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Huo Qigang talks about the "144-hour transit visa-free policy": becoming a "business card" to showcase China's charm

2024-08-24

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On August 20, Hong Kong National People's Congress deputy, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Legislative Council member, and vice president of the Fok Ying-Tong Group, Ho Kit-yung, published an article on his official WeChat public account titled "KK Talk | The 'China Travel' craze has swept the world, helping Chinese culture go global." He said: "Recently, the 'China Travel' craze has swept the world, and 'City is not City' has become a hot word on the Internet, showing the global appeal of Chinese culture."

Huo Qigang gave an example: James and Lucky, two passengers who came to China for temporary business activities and did not have time to apply for Chinese visas, learned that Nansha Passenger Port could handle 144-hour transit visa exemption procedures. They took a boat from Hong Kong to the port and applied to the border inspection authorities, becoming the first batch of passengers to apply for 144-hour transit visa exemption procedures at Nansha Port. They said with emotion, "This transit visa exemption policy is very practical and convenient!"

Huo Qigang said in the article that with the continuous improvement of the 144-hour transit visa-free policy, foreign friends can now come to my country more conveniently. It is no longer difficult for foreign friends to take a "fly" to Guangdong for morning tea. I still remember that at the 2023 National People's Congress, I suggested "optimizing the transit visa-free policy for overseas tourists and realizing one-stop multi-stop to tell the Chinese story well". Now, the 144-hour transit visa-free policy has achieved remarkable results and its scope of application has been continuously expanded, bringing unprecedented attention to China's inbound tourism and becoming a bright "business card" to showcase China's charm.

Ho Kit-yung said that in the future, he hopes to let Chinese culture go to the world through tourism, so that more people can truly understand China, feel the beauty of this country, and hear more moving Chinese stories.

According to Southern Metropolis Daily and other media reports, during the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference last year, in his proposal to optimize the visa-free transit policy for overseas tourists, Hong Kong National People's Congress representative Ho Kit-yung pointed out that as an important bridge connecting the country to the world, Hong Kong has the responsibility to tell China's story well and should strengthen cooperation between the mainland and Hong Kong tourism industries.

Approved by the State Council, Guangdong Province has officially implemented a 144-hour transit visa-free policy since May 1, 2019, covering people from 53 countries holding valid international travel documents. Ho Kit-yung said that this move has greatly improved the convenience of foreigners entering and leaving Guangdong Province, and is conducive to the realization of a one-stop multi-stop sightseeing tourism model in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. However, there are many problems in the current implementation of the 144-hour convenience visa for overseas tourists. For example, mainland tour guides cannot pick up and drop off passengers at West Kowloon Station because they do not have multiple travel permits to Hong Kong, making it difficult for tour groups to travel by high-speed rail. In addition, if overseas tourists apply for a 144-hour convenience visa through Hong Kong, they must join a tour group arranged by a registered travel agency in Hong Kong, and the travel agency receiving them in the mainland will handle it on their behalf. The relevant arrangements limit the types and number of overseas tourists.

Ho Kit-yung suggested that special visas be issued to mainland tour guides who receive overseas tour groups in the future, allowing mainland tour guides with special visas to work at West Kowloon Station. Foreign independent travelers should be allowed to apply for 144-hour transit visa-free on their own, bringing convenience and rich travel experience to overseas tourists. The list of countries with 144-hour transit visa-free should be gradually increased, such as including countries along the Belt and Road Initiative in the list of visa-free countries. Hong Kong's role in the country's development of cultural tourism should be further strengthened, so that Chinese culture can become a global trend.