Beijing adds 8 mainland Chinese cities to Hong Kong solo traveller scheme, with residents in parts of Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and Tibet to benefit

Tourists from eight mainland Chinese cities in remote areas such as Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and Tibet will be able to visit Hong Kong without joining group tours after Beijing announced it would further expand a solo traveller scheme to boost the sector.

The National Immigration Administration said on Saturday residents in the cities would be able to apply to visit from May 27.

It said the eight places were: Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi province; Hohhot in China’s northern Inner Mongolia autonomous region; Harbin in the country’s northeast province of Heilongjiang; Lhasa in Tibet; Lanzhou in Gansu; Xining in Qinghai; Ningxia’s regional capital, Yinchuan; and Urumqi in Xinjiang.