Mainland China has praised Hong Kong’s first chief executive, the late Tung Chee Hwa, for introducing the solo travel plan more than two decades ago, opening up the city to millions of travelers and creating indelible memories for middle-class families.
The individual visits program has grown from a handful of cities in Guangdong province in 2003 to the current 59 cities covering the country as far west as Urumqi in Xinjiang, contributing to a more than five-fold increase in mainland arrivals to Hong Kong.
Henry Tang Yingyen, who served as financial secretary in 2003, developed the plan as part of a broader effort to align with reform and opening-up on the mainland while promoting understanding between residents on both sides of the border.
“It was introduced in the post-SARS era when cross-border exchanges were seriously hampered,” he told the South China Morning Post on Thursday, referring to the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome.
“Individual visitors from the mainland have contributed to our economy.”
