HK Travel Expected to Jump

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, August 21, 2003

HK Travel Expected to Jump

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The number of Shanghai residents visiting Hong Kong and Macau is expected to nearly double in September with the introduction of eased travel regulations that allow people to visit the two regions individually, according to city officials.

"As the relaxed rules will be launched only one month before the seven-day National Day holiday, many people will surely try to tour places which they have been longing to visit," said Ma Zhendong, director of the Shanghai Entry-Exit Administrative Bureau.

Ma expects an average of more than 600 local residents to travel to Hong Kong and Macau every day under the new regulations. By comparison, about 350 people per day made the trip last year.

Currently, local residents hoping to visit Hong Kong or Macau for tourism must travel with an approved group set up by a travel agency.

The rules will also be eased on residents of Beijing. Residents of four cities in Guangdong Province, which borders Hong Kong and Macau, have been allowed to apply for individual travel permits since July 28.

Officials in Guangdong expect to see 6,000 people a day travel to the two neighboring cities.

The new travel policies were one of 30 new regulations announced by the Ministry of Public Security on August 7. The policies are aimed at making it easier to register residency, travel and obtain a driving license or passport.

At a news briefing yester-day to discuss the city's res-ponse to the 30 new policies, Wu Zhiming, director of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, said Shanghai has already implemented eight of the new policies and will begin to fulfill the others on September 1.

"The new rules will be per-formed step by step. People should be patient," said Wu.

Some of the policies, parti-cularly those on residency, have proven challenging to the city, Wu said, due to its size and limited space.

Since the policies were first announced on August 7, local police have been deluged with calls from people who want to apply for residency in the city.

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