Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ18: Cases involving sexual offences Question:
Given the Government’s indication that it plans to propose legislative amendments on sexual offences within this year, there are views that society needs a more accurate understanding of the current situation regarding sexual offences in Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: President,
YearTable 2: Statistics on cases of indecent assault
Year(2) and (3) As for sexual offences against children, a child is defined under the Criminal Procedure Ordinance as a person who is under 17 years of age. Statistics on cases of sexual offences against children received by the Police in the past five years are set out in Table 3.
The Police do not maintain statistics on the relationship between persons involved in cases of sexual offences against children.
YearTable 5: Statistics on cases of indecent assault involving MIPs
Year(5) and (6) Since voyeurism-related offences under the Crimes Ordinance (Cap. 200) came into effect in October 2021, the relevant statistics up to the end of 2025 are tabulated at Table 6.
The Police have also been conducting online patrols proactively to combat various offences (including voyeurism-related offences). Where actual circumstances require, the Police will request online platforms, operators, etc, to remove contents such as images and posts. The Police do not maintain a statistical breakdown on removal of intimate images.
Year(October to December)(October to December)(October to December)(October to December)Issued at HKT 11:20
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Following is a question by the Hon Kingsley Wong and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (June 17):
Question:
The Neighbourhood Support Child Care Project (NSCCP) aims to provide families in need of support with flexible day child care services at the neighbourhood level through two modes, namely the home-based child care service (HCCS) provided by home-based child carers (HCCs), and centre-based care groups (CCGs). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the detailed income and expenditure of NSCCP in each of the past three years, including the total expenditure on overall services, the expenditure on the incentive payment for HCCs, and the respective income from HCCS and CCGs;
(2) of the number of HCCs and the number of children served under NSCCP in each of the past three years, with a breakdown by District Council district;
(3) of the average monthly service hours of HCCs, and the average monthly number of hours of services received by the children served, under NSCCP in 2025-2026;
(4) as there are views that even though the incentive payment for HCCs has been increased to $40 and $60 per hour depending on the child’s age and learning needs with effect from April 2024, the effectiveness in encouraging members of the public to apply to become HCCs remains insufficient, whether the authorities will consider providing an “incentive payment for proactive service” or other cash incentives to HCCs whose service hours exceed a certain number of hours per month; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(5) as there are views that the provision of adequate funding for child care services is crucial for boosting the labour force, whether the authorities will consider the introduction of professional HCCs in addition to volunteer services, with a view to helping women and the silver-haired group enter the workforce, as well as strengthening the force of HCCs to help unleash the labour force of families; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(6) as it is learnt that the residences of HCCs are required to pass a home assessment, such as being required to have soft rubber pads and safety guards installed at cabinet corners and door gaps to protect young children, whether the authorities have provided any financial assistance to HCCs for the installation of such equipment; if so, of the form and/or amount of the financial assistance; if not, whether consideration will be given to providing such financial assistance?
Reply:
President,
Our reply to the question raised by the Hon Kingsley Wong is as follows:
(1) The expenditure on the Neighbourhood Support Child Care Project (NSCCP) in the past three years is tabulated as follows:
Year
Expenditure ($ million)
2023-24 (Actual)
88.0
2024-25 (Actual)(Note)
222.7
2025-26 (Revised estimate)
237.8
Note: In 2024-25, the Government increased the incentive payment for home-based child carers, the number of service places and the expenditure for home-based child carer training, hence the overall expenditure on the service increased.
The Social Welfare Department (SWD) provides subvention to non-governmental organisations under the Lump Sum Grant subvention mode to cover the required service operating costs, including staff salaries, costs for recruiting and training home-based child carers, incentive payments, service promotion costs, and subsidies for service fee waiving/reductions.
Subject to compliance with the service agreements, service operators can flexibly deploy the funding to meet the required service output and outcome standards. Moreover, parents may apply directly to service operators for service according to their needs, and the respective service operators will handle the applications and collect the fees. Therefore, the SWD does not maintain the breakdown of the amount of individual income and expenditure items as mentioned in the question.
(2) and (3) The number of home-based child carers and the number of children served in the past three years with a breakdown by District Council districts is set out at Annex. The SWD does not have information on the average monthly service hours of home-based child carers and children served.
(4) and (5) The NSCCP is a mutual help project which aims to provide parents in need with flexible day child care services at the neighbourhood level apart from the regular child care services while promoting mutual help and care within the community.
Home-based child carers provide child care services to parents in need in the spirit of caring for others. The incentive payments they receive are intended to express the Government’s appreciation and recognition of their contributions. Taking into consideration of the service nature, demand and supply situation, as well as to address the districts’ demand for day child care services, the SWD has increased the incentive payment for home-based child carers since April 2024. The rate has increased to $60 per hour for carers of infants and young children aged zero to under three or children with special educational needs, and $40 per hour for carers of other children. Increasing the incentive payment helps to attract and encourage more people to become home-based child carers. The Government welcomes women, elderly and middle-aged individuals to become home-based child carers.
To ensure service quality of the NSCCP and to balance service demand, the SWD stipulates that each home-based child carer may care for a maximum of three children aged at or below primary school level (including the home-based child carer’s own children) at any one time, as well as one child aged under three or a child with special educational needs, so as to ensure the quality of care provided to the children.
(6) The service operators will assess whether the home environment of a home-based child carer is suitable for providing care services for young children. If necessary, the operators will suggest improvements and provide the home-based child carer with relevant protective supplies to ensure a safe and suitable home environment for taking care of young children.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau led the publishing and printing industries to participate in the 32nd Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF) held from today (June 17) to June 21 at the China National Convention Centre in Beijing, and once again set up the Hong Kong Pavilion. Through a dialogue between literature and the city, the pavilion aims to showcase the cultural richness and unique charm of Hong Kong.
This year’s Hong Kong Pavilion features over 600 locally published books, cultural and creative items produced by Hong Kong printers, as well as precious manuscripts and items of famed Chinese literature writers, showcasing Hong Kong’s cultural inheritance and innovation. The pavilion also introduced a new virtual reality zone themed “Hong Kong Literary Strolls”, tracing a distinctive “Hong Kong literary trail” and offering visitors an immersive experience of the charm of Hong Kong literature.
The BIBF is the largest national and the second-largest international book fair in the world. The Hong Kong Pavilion was presented by CCIDA, with the Hong Kong Publishing Federation and the Hong Kong Printers Association as joint implementation organisations. Supporting organisations include the Beijing Office of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, the Innovative Entrepreneur Association, the Hong Kong Professionals (Beijing) Association and the Bauhinia Culture Plaza. Through the themed exhibition zone, recommendation zone, Hong Kong picture books zone and business matching zone, the Hong Kong Pavilion aims to help Hong Kong’s publishing and printing industries explore business opportunities while promoting Hong Kong as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchanges.
For more information on the Hong Kong Pavilion at the BIBF, please visit www.hkbibf.com.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Immigration Department (ImmD) mounted an anti-illegal worker operation codenamed “Contribute” from June 10 to yesterday (June 16). During the operation, ImmD officers raided multiple target renovation units, including a newly inhabited housing estate, industrial buildings, retail shops and village houses. Fifteen suspected illegal workers and five suspected employers were arrested. The arrested suspected illegal workers were 15 men, aged 30 to 56. They were found engaging in cementing, cleaning, demolition, electrical wiring, furniture installation and painting. Among them, a man was suspected of using and being in possession of a forged Hong Kong identity card. Five men, aged 36 to 60, were suspected of employing the illegal workers and were also arrested. The investigation into the suspected employers is ongoing, and the possibility of further arrests is not ruled out.
Apart from the enforcement operation, a promotional vehicle and ImmD officers have been deployed to distribute leaflets to the public in the housing estate and convey the message “Don’t Employ Illegal Workers”.
An ImmD spokesman said, “Any person who contravenes a condition of stay in force in respect of him or her shall be guilty of an offence. Also, visitors are not allowed to take employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, without the permission of the Director of Immigration. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to two years’ imprisonment. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalties.” The spokesman stressed that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. Under the Immigration Ordinance, the maximum penalty for an employer employing a person who is not lawfully employable, i.e. an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land, has been significantly increased from a fine of $350,000 and three years’ imprisonment to a fine of $500,000 and 10 years’ imprisonment to reflect the gravity of such offences. The director, manager, secretary, partner, etc, of the company concerned may also bear criminal liability. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is a question by the Hon Lam Chun-sing and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (June 17):
Question:
The Government has introduced the Technical Professionals (TP) Stream under the General Employment Policy (GEP) and the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals (ASMTP) with effect from June 30, 2025, allowing eligible non-degree professionals to apply for entry into Hong Kong to engage in eight specific skilled trades. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the respective numbers of applications received, approved and refused, to date, in respect of new industrialisation technicians under the TP Stream of the GEP and the ASMTP, with a breakdown by the scope of work involved as declared (i.e. smart/automated manufacturing and robotics engineering, mechanical engineering/mechatronics engineering, biomedical engineering and microelectronics engineering); among the aforesaid approved applications, the distribution of the applicants by age and monthly remuneration; President,
As Hong Kong is facing an ageing workforce and a lack of new entrants, some skilled trades needed to sustain Hong Kong’s city operation are also facing acute talent succession gaps. To address these challenges, in addition to continuing to strengthen the training for the local workforce, the Government has also introduced a new channel under the General Employment Policy (GEP) and the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals (New Arrangement) from June 30, 2025, to allow non-degree mid-level professionals aged under 40 with qualifications and experience as specified in the Technical Professional List to apply to come to Hong Kong to undertake designated jobs, and attract them to settle in Hong Kong in the long run. The New Arrangement covers eight specified skilled trades facing acute manpower shortage, including new industrialisation technicians, nurses, aircraft maintenance technicians, marine services technicians (for local vessels), information technology technicians, lift/escalator technicians, building information modeling coordinators and electrical technicians.
In consultation with the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau, Transport and Logistics Bureau, and the Immigration Department (ImmD), the reply to the Member’s question is as follows: The ImmD does not maintain the statistics mentioned in the question.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, met with Vice President of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Mr Wang Daping today (June 17) to exchange views on healthcare co-operation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong and to explore further strengthening collaboration.
Professor Lo welcomed the delegation and expressed gratitude to the Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the CPPCC for its support in promoting exchange and co-operation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Professor Lo said, “Hong Kong and Shenzhen enjoy close geographical and cultural ties, maintaining close and regular exchanges in healthcare. This meeting provided a meaningful platform for both sides to further exchange views on future co-operation plans across areas such as healthcare services, health and medical innovation and talent development.”
At the meeting, Professor Lo introduced the characteristics and strengths of Hong Kong’s healthcare system, including healthcare standards that are on par with international practices, research and clinical trial capabilities, as well as various initiatives rolled out by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government to facilitate cross-boundary access to healthcare services for Hong Kong residents. The two sides also engaged in extensive exchanges on issues such as how to further leverage their complementary strengths and deepen healthcare co-operation to benefit residents in both places.
Professor Lo said, “The HKSAR Government will continue to strengthen healthcare exchange and co-operation with Shenzhen under the principles of complementarity and mutual benefit and on the premise of benefitting the healthcare development of the two places, with a view to enhancing the standards of healthcare services across the region through concerted efforts. We will fully leverage Hong Kong’s distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world, and jointly contribute with Shenzhen to propelling the important national strategy of ‘Healthy China’ and building a ‘Healthy Bay Area’.”
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
First ever Hong Kong Film Gala Presentation hosted in Saudi Arabia, bridging two cultures and cinematic worlds Presented by the Asian Film Awards Academy, with support from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Dubai (HKETO Dubai), the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency, and the Film Development Fund, the inaugural Hong Kong Film Gala Presentation – Saudi Arabia took place at a leading cinema chain in the Saudi capital. The programme featured four new films from Hong Kong filmmakers, showcasing a diverse range of genres – from action thrillers and suspenseful dramas to deeply compelling human stories.
Nearly 200 guests attended the opening reception to interact with Directors Njo Kui-ying (“Road to Vendetta”) and Chou Man-yu (“Behind the Shadows”) who traveled to Riyadh to join the landmark occasion. Other distinguished guests included the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mr Chang Hua; senior representatives from local government and regulatory bodies, including the Saudi Film Commission and the General Authority for Media Regulation; as well as members of the local business and cultural communities. The festival debut of opening film “Road to Vendetta”, also its Middle East premiere, was screened to a full house with enthusiastic response.
To enable better audience understanding about Hong Kong cinema, post-screening sharing sessions were held with Directors Njo and Chou, who discussed the inspirations and creative processes behind their works. Additional films featured in the festival included “Ciao UFO” and “Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert”.
Speaking at the opening reception, Director-General of HKETO Dubai, Mr Simon Chan, highlighted Saudi Arabia’s remarkable cinematic renaissance and thriving creative industries driven by Vision 2030. He further noted that as the current official representation of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in the Middle East region, HKETO Dubai has been actively working to promote diverse exchanges and liaison between Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia across multiple sectors, including business, cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
“The Government is committed to promoting the development of arts, culture and creative industries, with over $9 billion in total injected into the CreateSmart Initiative and the Film Development Fund. The Government also actively supports the development of our local film industry through funding schemes and industry activities for deepening cultural exchange and expanding markets. We are hopeful that hosting the inaugural Hong Kong film festival in Saudi Arabia will allow more local audiences to experience Hong Kong cinema, and strengthen cultural connections between Hong Kong and Middle East audiences and filmmakers in the industry,” Mr Chan said.
HKETO Dubai will continue to support Hong Kong’s cultural and creative industries by fostering cross-regional exchanges and creating new opportunities through collaboration with stakeholders in the Middle East region. Issued at HKT 4:55
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Police conduct inter-departmental counter-terrorism and major incident exercise to prepare for major international conferences The exercise simulated a scenario prior to an international conference, as delegations from around the world arrived in Hong Kong. Armed terrorists attacked members of the public and placed suspicious objects inside a passenger terminal at the airport. Concurrently, a series of knife attacks against pedestrians and a large-scale power outage occurred at a large shopping mall in nearby Tung Chung. Various departments and organisations swiftly activated their emergency response mechanisms to address the incidents.
The exercise comprehensively tested the co-ordination capabilities of relevant stakeholders across critical areas, including immediate tactical intervention, emergency response, triage and emergency medical treatment of casualties, handling of suspicious objects, response to power failures, and management of affected persons. By refining contingency protocols, the exercise further enhanced inter-departmental counter-terrorism readiness and incident response capabilities.
The exercise mobilised over 1 400 personnel from various government departments and relevant organisations, including the HKPF, the Fire Services Department, the Hospital Authority, the Customs and Excise Department, the Immigration Department, the Civil Aviation Department, the AAHK, and the Aviation Security Company Limited. The Commissioner of Police, Mr Chow Yat-ming, observed the exercise on site, and commended the professional performance and collaboration of all participating units.
As an international metropolis, Hong Kong must maintain a high state of vigilance at all times amidst the complex and volatile global terrorism landscape. Hong Kong will host three major international conferences, including the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Finance Ministers’ Meeting 2026, the 94th INTERPOL General Assembly, and the XXVIII Association of National Olympic Committees General Assembly – Hong Kong, China 2026. The HKPF will continue to maintain close liaison with relevant government departments and stakeholders, robustly implement security measures and continuously review incident contingency plans, making every effort to ensure comprehensive and meticulous preparations for the smooth running of these important international conferences. Issued at HKT 10:58
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ9: Promoting development of multi-destination tourism Question:
The Development Blueprint for Hong Kong’s Tourism Industry 2.0 sets out the vision and mission for Hong Kong’s tourism industry and puts forward four positioning, including strengthening the role of Hong Kong as an international tourism hub and a core demonstration zone for multi-destination tourism. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the following information about the non-Mainland visitor arrivals to Hong Kong totalling approximately 12.06 million in 2025: (i) the number of visitor arrivals entering Hong Kong via the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) and by cruise and their nationalities, and among which, the number of passenger trips to the Mainland via Hong Kong; and (ii) the number of non-Mainland visitor arrivals entering Hong Kong from the Mainland via the HKIA or the sea, land and air control points of the Mainland and their nationalities, and among which, the number of outbound passenger trips from the Mainland via Hong Kong;
(2) given that China has implemented the “240-hour visa-free transit” policy (the visa-free transit policy) for 55 countries with effect from November 5, 2025, and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the West Kowloon Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link have become the eligible ports for entry under the visa-free transit policy, of the respective numbers of outbound and inbound passenger trips made from and to the Mainland under the visa-free transit policy in each month since implementation of the policy and the nationalities of these passengers, and set out the relevant information in tabular form;
(3) to further facilitate visitors around the world to travel to and from the Mainland via Hong Kong, whether the Government has striven for the Mainland authorities’ inclusion of land boundary control points, such as the Shenzhen Bay Port, Huanggang Port and Luohu Port, as eligible ports under the visa-free transit policy; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4) given the optimised implementation of the 144-hour visa-exemption policy for foreign group tours entering Guangdong from Hong Kong under the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement since March 2025, whether the authorities have continuously explored ways to extend such facilitation arrangements to cities outside the Guangdong Province and studied the extension of the period allowed to stay to 240 hours to align with the visa-free transit policy; if so, of the details, if not, the reasons for that;
(5) there are views that given the absence of any convenient mechanism in the Mainland for purchasing group tickets of the Express Rail Link (XRL) at present, it is difficult for overseas travel agencies to plan the XRL trips and develop multi-destination tourism products, whether the authorities have proactively discussed with the National Railway Administration the establishment of a direct booking channel for the XRL group tickets for Hong Kong travel agencies to streamline the ticketing process; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(6) whether the authorities have any plans to encourage the industry to “go global and bring in” by entering new source markets to engage with local governments and industry counterparts, and establishing government-to-government and industry-to-industry ties, with a view to jointly developing multi-destination tourism products; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(7) to promote multi-destination tourism, whether the authorities will strengthen co-operation with three core and prominent hubs, i.e. Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, to implement the multiple-entry visa arrangement; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
Hong Kong’s tourism industry has been developing steadily in recent years. In 2025, visitor arrivals reached approximately 50 million, representing an encouraging year-on-year increase of 12 per cent. Moving into 2026, the tourism industry’s growth momentum has remained strong, with around 23 million visitor arrivals recorded in the first five months of the year, an increase of 14 per cent compared to the same period last year. We anticipate full-year visitor arrivals to reach 53.8 million, marking an 8 per cent year-on-year increase. Among the total overseas visitors to Hong Kong in 2025, around 20 per cent travelled onwards to Chinese Mainland via Hong Kong, underscoring Hong Kong’s continuous role in “bringing in” overseas visitors.
In consultation with the Transport and Logistics Bureau, the Security Bureau and the Immigration Department (ImmD), the consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Yiu Pak-leung is as follows:
According to the information provided by the ImmD and the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), in 2025, the number of non-Mainland visitor arrivals entering Hong Kong via Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) or by cruise exceeded 7.3 million. These visitors originated from Taiwan, the Philippines, the United States, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Australia, Singapore, India and the United Kingdom. In the same year, the number of non-Mainland visitor arrivals entering Hong Kong from Chinese Mainland via the HKIA, by sea, or by land exceeded 2.2 million. These visitors originated from Taiwan, the United States, Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, India, and the United Kingdom. Since the “240-hour visa-free transit” policy is implemented by Chinese Mainland authorities at border control points under the jurisdiction of Chinese Mainland, the ImmD does not maintain information on the number of visitors departing from and entering Chinese Mainland under this policy.
In recent years, the Central Government has successively introduced multiple supportive measures to benefit Hong Kong, injecting great impetus into Hong Kong’s tourism industry. These include enhancing the Individual Visit Scheme successively in 2024 to cover all provincial capitals in our country, resuming and expanding multiple-entry Individual Visit Scheme for Shenzhen, and implementing Hainan’s 144-hour visa-free policy for foreign tour groups from Hong Kong and Macao. Furthermore, in November 2025, four ports connecting Hong Kong (including Guangzhou Pazhou Ferry Terminal, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Port, Zhongshan Port, and the West Kowloon Station of Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL)) were added as entry ports under the “240-hour visa-free transit” policy, further facilitating overseas visitors to embark on multi-destination travel itineraries on Chinese Mainland via Hong Kong.
To encourage the industry to “go out and bring in”, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) has been actively supporting the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong (TIC) in organising trade visits to Chinese Mainland and overseas to strengthen co-operation with local governments and trade counterparts. For instance, the CSTB provided funding in February, June and October 2025, to support trade visits to Harbin, Taiyuan, and Xi’an to explore tourism resources of these cities and promote the development of multi-destination travel itineraries between Hong Kong and these cities. In April 2026, the TIC organised a trade visit to Zibo, Qingdao, and Yantai in Shandong Province. The TIC will also organise a trade visit to Wuxi in Jiangsu Province in July this year to engage in business exchanges with local cultural and tourism authorities as well as representatives of trade associations, with a view to driving business co-operation between the tourism sectors of Hong Kong and these cities and jointly exploring market opportunities.
Moreover, the HKTB collaborated with the Hong Kong Airlines and the China National Tourism Office in Paris to organise familiarisation trips for the travel trade from North America and France in May 2025. Starting from June 2025, the HKTB has been collaborating with industry partners in key source markets, such as North America and Europe, to launch various tourism products and offers related to the Greater Bay Area (GBA), encouraging visitors to embark on multi-destination travel itineraries. Furthermore, the HKTB has launched multi-destination products including “Hong Kong+GBA” and “Hong Kong+Chinese Mainland” specifically for the European market, enabling visitors to experience in a single trip the tourism appeal of Hong Kong, the GBA and various provinces and municipalities on Chinese Mainland. The HKTB will also launch initiatives jointly with airlines to encourage visitors to include Hong Kong in their itineraries when visiting Chinese Mainland. The HKTB plans to conduct overseas promotion in Malaysia in August 2026 to introduce the diverse tourism resources and development in the GBA, with a view to attracting overseas visitors to embark on multi-destination travel itineraries in the GBA.
The MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) has all along been committed to supporting and facilitating the Hong Kong tourism sector in developing diversified cross-boundary XRL tourism products. To facilitate the promotion of cross-boundary XRL travel, the MTRCL co-ordinates with Chinese Mainland railway operators to assist the tourism sector (including various licensed travel agents and designated ticketing agents) in reserving group tickets to and from the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station. In addition, service counters operated by China Railway (Hong Kong) Holdings Limited are set up at the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, providing convenience to the sector and passengers in purchasing Chinese Mainland domestic tickets (i.e. tickets with both departure and arrival stations in Chinese Mainland) in Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will continue to utilise supportive measures introduced by the Central Government, deepen collaboration with Chinese Mainland provinces and municipalities, and maintain discussions with relevant central ministries on more entry facilitations for international visitors, with a view to attracting more international visitors to take Hong Kong as their first stop or transit point in their multi-destination travel itineraries to our country, thereby underpinning Hong Kong’s role as an international tourism hub and a core demonstration zone for multi-destination tourism. Issued at HKT 12:06