Residents in four cities, namely Shenyang and Dalian in Liaoning Province, Chendu in Sichuan and Jinan in Shandong, will soon be able to travel to Hong Kong and Macao as individual tourists.

The Entry and Exit Management Office of the Ministry of Public Security made the announcement on Wednesday. The new measure will be effective starting from next month.

By then, residents of these four cities can apply for the individual travel permit to Hong Kong and Macao, simply by submitting their ID cards and residential permits to the local Entry and Exit Management Office. Whereas now, they can only go as members of the tour groups that are organized by certain travel agents.

Starting from July 28, 2003, several provinces and cities in the mainland began to launch individual tours. These places include Guangdong, Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuxi, Hangzhou, Ningbo and Taizhou.

By the end of September this year, about 18 million people traveled to Hong Kong and Macao as individuals.

(Chinanews.cn October 13, 2005)