Increasing number of mainland visitors enter HK

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, January 25, 2004

Increasing number of mainland visitors enter HK

About 21,000 mainland visitors traveled to Hong Kong individually on Friday, and more are expected to come in the next couple of days, said a Hong Kong official here Saturday.

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About 21,000 mainland visitors traveled to Hong Kong individually on Friday, and more are expected to come in the next couple of days, said a Hong Kong official here Saturday.

Speaking on a radio talk show, Hong Kong's Director of Immigration Lai Tung-kwok said that most of the mainlanders passed through immigration points at about 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.

To handle the influx, the immigration and other government departments have set up a command post to monitor the situation.

Close liaison with the Guangdong Provincial Tourism Administration will also be maintained to watch visitor flow. Visitor figures will be released on the department's and the administration's websites.

Lai said to handle the increasing number of visitors, the department aims to implement the Automated Passenger and Vehicle Clearance Systems in phases from the end of the year.

Noting that funds for the systems have been approved by the Legislative Council, Lai said the contract will be awarded soon.

Lai said the systems will support self-service immigration clearance by Hong Kong permanent residents holding smart identity cards. The system will cut clearance time of travelers and vehicles.

Source: Xinhua

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