(Adopted at the Thirty-Second Session of the Standing Committee of the Ninth Zhuhai Municipal People’s Congress on September 29, 2020; amended pursuant to the Decision on Amending the Regulations of Zhuhai Special Economic Zone on the Professional Practice of Hong Kong and Macao Tourism Practitioners in Hengqin New Area, adopted at the Nineteenth Session of the Standing Committee of the Tenth Zhuhai Municipal People’s Congress on December 29, 2023)

Article 1.To advance the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin (hereinafter referred to as the “Cooperation Zone”), and the Hengqin International Leisure Tourism Island, and to facilitate convenient and orderly service provision within the Cooperation Zone by tourism practitioners from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region (hereinafter referred to as “Hong Kong” and “Macao” respectively), these Regulations are formulated in accordance with the fundamental principles of applicable laws and administrative regulations, pursuant to the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Master Plan for the Construction of Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, the Hengqin International Leisure Tourism Island Construction Scheme, and the Regulations on Promoting the Development of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, and considering the Cooperation Zone’s actual circumstances.

Article 2. For purposes of these Regulations, “Hong Kong and Macao tourism practitioner” refers to Hong Kong residents holding valid Hong Kong tour guide or escort licenses, and Macao residents holding valid Macao tour guide cards.

Article 3. Hong Kong and Macao tourism practitioners meeting prescribed conditions and having completed lawful registration may provide guiding, commentary, and related tourist services within the Cooperation Zone.

Article 4. Hong Kong and Macao tourism practitioners applying for registration in the Cooperation Zone shall satisfy the following requirements:

(1) Hold a valid Hong Kong Identity Card and a tour guide or escort license (for Hong Kong residents), or hold a valid Macao Resident Identity Card and a tour guide card (for Macao residents);

(2) Hold a valid Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents;

(3) Be free from communicable diseases;

(4) Have no criminal record, excluding negligence offenses.

Article 5. Qualified Hong Kong and Macao tourism practitioners may apply for registration with the Cooperation Zone’s tourism authority (hereinafter referred to as the “tourism authority”). Upon completing training and certification, they will receive a specialized certificate authorizing them to practice in the Cooperation Zone (hereinafter referred to as the “practitioner certificate”).

Article 6. The validity of the practitioner certificate shall correspond to the validity of the holder’s Hong Kong or Macao professional registration. If a certificate holder’s Hong Kong tour guide or escort license, or Macao tour guide card, is suspended or revoked during this period, the practitioner certificate shall automatically be suspended or rendered invalidated.

Upon expiration, certificate holders may apply for renewal under the same conditions applicable to the initial registration.

Article 7. Certificate holders practicing in the Cooperation Zone shall act under the assignment of a travel agency operating within the Cooperation Zone.

Article 8. During their practice within the Cooperation Zone, certificate holders shall wear the dedicated practitioner certificate for tourism personnel of the Cooperation Zone, comply with tourism laws, regulations, and rules of the Chinese mainland, including the Tourism Law of the People’s Republic of China, the Tourism Regulations of Guangdong Province, and the Tourism Regulations of the Zhuhai Special Economic Zone. Certificate holders shall uphold professional ethics and facilitate healthy and civilized tourism practices.

Article 9. The tourism authority will supervise certificate holders’ professional activities within the Cooperation Zone in accordance with applicable tourism laws, regulations, and rules of the Chinese mainland, and will impose penalties for any violations thereof.

Article 10. Hong Kong and Macao tourism practitioners engaging in guiding or escorting activities in the Cooperation Zone without proper registration shall be penalized by the tourism authority according to laws, regulations, and rules of the Chinese mainland on unauthorized guiding or escorting by individuals without valid qualifications.

Article 11. If a certificate holder commits a violation of tourism laws, regulations, or rules of the Chinese mainland in the Cooperation Zone that warrants license revocation, the tourism authority will cancel their registration, revoke the practitioner certificate, and prohibit them from registration applications for five years.

If a certificate holder receives three or more administrative penalties for such violations within the Cooperation Zone within two years, the tourism authority will lawfully suspend their practitioner certificate for three months to one year. If their practitioner certificate is suspended twice within two years, the authority will cancel their registration, revoke the practitioner certificate, and prohibit their from registration applications for five years.

Article 12. The tourism authority will publish certificate holders’ professional performance on the Cooperation Zone’s official website and inform the Hong Kong Tourism Commission, Hong Kong Travel Industry Council, Macao Government Tourism Office, and relevant Macao industry associations.

Article 13. The Cooperation Zone’s Executive Committee may, based on actual circumstances, facilitate service activities within the Cooperation Zone for Hong Kong and Macao tourism practitioners other than tour guides and escorts.

Article 14. Detailed procedures for the registration and management of Hong Kong and Macao tourism practitioners will be separately prescribed by the tourism authority.

Article 15. These Regulations will take effect on December 1, 2020.

This English translation is for reference only. The Chinese version shall prevail in case of any inconsistencies.