6 May 2002HONG KONG - Mainland Chinese travellers flying to Taiwan via Hong Kong can pick up their visas at the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) when Chung Hwa Travel Service opens an office there this Friday.
The new office, located in section K of the airport departure terminal, will be open every day of the week from 8.00 am to 10.00 pm. Until this Friday, mainland travellers have had to leave the airport and go to the Chung Hwa Travel Service branch in Hong Kong’s Admiralty district simply to collect their visas.
Tony Ng, acting director of the Kwang Hwa Information and Cultural Centre for Chung Hwa Travel Service says the new airport branch is designed as a convenience for transit travellers, and not to keep mainland visitors from travelling into Hong Kong, which has generated some concern from the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong (TIC).
More than 100,000 mainland Chinese flew to Taiwan via Hong Kong, according to Chung Hwa Travel Sevice, and many more are expected this year. In another move to streamline the visa process for mainland Chinese travellers, Chung Hwa Travel Service plans to allow mainlanders who have a valid working permit and have worked in the Hong Kong or Macau SAR region for more than four years to apply for a tourist visa to Taiwan.