On March 6, Qingdao began to officially issue individual travel endorsements for Hong Kong and Macao to registered residents and residence permit holders in the city. On the first day, the number of entry-exit permits for travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao and endorsements issued by the Qingdao Immigration Bureau saw an day-on-day increase of about 30%. Since the individual visit scheme for Chinese mainland residents travelling to Hong Kong and Macao was launched in 2003, a surging number of tourists from the Chinese mainland has visited Hong Kong and Macao, thereby driving the sustained development of tourism and even the economy in the two regions.

Reportedly, eligible residents in Qingdao can choose among 6 options, namely single entry endorsement in three months, two-entry in three months, single entry in one year and two-entry in one year for travelling to Hong Kong, and single entry endorsement in three months and single entry in one year for travelling to Macao. Individual travel endorsement holders are permitted to stay in Hong Kong or Macao for a maximum period of 7 days in a single journey.

To facilitate the implementation of the new convenience-for-people policy on issuing individual travel endorsements for travelling to Hong Kong or Macao, the entry and exit administration division of Qingdao Municipal Bureau of Public Security has painstakingly made preparations in advance and worked hard to make the new policy more effective by adding service windows in the reception hall for entry and exit administration, increasing service personnel for guidance, stepping up technological support and training all staff members, among other measures.

Qingdao citizens are applying for entry and exit permits in an orderly manner. By Liang Chao