Hong Kong eyes boost in cruise ship traffic after mainland China eases visa rules for foreigners arriving at ports
- Tour groups consisting of two or more foreigners arriving on mainland via cruise ships can travel visa-free for up to 15 days, with certain restrictions
- New measure should raise Hong Kong’s profile as cruise ship destination and its role in multi-stop itineraries for Greater Bay Area, tourism authorities say
Hong Kong has welcomed a new tourism initiative unveiled by Beijing to allow foreign tour groups arriving at cruise ship ports in mainland China to travel within its borders visa-free for more than two weeks, saying it should bring more visitors to the city.
The measure would further develop Hong Kong’s cruise ship industry and help the city become part of multi-stop itineraries of tourists visiting the Greater Bay Area, a spokesman from the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau said on Wednesday.
“The new policy announced by the National Immigration Administration will allow international cruise companies to develop more itineraries that include mainland ports and Hong Kong,” he said.
“As Asia’s cruise hub, Hong Kong attracts visitors from around the world to come for cruise travel. They would stay in Hong Kong before or after their voyages to experience our tourism offerings and bring economic benefits to the city.”
From Wednesday, tour groups consisting of two or more foreigners arriving on the mainland via cruise ships can travel visa-free for up to 15 days, given they are received by or have had their itineraries organised by Chinese agencies.
The mainland’s 13 cities with cruise ports are Tianjin, Dalian, Shanghai, Lianyungang, Wenzhou, Zhoushan, Xiamen, Qingdao, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Beihai, Haikou and Sanya.
It is an extension of a pilot programme launched in 2016 that allowed visa-free entry at the Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal, which was suspended during the pandemic but resumed last year.
Tourism lawmaker Perry Yiu Pak-leung said the new policy would not take cruise ship traffic away from Hong Kong but rather bolster it.
“Increasing the amount and variety of cities that international cruises can dock at will be good for everyone,” he said. “It offers more route choices to travellers as well.”
Given the role Hong Kong’s airport played in global airline travel, more “fly and cruise” travellers might head to the city before they set out to visit other Chinese coastal cities, he said.
“In the past, cruise ships that docked in Hong Kong tended to have routes involving other countries, like Taiwan, South Korea and Japan up to the north … maybe Shanghai as well,” he said.
“But now, they can make many stops along the country, which can really help solidify our position as a multi-stop travel destination [within the country].”
Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Cruise Terminal made headlines in August last year when Royal Caribbean International’s Spectrum of the Seas returned to Hong Kong for the first time in more than a year, with tourists complaining of long waits for public transport out of the port.
The fiasco led to further criticism of urban planning in the wider Kai Tak area, including the district’s overall transport system, why the port only had one access road and its underused facilities.
Yiu said while the transport problems had “largely been solved”, challenges pertaining to the wider area were the result of “inconsistencies” with development.
“The terminal was built and being used long before the surrounding area was developed into a space suited for visitors,” he said, adding he expected the problems would be solved once surrounding areas underwent further development.
