Boost tourism by expanding multiple-entry visas to more Chinese cities, says pro-Beijing party
Hong Kong Free Press
A pro-Beijing labour group has called for an expansion of the multiple-entry visa scheme to other mainland Chinese cities to boost Hong Kong’s economy.
The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions’ suggestion was one of a list of proposals it made on Monday ahead of Finance Secretary Paul Chan’s budget speech, which will be delivered later this month and outlines the city’s major spending plans.
Speaking at the Monday press conference, Lam Tsin-kwok, FTU’s Standing Executive Committee vice-chairperson, said the multiple-entry visa scheme for Shenzhen residents – which resumed in December – had been a boon for Hong Kong’s economy.
The scheme allows residents in neighbouring Shenzhen to make unlimited trips to Hong Kong instead of the “one-trip-per-week” policy that was in place earlier.
Following the relaxation of visa rules for Shenzhen residents, the city saw more than 3.1 million visitor arrivals from mainland China last December, marking a 5 per cent increase from the year before.
Lam said Hong Kong and mainland Chinese authorities should expand the scheme to other cities in the Greater Bay Area, as well as first-tier cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing and Hangzhou.
“This can allow our catering and tourism sector… to see more business, which will promote the creation of more jobs,” Lam said.
He added that he hoped the Hong Kong government could offer more training to improve service quality and enhance the city’s competitiveness.
The “one-trip-per-week” policy was scrapped in 2015 amid concerns in Hong Kong about overcrowding and parallel trading.
“Parallel trading” refers to the phenomenon of mainland Chinese visitors making several same-day trips to and from Hong Kong to buy items – primarily pharmaceuticals, household necessities and groceries – and take them back to China for resale.
Hong Kong residents said the traders caused congestion and sparked shortages of goods in the northern districts.
HK$2 transport subsidy scheme
During the same press conference, the FTU also urged the government to retain the “$2 scheme,” which allows those aged 60 and above to pay a HK$2 flat fare for a single ride on buses, the MTR and other transport modes.
The scheme has been posing an increasing burden on the government’s finances, with its cost rising from HK$1.3 billion in the 2019-2020 fiscal year to an estimated HK$4 billion in the last fiscal year.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan said on Sunday that the HK$2 scheme would be “financially unfeasible in the long run” if it were left unchanged.
FTU’s Legislative Council member Bill Tang made a suggestion that he said would address the problem of the elderly taking short rides on long-haul buses.
The behaviour inadvertently adds to the government’s spending because long-haul buses are more expensive, and while users of the subsidy scheme pay HK$2 regardless of the bus route, authorities pay the difference to the bus companies.
See also: Adjust HK$2 elderly transport subsidy scheme for those under 65, suggests HK gov’t adviser
Tang said the government should call on bus companies to introduce section fares, where the fare is determined by the distance travelled and commuters tap their payment card when they get on and off the bus. Currently, bus operators charge flat fares, and commuters only tap their payment card when they alight.
“As we all know, Hong Kong’s public coffers are under pressure, and all stakeholders have a responsibility,” he said in Cantonese. “I hope the government can… require bus companies to have a machine at the exit and implement section fares.”
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