298 | Travel and Tourism
more than 1 300 retail, catering, and tourist lodgings, with over 7 100 outlets, had earned QTS accreditation.
Honest and Quality Tourism
The Government works closely with the tourism industry and related organisations to promote honest tourism. With the amendment of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance in 2008 to combat faise description of goods and other deceptive trade measures, Police and Customs have stepped up inspection and actions against offenders to protect consumers' rights. The Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong (TIC) operates a 'Refund Protection Scheme (Registered Shops)', under which Mainland visitors travelling in tour groups may return goods bought from registered shops and seek a refund within 180 days of purchase, provided the goods are in good conditions.
The HKTB also introduced in 2006 the 'Quality & Honest Hong Kong Tour' product in the Mainland. This is guaranteed free from compulsory self-paid activities, guided shopping and the imposition of surcharges. At year's end, the product was available at 32 counters in 18 Mainland cities plus two online travel portals.
Hospitality Initiatives
Hospitality is essential to sustaining tourism. The Government runs a 'Hospitable Hong Kong' campaign to develop a strong hospitality culture. A 'Hong Kong Young Ambassador Scheme' trains young people to be polite and helpful to visitors. More than 1 700 young people have joined it so far and rendered over 130 000 hours of service.
As part of the campaign, the Tourism Commission joined forces with travel agencies, restaurants, and the retail sector in carrying out a series of activities to improve service quality and customer care.
Easier Entry for Visitors
Hong Kong is one of the world's most immigration-friendly cities. Travellers from some 170 countries and territories enjoy visa-free access to the city for stays of between seven and 180 days.
The Individual Visit Scheme, introduced by the Mainland in 2003, permitting citizens of 49 Mainland cities to visit Hong Kong on their own instead of in groups, is becoming increasingly popular. More than 10.59 million Mainlanders visited Hong Kong under the scheme in 2009, representing about 60 per cent of all Mainland arrivals.
Three new arrangements to facilitate Shenzhen residents visiting Hong Kong were expanded and implemented during the year. The arrangement to allow eligible Shenzhen non-permanent residents to visit Hong Kong in group tours was expanded in February to cover their close relatives. A one-year multiple-entry Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) endorsement for Shenzhen permanent residents to visit Hong Kong was implemented on April 1. The other measure that permits non-Guangdong
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