HK steps up mosquito control, but heavy rain disrupts efforts
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South China Morning Post
10 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Chinese tourists offered visa-free entry to South Korea from September
South Korea has rolled out a temporary visa waiver programme for Chinese tour groups in the latest effort to help strengthen fragile ties. Advertisement From September 29, members of Chinese tour groups will be allowed to enter South Korea without a visa until June 30 next year, the office of Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said on Wednesday. It is the first time that South Korea has allowed travel visa exemptions for Chinese tour groups, regardless of point of entry. Previously, only Jeju Island offered such access, allowing group visitors visa-free stays of up to 30 days. South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok announced the visa-free programme on Wednesday. Photo: EPA/Yonhap 'With South Korea's inbound tourism market recovering rapidly, the implementation of this visa waiver programme is expected to help boost demand for travel to Korea, revitalise regional economies and fuel domestic consumption,' a government official said, according to the Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency. Chinese nationals made up the largest group of overseas tourists travelling to South Korea, with about 2.5 million arrivals in the first half of this year, The Korea Herald reported, citing the Korea Tourism Organisation. In November, Beijing announced a unilateral visa-free policy for South Koreans, allowing them to stay in China for up to 15 days until the end of this year. Advertisement The measure drove strong growth in South Korean travel to China, with passenger traffic from November to March up 20.4 per cent to 5.7 million visits, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in Seoul.
The Standard
2 days ago
- The Standard
HK steps up mosquito control, but heavy rain disrupts efforts
Govt mulls weekend taxi ban from 9 to 6 at High Island Reservoir East Dam to manage visitor traffic
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong earns HK$189 million from revived hotel tax in first quarter
Hong Kong only received HK$189 million (US$24.1 million) in the first quarter under a reintroduced hotel accommodation tax, authorities have revealed, prompting some tourism industry leaders to raise concerns about whether the government can meet its HK$1.1 billion annual income target. Advertisement Sector veterans also called for more government support measures, telling the Post that the tax figures reflected that hotels were struggling and had been forced to reduce their prices to attract tourists. The 3 per cent tax, which applies to all patrons, was reintroduced on January 1. The government announced the policy's return last year and said the measure was expected to bring in HK$1.1 billion each year. The tax was previously waived in 2008. But in a reply to the Post in June, the Inland Revenue Department said the government had garnered HK$189 million under the tax in the first quarter of this year, while payments for the second quarter were not yet due at the time of its reply. Advertisement 'We aim to meet the government's tax target, but we are concerned we might not be able to meet the target,' said Caspar Tsui Ying-wai, executive director of the Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners.
