New duty-free allowance measure for mainland visitors implemented in all ports

HONG KONG -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government said on Thursday that the measure of increasing the duty-free allowance for luggage articles brought into the Chinese mainland from Hong Kong by visitors who are mainland residents to 12,000 yuan (about $1,683) has been extended to all ports.

Meanwhile, the measure of additional duty-free goods at the value of 3,000 yuan purchased at port entry duty-free stores remains unchanged.

The central government's measure has been welcomed by visitors who are mainland residents since its implementation on July 1 at six land ports, including Lo Wu, Futian (Lok Ma Chau Spur Line), Shenzhen Bay, West Kowloon Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and more.

The HKSAR government believed that the measure is conducive to enriching the shopping experience of mainland residents during their visits to Hong Kong, boosting the development of diversified tourism and stimulating Hong Kong's retail business.

As of June, the Hong Kong Tourism Board recorded about 21 million visitors arriving in Hong Kong, representing a year-on-year increase of around 60 percent. The arrival of mainland visitors reached about 16 million for the same period, up around 60 percent year-on-year, while the arrival of non-mainland visitors was about 5 million, an increase of over 80 percent. (1 U.S. dollar equals 7.13 yuan)