The eastern Chinese city of Wenzhou mounted its largest ever showcase at the Hong Kong International Travel Expo (ITE) on 23 June, signing cooperation intents with 11 Hong Kong wholesalers and two European online travel agencies. City officials highlighted new visa-free transit policies via Wenzhou Longwan Airport, where foreign passengers can now enjoy a 144-hour stay without a mainland entry visa when connecting to a third country. Exhibitors promoted niche products such as coastal hiking routes and craft-shoe factory tours aimed at overseas Chinese and adventure travellers. Hong Kong retail giant Sincere Travel said it would begin chartering weekend flights to Wenzhou every Friday from September, bundling duty-free shopping vouchers with factory-outlet tours—a model previously reserved for Guangzhou. For Hong Kong-based corporates, the deals open new MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) options just 90 minutes away by air. Event planners cited lower venue costs—about 40 % cheaper than Shanghai—combined with simplified entry for foreign delegates transiting through Hong Kong. The expo appearance dovetails with Beijing’s push to diversify inbound flows beyond tier-one cities. Analysts believe secondary-city tie-ups with Hong Kong tour operators could help the SAR recapture its traditional role as a “super-connector,” facilitating smooth visa handling and packaged air-rail itineraries.
![Wenzhou leverages Hong Kong International Travel Expo to woo inbound tourists]()
To navigate these evolving entry rules, both individual travellers and corporate trip planners can lean on VisaHQ’s Hong Kong portal, which provides up-to-date guidance on the 144-hour visa-free transit regime and processes full mainland China visa applications when required. The online platform (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) offers document checks, courier pick-up, and expedited options, ensuring that passengers connecting through Hong Kong avoid last-minute paperwork snags.
Travel-risk consultants, however, advise companies to check that staff maintain valid multiple-entry mainland visas if itineraries exceed the 144-hour visa-free window, and to budget extra time for biometric fingerprinting on arrival at Wenzhou Airport during the pilot phase.
To navigate these evolving entry rules, both individual travellers and corporate trip planners can lean on VisaHQ’s Hong Kong portal, which provides up-to-date guidance on the 144-hour visa-free transit regime and processes full mainland China visa applications when required. The online platform (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) offers document checks, courier pick-up, and expedited options, ensuring that passengers connecting through Hong Kong avoid last-minute paperwork snags.
Travel-risk consultants, however, advise companies to check that staff maintain valid multiple-entry mainland visas if itineraries exceed the 144-hour visa-free window, and to budget extra time for biometric fingerprinting on arrival at Wenzhou Airport during the pilot phase.
