(Yicai) Oct. 17 -- Hong Kong wishes to restore the issuance of multiple-entry travel permits for Shenzhen residents to attract more tourists, according to the special administrative region’s chief executive.

Hong Kong has asked the Chinese central government to reinstate the multiple-entry policy for Shenzhen residents, John Loss said during his third policy address yesterday.

In the past, Shenzhen residents could apply for unlimited round trips to Hong Kong with a single one-year endorsement. But in 2015, the policy was adjusted to allow only one trip to Hong Kong per week because the number of Chinese mainland visitors to the SAR increased so much that its tourism carrying capacity was brought to the limit.

Lee also noted that Hong Kong wishes to expand the coverage of its ‘one trip per week’ single endorsement policy that is now valid for Shenzhen to other cities.

Hong Kong’s tourism industry took a big hit during the Covid-19 years. Even though the number of visitors has somewhat recovered since the end of the pandemic, the local retail industry has not yet returned to the pre-pandemic levels.

More than 29.5 million tourists visited Hong Kong in the first eight months of the year, up nearly 44 percent from a year earlier, according to data from the Hong Kong Tourism Board. Among them, over 22.9 million were Chinese mainland residents, up 39 percent in the period but recovering only to 55 percent of the level in the same period of 2018.

Hong Kong’s total retail sales of consumer goods likely fell 10 percent to HKD29.2 billion (USD3.8 billion) in August from a year earlier, according to the latest data from the city’s census and statistics department. In the eight months ended Aug. 31, the figure is expected to have dropped 7.7 percent.

The decline in retail sales is caused by various factors, according to analysts. For example, Chinese mainland visitors now travel to Hong Kong more to enjoy the local culture than for shopping-oriented purposes. In addition, more Hong Kong residents travel to the mainland to spend money because of the appreciation of the Hong Kong dollar and the more convenient transportation network, suppressing the demand for local consumption.

During his third policy address, Lee also said that Hong Kong would relax the criteria for citizens of Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar applying for multiple-entry travel and business visas, as well as extend the validity of such visas to three years from two.

Editor: Futura Costaglione