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Hong Kong’s top official made clear on Tuesday the government had no plan to reinstate a multiple-entry visa scheme for Shenzhen residents, days after a tourism association quoted him as saying the government was ready to do so if Hongkongers stopped mistreating visitors from the mainland.
This was despite the latest government statistics showing the three-day golden week holiday ending Monday saw a 7.1 per cent year-on-year jump in mainland visitors to the city and a 2.5 per cent rise year-on-year overall in tourists.
Speaking before the weekly Executive Council meeting, Leung said the Hong Kong government greatly valued the tourism industry’s contributions because it comprised up to 5 per cent of the city’s gross domestic product and employed a significant number of people.
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“But the government also understands that if we have excessive tourists that will exert pressure on Hong Kong and particularly some districts, affecting their daily life,” he said.
Leung added this consideration was why Hong Kong received Beijing’s blessing last year to axe a multiple-entry visa scheme for Shenzhen residents. Under the new scheme, Shenzhen residents can only be granted a permit to enter Hong Kong once per week.
“We have no preparation, plans or intentions to resume the multiple-entry visa scheme for Shenzhen residents,” Leung said. “In fact, It has helped reduce the number of mainland tourists who engage in parallel trading,” he added.
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Since the authorities stepped up enforcement action in September 2012, immigration officials have arrested 2,760 mainland visitors for engaging in parallel trading and breaching their conditions of stay. More than 200 were convicted and jailed for up to three months.
Last week, Leung allegedly agreed in a meeting with Hong Kong Travel Agent Owners Association president Freddy Yip Hing-ning to ask the central government to resume the multiple-entry scheme and add new mainland cities to the individual visit scheme – provided Hong Kong would “not kick tourists’ luggage and engage in other insulting actions”. Yip at first confirmed but then denied the chief executive “made a promise” to make the request on behalf of the city’s hard-hit tourist industry. He refused to clarify further.
(SCMP)
