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The launch of the Hong Kong “Free Tour” will have following impacts on the tourist market in Ningbo. First, the mix of tourists to Hong Kong will change. Formerly, tourists traveled to Hong Kong mainly under organized tours, either on business duty or for sightseeing. With the inception of “Free Travel”, however, a significant increase in the number of individual tourists on touring, leisure and shopping is expected. Second, the travel agencies will gradually abandon organized tours to Hong Kong and Macau and shift their business to travel service, such as ticket/hotel booking, visa handling and transportation arrangement.
<DIV>At the present Forum on Economic Cooperation between Ningbo and Hong Kong, Ningbo Tourist Bureau and Hong Kong Tourism Council will jointly launch tourism promotions, and symposiums will be held on a new round of tourism cooperation between the two places under the CEPA agreement. We believe the tourism organizations in Hong Kong and Ningbo may carry out further cooperation in the following respects: first, exchange of tourism-related information, such as information on hotels, major celebrations and new tourism programs, in particular the information exchange and cooperation via the internet; second, exchanges and discussions on how to facilitate the tourist-related formalities and how to provide quality service.
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