HONG KONG - The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) welcomed the announcement by relevant Mainland authority on allowing non-Guangdong residents in Shenzhen to apply for endorsement under the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) with effect from December 15. HKTB chairman, James Tien, said the new measure would provide Hong Kong with a new source of visitor arrivals and add further momentum to the growth of the Mainland market. “The HKTB has been working on a series of promotional activities in the light of the impending implementation of the arrangement, so that we could capture the potential arising from the visits by the non-Guangdong residents in Shenzhen. We hope these promotions will encourage them to come to Hong Kong during the winter season, bringing a boost to the business of the tourism and related sectors,” Tien said. “The HKTB will adopt a focused approach for our promotions. As a start, we will target staff of the major corporations in Shenzhen, who have relatively higher spending power. To tie in with the new measure in the middle of next month, the HKTB will ride on its winter mega promotion Hong Kong WinterFest and co-operate with the Shenzhen travel agencies to develop new products targeting the non-Guangdong Shenzhen residents. We will also leverage on the winter sale period and related offers, as well as tactical advertising, to attract this group of visitors,” he added. Tien said the move will also enhance information dissemination, ensuring that non-Guangdong Shenzhen residents can have a clear understanding of the related measure, as well as travel information on Hong Kong.