HK seeks to tighten visit scheme for Chinese mainlanders: chief executive

Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said on Tuesday that the Individual Visit Scheme for tourists from the Chinese mainland is not expanding and the government is seeking to tighten it up.

Speaking ahead of an Executive Council meeting this morning, Leung said the overall number of mainland tourists visiting Hong Kong during the Lunar New Year was similar to last year, but the number of those came under the visit scheme dropped.

Despite the drop, the government will discuss with the mainland authorities measures to tighten arrangements under the scheme, Leung said, adding he understood that mainland tourism growth had placed pressure on local people's livelihoods.

He said that contrary to newspaper reports, the scheme was not being extended to more mainland cities, and that he had been advising the central government not to expand the scheme as Hong Kong's capacity to receive tourists is limited.

Leung added that the government will develop tourism facilities including shopping malls to increase its capacity for visitors.