The first group of visitors from mainland under the "Honest and Quality Hong Kong Tour" arrived in Hong Kong yesterday at noon.

The 63-odd group was led by Du Jiang, Director of Beijing Tourism Administration. Forty-three of them will join a tour group while the remaining 20 are individual travellers. They would stay in the city for four days and three nights.

In a bid to win the hearts of mainland tourists, "Honest and Quality Hong Kong Tour" has been introduced by Hong Kong Tourism Board and Beijing Tourism Administration. The emphasis will be on sight-seeing and there will be no forced shopping.

On arrival at the airport, Jiang said that there were five accredited "Honest and Quality Hong Kong Tour operators" in Beijing.

"Hong Kong has always been a tourism hot spot for Beijing citizens. The popularity of Hong Kong in Beijing would remain with its increasing tourist attractions like the Hong Kong Disneyland," he said.

Through joint efforts, Jiang said, the administration would convey a good message to Beijing citizens about Hong Kong's charm. He hoped as many as 10,000 mainlanders would come to Hong Kong by Chinese New Year through the "Honest and Quality Hong Kong Tour".

To eliminate "zero-tour fee", he said there should be rules to bind the behaviour of tour operators, and he believed tour operators would not wish "to struggle over the margin of profit".

Jiang was confident that "zero-tour fee" could be tackled with cooperation from Hong Kong and Beijing.

In order to promote tourism, he added, it is important to ensure a mature consumer market.

"Consumer should be aware that going after low price alone would create problems. If consumers have a rational judgement in making a decision, the malpractice of some tour operators could be eliminated," he said.

Clara Chong, Executive Director of Hong Kong Tourism Board who greeted the group at the airport, said the Tourism Board was satisfied with the number of mainland tourists that visited Hong Kong through the first "Honest and Quality Hong Kong Tour".

She said Beijing citizens would not mind spending more to get a quality travel service.

"The most important thing for Hong Kong is to build our reputation for a long-term healthy image. We would continue to work closely with Beijing Tourism Administration," she said.

Tour fee for "Honest and Quality Hong Kong Tour" is 3,780 yuan per person, a double price of other mainland tours to Hong Kong. However, tourists believed they would get money's worth.

The 20-something Zhao Na came with her boyfriend. She joined the tour hoping to get quality service and shop freely.

She visited Hong Kong twice before by joining "zero-tour fee" and was forced by tour guides to shop things she did not like which was more expensive than its original price.

Zhao said if she was happy with the tour this time she would join the "Honest and Quality Hong Kong Tour" to Hong Kong again.

A couple Andy Wan, 28, and Annie Wan, 26, visited Hong Kong for the first time. They said although the tour fee was more expensive, the tour had better accommodation and food.

Earlier, they experienced "zero-tour fee" in mainland and the tour guide was miffed when they did not shop. By joining the tour they hoped to shop more freely in the special economic region.

The couple, however, came here primarily for shopping, costly watch and jewellery.

For Bob Zhang and Viven Zhang, another couple, it was the first visit to Hong Kong and they were impressed by the arrangement.

They said they chose quality service over cheap tour fee. They had a thorough understanding about itinerary and nature of the tour before they paid for it.

They took the "Honest and Quality Hong Kong Tour" because it offered them a lot of free time for sight-seeing.

They also liked the itinerary because they could celebrate their wedding anniversary at the Hong Kong Disneyland on November 16.

They expressed satisfaction with the service provided and itinerary arranged by their travel agency. They would surely recommend the tour to friends and would visit Hong Kong again.

Yesterday afternoon the tour visited Wong Tai Sin Temple, the Repulse Bay, the Golden Bauhinia Square and had dinner at Lei Yue Mun in the evening.