Hong Kong People Get Visa-Free Access to Czech RepublicThe government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) announced that confirmation was received from the Consulate-General of the Czech Republic Wednesday that the Czech Republic has granted visa-free access for HKSAR passport holders for a visit up to 90 days with immediate effect."We warmly welcome the decision of the Government of the Czech Republic. This is a further achievement in our efforts to enhance travel convenience for HKSAR passport holders," a government spokesman said. "The visa-free grant marks a vote of confidence by the Czech Republic in our immigration control under the 'one country, two systems' arrangement." The Czech Republic is the 93rd country which agrees to grant visa-free access for HKSAR passport holders. In a parallel development, with effect from Thursday (October 4) , the HKSAR government will extend the visa-free period for visits of nationals of the Czech Republic from 14 to 90 days. Macao Reports Huge Passenger Flow in National Day Holiday Streams of people swarmed at Macao customs, but they went through checks in a sound order during the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday from September 29 to October 2, according to the latest customs statistics. Statistics show that the number of visitors to Macao reached 379,100, while 372,200 people went out of the special administrative region (SAR) in the four days. Local residents traveled to the inland areas to visit their relatives, go shopping or sightseeing. A large number of Macao residents returned home Tuesday when the holiday ended. Gongbei Customs, the only land gate linking the SAR with China's inland areas, added a few special passages to handle the passenger flow. Police were there helping them fill in the entry and exit cards. Ferry frequencies also increased at the Hong Kong-Macao Ferry Terminal to help the tourists from Hong Kong to leave Macao. Occupancy rate for Macao's hotels reached about 95 percent in the four-day holiday, and most of the guests were from Hong Kong and China's inland. |
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