Duty-free allowances for mainland tourists to Macau and Hong Kong increased

The central government announced that from July 1, 2024, mainland tourists visiting Macau and Hong Kong will be able to purchase more duty-free goods in Macau and Hong Kong. By then, mainland tourists will be able to purchase more duty-free goods in Macau and Hong Kong. The duty-free threshold for Macau and Hong Kong will be raised from the current RMB 5,000 to RMB 12,000.

According to the joint statement release Approved by China’s finance, customs and taxation authorities this morning, the new restrictions will initially cover the Gongbei Port, the Zhuhai exit of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, and ports in Luohu, Futian, Shenzhen Bay and West Kowloon.

From August 1, the regulation will apply to all other checkpoints between mainland China and the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions.

The new regulations apply to mainland Chinese residents aged 18 or above who make personal purchases abroad on a single trip. For those who shop at duty-free shops at border ports, the personal purchase limit for a single trip abroad is increased to RMB 15,000.

[See more: Eight more mainland Chinese cities are joining the Individual Travel Scheme]

While the increase in the threshold is good news for local businesses, it is still lower than the 30,000 yuan figure called for by Hong Kong’s tourism and retail industries.

according to South China Morning Posthave guess An increase of RMB 30,000 in the duty-free limit will enable the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to obtain an annual duty-free quota of RMB 100,000, which is the same as Hainan Province.

In response to the increase in duty-free limits, the Macau government has issued A statement Today, the State Council executive meeting pointed out that “this move will help promote the growth of tourism consumption and benefit more small and medium-sized enterprises in the city.”

Macau’s tourism spending has remained strong since the end of COVID-19 travel restrictions, new government data shows instruct Total consumption in the first quarter of this year was MOP20.3 billion, up nearly 36 percent year-on-year.