The Individual Visit Scheme (Portuguese:Visto Individual)[1] begun on 28 July 2003 allowing travelers from Mainland China to visit Hong Kong and Macau on an individual basis;prior to the Scheme,Mainland residents could only visit on business visas or on group tours.
The outbreak of SARS in Hong Kong from March to June 2003 resulted in a sharp drop in Mainland and foreign visitors to an unprecedented low,adversely affecting the tourist industry.
The main reason for launching the Individual Visit Scheme was to boost the economy of Hong Kong and Macau. In the initial stage of the scheme,residents of Beijing,Shanghai,and 8 Guangdong provincial cities (Dongguan,Foshan,Guangzhou,Huizhou,Jiangmen,Shenzhen,Zhongshan and Zhuhai) could apply for visas to visit the two 'Special Administrative Regions' individually.
The scheme was extended to all 21 cities of Guangdong province in July 2004,and to 9 other cities in Jiangsu,Zhejiang,and Fujian provinces in July 2004.[2]
The scheme brought an immediate surge in the number of Mainland visitors. In the short period between 28 July and 4 November 2003,more than 600,000 individuals on the Mainland applied for visas and 450,000 visas were issued. The number of visitors under the scheme reached two million by May 2004.
The Individual Visit Scheme allows select tourists from designated cities and provinces in mainland China to visit Hong Kong and Macau by using individual visas (as opposed the needing to travel as part of a government-approved tour group).[3]:144
Initially, the Individual Visit Scheme was only open to residents of Beijing, Shanghai, and eight cities in Guangdong province.[3]:144 China's central government expanded the program once it was shown to be successful.[3]:144 As of 2023, the Individual Visa Scheme is open to residents of 49 Chinese cities.[3]:144–145
1 October Golden Week
1 October Golden Week is the period from 1 to 7 October, coinciding with the National Day of the People's Republic of China on 1 October. Therefore, more Mainlanders are able to visit Hong Kong during the holiday. In 2003, this holiday drew 287,000 Mainland visitors to Hong Kong, including 80,000 to 90,000 individual travellers. During, the hotel occupancy rate reached 75% to 80%. The Mass Transit Railway Corporation organised promotional programs at Telford Plaza in Kowloon Bay and Maritime Square in Tsing Yi during the National Day holiday.
In addition, the HKSAR Government has adopted a number of measures to deal with the huge influx of individual visitors. At the Lo Wu border crossing, there was an increase in the number of Hong Kong immigration officers on duty, and the time for checking in was reduced. Also, the number of MTR trains departing from Lo Wu was increased to reduce congestion. In addition, visitors from Shanghai and Beijing were encouraged to travel by plane to prevent congestion in Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau.
According to the statistics released by the Immigration Department, about 800,000 to 900,000 Mainland visitors travel to Hong Kong monthly. The ratio of visitors under the scheme rose from 5% to 16.8% between August and October 2003, and to more than 30% in May 2004.
The increase in the number of Mainland tourists has benefits the economy of Hong Kong, demonstrating the economy is on an upward track. Average occupancy rate across all categories of hotels and tourist guest houses in September 2003 was 82%, the same as that in September 2002. This performance was spread across different types of hotels, with the top-tariff hotels achieving 81% occupancy and those of medium tariff recording 83%. The average achieved room rate was HK$684, the highest figure since April 2003, although this is still 2.8% below the comparable rate for September 2002. And in 2006,among the spending of all the visitors in Hong Kong, mainland visitors has taken up to $400 billion, which is one-third of the income.
The government has set up an Economy Relaunch Campaign, which includes raffles, the Lantau Festival, and Individual Visits to provide extra resources to revive the economy. These enhance the appeal of the Individual Visit Scheme.
"As the scheme is attracting a large number of Mainlanders to Hong Kong, it created a 'positive by-product' to attract overseas travelers to visit Hong Kong," said Miss Kinnie Wong, the assistant commissioner of the Tourism Commission. She added that tourists from overseas markets such as the United States and Australia may feel safe visiting Hong Kong again in the coming winter or during the Chinese New Year.
It has been suggested that more and more Mainlanders coming to Hong Kong will lead to the authorised saving of Ain Hong Kong. This change enables Mainland travellers access to money more easily when they need it. As a result, it will be more convenient for them to shop and trade in Hong Kong. Besides, the simplicity of the visa application process makes it beneficial. Since people are usually not willing to perform complicated procedures to apply for visas before visiting another place, the Individual Visit Scheme helps encourage visitors to Hong Kong. These two effects are considered long term.
She also pointed out that women joining the Individual Visit Scheme come to Hong Kong because they want to purchase brand-name products. An individual traveller, Mrs. Chiu, said that the brand-name products in Hong Kong are of more variety and are much cheaper when compared with other foreign countries.
As a short-term effect, there will be a rise in the employment rate and investment. Owners of shops or companies can foresee this vital trend and will employ more people to meet the needs of the influx of Mainland travellers.
Social impact
The establishment of the Individual Visa Scheme resulted in a surge of tourism to Macau.[3]:145
The Hong Kong Government repeatedly pointed out that the crime rate of Mainland visitors under the scheme was very low. From August 2003 to May 2004, the number of individual visitors who were arrested for committing crimes such as theft or fraud was only 183, compared with more than 2 million visitors under the scheme.
Mr. Chan Wing-Kai, the head of the Consumer Complaints & Advice Council, said, "The percentage of complaints made by individual visitors is 9.3%, which is relatively low." The number of complaints made by individual visitors up to October was around 50. Many cases were due to misunderstandings, such as differences between consumer cultures.
Macau or Macao is a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China. With a population of about 680,000 and an area of 32.9 km2 (12.7 sq mi), it is the most densely populated region in the world.
The economy of Macau has remained one of the most open in the world since its handover to China in 1999. Apparel exports and gambling-related tourism are mainstays of the economy. Since Macau has little arable land and few natural resources, it depends on mainland China for most of its food, fresh water, and energy imports. Japan and Hong Kong are the main suppliers of raw materials and capital goods. Although Macau was hit hard by the 1997–98 Asian financial crisis and the early 2000s recession, its economy grew approximately 13.1% annually on average between 2001 and 2006. Macau is a full Member of the World Trade Organization. Public security has greatly improved after handover to the People's Republic of China. With the tax revenue from the profitable gambling industry, the Macau government is able to introduce the social welfare program of 15 years of free education to all Macau citizens. In 2015, Macau's economy saw a sharp decrease due to the reduced spending by visitors from Mainland China since the Anti-corruption campaign under Xi Jinping.
The tourism industry has been an important part of the economy of Hong Kong since it shifted to a service sector model in the late 1980s and early 90s. There has been a sharp increase of domestic tourists from Mainland China following the introduction of the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) in 2003.
Tourism is a major industry in Macau. It is famous for the blend of Portuguese and Chinese cultures and its gambling industry, which includes Casino Lisboa, Macau, Sands Macau, The Venetian Macao, and Wynn Macau.
The Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents, also colloquially referred to as a Home Return Permit or Home Visit Permit, is issued to Chinese nationals who are permanent residents of or settled in Hong Kong and Macau as the travel document to Mainland China. The permit is issued by the Exit and Entry Administration of the People's Republic of China through China Travel Service sub-branches in Hong Kong and Macau and allows holders to travel freely to mainland China.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport is a passport issued only to permanent residents of Hong Kong who also hold Chinese citizenship. In accordance with the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, since the handover in 1997, the passport has been issued by the Immigration Department of the Government of Hong Kong under the authorisation of the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China. As the official languages of Hong Kong are Chinese and English, the passport is printed bilingually in both Chinese and English. In addition, unlike Chinese passport which can be issued by Chinese diplomatic missions abroad, the Immigration Department of Hong Kong is the only issuing authority for HKSAR passports.
The Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of Chinapassport is a passport issued to Chinese citizens who are permanent residents of the Chinese Special Administrative Region of Macau.
The handover of Macau from the Portuguese Republic to the People's Republic of China was at midnight on 20 December 1999. This event ended 442 years of Portuguese rule in the former settlement, which began in 1557.
The Exit & Entry Permit for Taiwan, Republic of China is the document for the bearer to enter into and/or depart from the Taiwan Area, namely Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu. Currently, there are several types of Exit & Entry Permit that reflect the bearer's residency status. The permit is issued by the National Immigration Agency of the Republic of China (Taiwan). For different purposes, the permit is also known as:
The People's Republic of China passport is a passport issued to citizens of the People's Republic of China for the purpose of international travel, and entitles its bearer to the protection of China's consular officials overseas.
Visitors to the Republic of China (Taiwan) must obtain a visa or authorization in advance, unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries or countries whose nationals are eligible for visa on arrival. All visitors must hold a passport valid for 6 months.
The Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents, also known as the Taiwan Compatriot Permit, is a type of travel document issued by the Government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to Republic of China nationals (ROC) who hold household registration in Taiwan. The document is issued by the Ministry of Public Security (MPS). Since the identity documents issued by the government of the Republic of China are not recognized in the PRC, the permit serves as both the main travel document and identity document for Taiwanese people in the PRC territory and is used on all occasions in lieu of a Taiwan passport.
The Government of the Macau Special Administrative Region allows citizens of specific countries/territories to travel to Macau for tourism or business purposes for periods ranging from 14 to 180 days without having to obtain a visa. For other entry purposes, such as establishing residence on a long-term basis, a different policy applies.
Visitors to the mainland of the People's Republic of China must obtain a visa from one of the Chinese diplomatic missions unless they are citizens of one of the visa-exempt countries. The residents of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan with Chinese nationality may stay in Mainland indefinitely as long as their travel documents are valid.
The visa policy of Hong Kong deals with the requirements in which a foreign national wishing to enter Hong Kong through one of the 15 immigration control points must meet to obtain an entry permit or Visa, which depending on the traveller's nationality, may be required to travel to, enter, and remain in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Visitors from over 145 countries are permitted without Visa entry for periods ranging from 7 to 180 days, to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for tourism or certain business-related activities. All visitors must hold a passport valid for more than 1 month.
The Exit-Entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macau, colloquially known as a Two-way Permit or EEP is issued to Chinese nationals with residency in Mainland China as a travel document for the sole purpose to travel the Chinese Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau. The Bureau of Exit and Entry Administration of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security is responsible for the issuing of Two-way Permits and exit endorsements.
Mainland Chinese or mainlanders are Chinese people who live in or have recently emigrated from mainland China, defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (PRC) except for Hong Kong, Macau, and the partly-PRC-controlled South China Sea Islands, and also excluding certain territories that are claimed by the PRC but not controlled, namely Taiwan a.k.a. the "Republic of China" (ROC), which is a state with limited recognition, and other associated territories that are ruled by Taiwan. The term also refers to historical groups of people of Chinese origin who immigrated to Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan during the 20th century, especially in the context of specific historical events.
The gallery of passport stamps by country or territory contains an accurate alphabetical list of sovereign states, partially recognised states, and dependent territories with images of their passport stamps including visas. All Schengen countries and Cyprus use the same format for their stamps and stamps are not issued when traveling from one Schengen country to another, except for land border crossings to, from, and between Romania and Bulgaria.
The Central Leading Group on Hong Kong and Macau Affairs is an internal policy coordination group of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), reporting to the CCP Politburo, in charge of supervising and coordinating Beijing's policy towards the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau.
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