The National Immigration Administration recently announced that Qingdao has included in the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) that allows mainland residents to tour Hong Kong and Macao. Since March 6, 2024, individual visits to Hong Kong and Macao by eligible residents can be endorsed in Qingdao. Endorsees are permitted to stay in Hong Kong for a maximum period of 7 days in a single journey.

Since the inception of the IVS in 2003, Hong Kong and Macao have seen a great surge in the number of tourists from the Chinese Mainland, which has sustained the development of tourism and even the economy in Hong Kong and Macao. Xi’an in Shaanxi Province has also been included in the scheme alongside Qingdao. By far, the number of cities on the Chinese Mainland included by the IVS has risen from 49 to 51.

Given that Hong Kong and Macao are two popular tourist destinations of Qingdao residents, top tourism agencies plans to provide more self-guided tours and devise two day-long and three day-long tours as well as in-depth tourism routes that cover Citywalk, cinemas and fine food, among other tourism elements.

 (Liang Chao/Ma Xiaoting)

Citizens of Qingdao go through formalities in the immigration window. By Liang Chao