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Travel and Tourism
Easier Entry for Visitors
Hong Kong is one of the world's most visitor-friendly cities. Visitors from some 170 countries and territories enjoy visa-free access for stays of seven to 180 days. The Mainland's Individual Visit Scheme permits residents of 49 designated Mainland cities to visit Hong Kong on their own instead of travelling in tour groups. About 1.37 million Mainlanders visited Hong Kong under the scheme in 2020, representing about 51 per cent of all Mainland arrivals.
Protection of Travellers
Travel agents must obtain a government licence and be TIC members to carry out travel business under the Travel Agents Ordinance. Only TIC-accredited tourist guides can be assigned to receive inbound visitors. The TIC investigates complaints and takes disciplinary action against travel agents who do not observe its rules. As at 31 December, Hong Kong had 1,720 licensed travel agents and 6,296 accredited tourist guides.
The statutory Travel Industry Compensation Fund provides ex gratia payments of 90 per cent of the loss of outbound fares to outbound travellers in the event of a travel agent default. In 2020, ex gratia payments of around $4.3 million were paid to 1,048 travellers affected by five default cases. The fund also offers aid in cases of outbound travellers who sustain injuries or death in accidents in the course of an activity arranged by a travel agent. No such payments were made this year.
Tourism Cooperation
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, the Macao SAR Government and the governments of the nine Mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) jointly established the Tourism Federation of Cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong- Macao Greater Bay Area to promote tourism cooperation and development within the region. The Culture and Tourism Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, promulgated in December, sets out the directions for development of the GBA into an exchange hub for culture of the East and the West and a world-class tourism destination.
Hong Kong is a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Tourism Working Group and the Pacific Asia Travel Association, and an associate member of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.
Websites
Hong Kong Tourism Board: www.discoverhongkong.com
Meetings and Exhibitions Hong Kong: www.mehongkong.com
Tourism Commission: www.tourism.gov.hk
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