Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Kevin Yeung visited the Tourism Board’s Hong Kong International Airport Visitor Centre today, as the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) was extended to cover eight more Mainland cities.
 

The eight cities are Taiyuan, Hohhot, Harbin, Lhasa, Lanzhou, Xining, Yinchuan and Urumqi, and the extension takes the number of Mainland cities eligible for the IVS to 59. All provincial capitals in the country are now covered by the scheme.
 

Mr Yeung’s visit was conducted with a view to ensuring that relevant units are well prepared to welcome visitors from the eight additional cities, extend Hong Kong’s hospitality towards them, and provide them with comprehensive travel information about the city. 
 

He said the scheme’s expansion will help Hong Kong better connect and interact with residents from all provincial capitals through tourism activities, promote two-way visits and attract more high value-added overnight visitors to Hong Kong.
 

Various arrangements are in place to allow Mainland visitors to experience Hong Kong’s charms as an international metropolis and a culinary capital.
 

For example, the Tourism Board will hand out vouchers worth $200 to IVS visitors from the eight cities, and will invite tourism representatives and relevant Mainland media to visit Hong Kong in order to introduce to them to its unique features.