As part of a plan to transform the area around and boost the gambling industry of the cities of Hong Kong, Macau, and Guangzhou into one giant integrated economic zone, an official Chinese think-tank has reportedly proposed loosening existing border inspections for some internal travelers and providing mainland residents with on-arrival visas.
“The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, which would moreover consist of the cities of Zhaoqing, Huizhou, Zhongshan, and Jiangmen, is home to in excess of 67.6 million people and recorded a total gross domestic product last year greater than Australia at $1.3 trillion”
The think-tank reportedly explained that development in the Guangdong Province region could be further increased if existing restrictions on mainland residents wishing to travel to Macau and Hong Kong were relaxed with local authorities around the Pearl River Delta permitted to issue their own travel visas. (READ SO: MACAU GAMING INDUSTRY INCREASE THE GDP BACK TO GROWTH IN 3Q)
As further evidence, last month saw Macau’s Statistics and Census Service report that first-quarter visitation to the city has risen by 5.6% year-on-year to 7.87 million with travelers from mainland China constituting 67.5% of the total at nearly 5.32 million, which was a swell of some 7.6%, with this numbers and the strategic mentioned before the think-tank plan to boost the gambling industry
