Hong Kong and Macao, bringing dividends to people's livelihoods. Taking Hong Kong as an example, data provided by the Hong Kong Tourism Development Council shows that the number of mainland tourists visiting Hong Kong has been increasing year by year from 6.83 million in 2002 to a peak of 50.8 million in 2018. The proportion of tourism in Hong Kong's GDP has increased from 2.5% in 2003 to 4.5% in 2018; The number of employed people in the tourism industry in Hong Kong has increased from approximately 150000 in 2003, by about 80%, to approximately 270000 currently. The central government has increased the number of "individual travel" cities from mainland China to Hong Kong and Macao for two consecutive times within three months, which is a timely move to respond to the economic development situation of Hong Kong and Macao and the demands of various sectors of society. It reflects the strong support of the central government for the economic development of Hong Kong and Macao and the governance of the special zone government as always, and reflects the deep concern of the central government for the well-being of the people in Hong Kong and Macao. The increase in "personal travel" to mainland cities is conducive to the accelerated recovery of the Hong Kong and Macao tourism market. During the recent May Day holiday, although there were mostly cloudy and rainy weather in Hong Kong and Macao, the tourism market was still vibrant and presented a bustling scene. From May 1st to 5th, mainland tourists visited Hong Kong and Macau with 766000 and 486000 respectively, an increase of 20-30% compared to the same period last year. Among them, Xi'an and Qingdao naturally contributed to the franchise. The tourism industry will drive the development of a series of upstream and downstream industries, including retail, hotels, catering, exhibitions, cultural and sports, entertainment, cross-border transportation, etc., which is related to the employment and livelihood of many Hong Kong and Macao residents. This time, 8 new mainland "individual travel" cities will be added, increasing the number of applicable mainland cities under the "individual travel" plan to 59. This will once again expand the source of mainland tourists, enhance the enthusiasm of mainland tourists to travel to Hong Kong and Macao, and play an important role in promoting the return of the Hong Kong and Macao service industry to moderate public employment and adding economic development vitality. The favorable tourism environment and sufficient reception capacity in Hong Kong and Macao are one of the prerequisites for the further increase of "personal travel" to mainland cities. Many mainland tourists shared the good experience of "May Day" tourism in Hong Kong and Macao on social networking sites. For example, when sheltering from the rain under the eaves of the street, the shopkeeper sent Dim sum for tasting, and when asking for directions, people with umbrellas enthusiastically helped guide the way, and the major tourist attractions were arranged in order; The "Integrity Store" plan in Macau and the electronic payment system in Hong Kong make consumption more reassuring and convenient; The strict crackdown on taxi overcharging and other illegal activities in Hong Kong has led to a significant reduction in passenger complaints compared to the past... The tourism industry in Hong Kong and Macau has previously made a statement to "make mainland tourists feel at home", which has been implemented. Eight mainland cities have joined the "personal travel" program, which has enabled Hong Kong and Macao to pursue higher tourism quality. Hong Kong tourism industry advocates that Hong Kong's tourism industry needs to focus on facilities and services

Edit:Lubaikang Responsible editor:Chenze

Source:People's Daily

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