Editorial | Opportunities ahead for Hong Kong as increase in visitors brings cheer

An early Christmas gift for Hong Kong presented itself over the weekend in the form of an influx of mainland tourists. The pre-holiday cheer may have chased away some gloom hanging over the economy, but the city must now seize the opportunity to give visitors plenty of reasons to keep coming for the rest of the season and beyond.

Arrivals on Saturday jumped by nearly 17 per cent compared with the level recorded on November 30 when the central government resumed a multiple-entry visa scheme for Shenzhen residents. Immigration officials said the city welcomed 161,075 mainland arrivals, about 11 per cent more than even the previous week.

The new arrangements allow residents of nearby Shenzhen to make unlimited visits within a year rather than the previous limit of a single trip each week. It was among measures Beijing recently rolled out to help boost Hong Kong’s economy.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, himself back from a trip to the mainland to meet President Xi Jinping, on Sunday night joined some of the tourists soaking up the festive holiday atmosphere. Displays that are arguably nice reflections of the city’s advantages under the governing principle of “one country, two systems” lit up Tai Kwun in Central and Lee Tung Avenue in Wan Chai, where Lee heard visitors cheer the eased travel rules.

Many in the city and on the mainland hope that even more communities will soon be offered similar visa options. Eyes will be on Xi’s visit to nearby Macau this week to mark the 25th anniversary of its return to Chinese administration. Lee and other Hong Kong officials will also be joining the celebrations.

Last month, the Hong Kong Tourism Board said visitor arrivals jumped by 37 per cent in the first 10 months of the year to 36.7 million compared with the same period last year. About 10 million arrivals are needed before the new year to hit government targets.