According to sources, Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa informed Guangdong Provincial Governor Huang Huahua last week that the central government is going to allow Guangdong permanent residents to enter Hong Kong as individual tourists.

Previously, Hong Kong only accepted group travelers from the mainland.

"The Guangdong Public Security and Frontier Defence Bureau has not received formal documents from higher authorities indicating when local Guangdong residents will be able to travel freely to Hong Kong holding only their ID cards," said Lu Min, director of the publicity department under the bureau.

"As far as I know, the issue is still being discussed," said Lu.

According to Lu, the government is working to simplify the procedures for mainlanders to go to Hong Kong.

Due to the narrowing economic gap between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong and strict inspection by frontier defence authorities, the number of illegal emigrants to Hong Kong has been shrinking in recent years, making less-restricted travel a consideration.

However, "it is hard to predict if illegal emigration to Hong Kong will be eliminated in a would-be simplified exit-entry policy," Lu said.

On one hand, there would be no need for mainland residents to sneak into Hong Kong if legal options were available. However, on the other hand, it is possible that persons suspected of criminal charges would use looser regulations to escape to Hong Kong hoping to avoid punishment.

Lu explained that Hong Kong and Guangdong law enforcement agencies have strengthened co-operation in recent years through information-sharing and joint cross-border task forces.

"So far, there is no exact deadline on when the first mainland native from Guangdong will be allowed to travel to Hong Kong with only his ID card," said Ye, an official with provincial tourism authorities, who refused to be fully named.

According to him, a total of 1.2 million Guangdong residents visited Hong Kong with organized tour groups last year.

Local travel service agencies are looking to adjust their business strategies in a move to protect themselves against possible losses if individual tourists are allowed to visit Hong Kong.

"Net profit for organizing a group to Hong Kong will dive to a mere 10 yuan (US$1.2) per tourist if the regulations are changed," said Li Hua, an official from the China International Travel Service (CITS) Guangdong Co Ltd.

"The robust growth engine in CITS, Guangzhou comes from offering special services including reserving hotels and renting cars for tourists," said Li.

(China Daily March 18, 2003)