HONG KONG  -- In the third quarter of this year, visitors to Hong Kong from 10 newly added Chinese Mainland cities under the Individual Visit Scheme exceeded 140,000, an increase of about 16.3 percent compared to the same period last year, according to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government.

Kevin Yeung, secretary for culture, sports and tourism of the HKSAR government, said on Wednesday at the HKSAR's Legislative Council that in March and May this year, the scheme has been expanded to 10 mainland cities including Qingdao, Xi'an, Taiyuan, Lhasa and Yinchuan. The scheme is currently implemented in 59 cities on the mainland.

Yeung said that to attract more residents from the 10 cities to visit Hong Kong, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the HKSAR government and the Hong Kong Tourism Board have rolled out a series of promotional activities, including holding briefing sessions in March in Xi'an and Qingdao to introduce the latest tourism products of Hong Kong to local travel agencies and other trade representatives.

Yeung said that depending on the circumstances of different markets, the Hong Kong Tourism Board promoted immersive, in-depth tours themed around "City walks" and activities appealing to the young generation, aiming to "soft sell" Hong Kong with fresh content and attract more visitors.