Solo-travel scheme introduced in 2003 opened city to millions, shaping unforgettable memories for generation of mainland visitors
3-MIN READ3-MINEric JiangPublished: 10:53pm, 10 Sep 2026Mainland Chinese have paid tribute to Hong Kong’s first chief executive, the late Tung Chee-hwa, for introducing a solo-travel scheme more than two decades ago that opened the city to millions of travellers and created indelible memories for middle-class families.
The Individual Visit Scheme has grown from a handful of cities in Guangdong province in 2003 to its current 59 spanning the country as far west as Urumqi in Xinjiang, contributing to a more than fivefold increase in the number of mainland arrivals to Hong Kong.
Henry Tang Ying-yen, who served as financial secretary in 2003, framed the scheme as part of a broader effort to align with the mainland’s reform and opening-up while fostering understanding between residents on both sides of the border.
“It was introduced in the post-Sars era when cross-boundary exchanges were seriously impeded,” he told the South China Morning Post on Thursday, referring to the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome.
“Individual visitors from the mainland contributed to our economy.”
