China News Service, Beijing, February 23 (Reporter Liu Wenwen) Xi'an City in Shaanxi Province and Qingdao City in Shandong Province have become "individual travel" cities from the mainland to Hong Kong and Macao.
After the news was released on the 23rd, searches for air tickets from Xi'an and Qingdao to Hong Kong and Macau surged.
The National Immigration Administration issued an announcement on the same day saying that the State Council recently approved the addition of Xi'an City in Shaanxi Province and Qingdao City in Shandong Province as mainland cities for "individual travel" to Hong Kong and Macao.
The Exit-Entry Administration of the People's Republic of China has decided to issue "individual travel endorsements" to and from Hong Kong and Macao to qualified personnel in Xi'an and Qingdao starting from March 6, 2024.
Within an hour after the news was released, the search popularity for travel to Hong Kong and Macau on the online travel platform Tongcheng Travel increased by more than 20% compared with the same time the day before. The search volume for air tickets from Xi'an to Hong Kong increased five times compared with the same period the day before, and the search volume for air tickets to Macau increased by 5 times compared with the same period the day before. Increased more than 3 times.
The search volume for air tickets from Qingdao to Hong Kong and Macau increased by more than 2 times compared with the same period the day before.
Previously, 49 cities in 22 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in the mainland have implemented "individual travel" to Hong Kong and Macao.
Since 2023, the popularity of tourism in Hong Kong and Macao has continued to rise, becoming popular destinations for mainland residents.
During this year’s Spring Festival holiday, the number of air ticket bookings from mainland China to Hong Kong and Macau on the Tongcheng travel platform more than tripled year-on-year.
The relevant person in charge of Tongcheng Research Institute believes that the launch of "individual tours" to Hong Kong and Macao in Xi'an and Qingdao will bring more mainland tourists to Hong Kong and Macao, which will help drive the growth of local tourism consumption in accommodation, catering, shopping, entertainment and other areas.
(over)