New visas open door to Macau and Hong Kong

Print Article E-Mail Article

New individual visas for mainland Chinese travelling to Hong Kong and Macau are proving popular after their introduction on Monday (September 1).

New individual visas for mainland Chinese travelling to Hong Kong and Macau are proving popular after their introduction on Monday (September 1), with the government receiving over 640 applications on the first day alone. The new permit allows residents of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhuhai to travel to Hong Kong and Macau on their own, rather than as part of a tour group, for the first time.

The relaxed visa regulations are likely to boost sales at Zhuhai Duty Free stores on the China-Macau frontier. The operator is expecting an influx of visitors to new casino complexes in Macau over the next two years and has just completed the renovation of its liquor and tobacco sections as part of a two-phase upgrade (DFNI eXTRA August 27).

The crossings are likely to be particularly busy before October's week-long national holiday, and officials are expecting a surge in applications. A spokesman for China's border control department said that visas should be granted within 10 days of application.