The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Uzbekistan have agreed to begin detailed discussions on a mutual visa-free arrangement that would allow travelers from both sides to stay for up to 30 days, marking a significant upgrade to current travel ties between the two places.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, who is leading a high-powered business delegation to Central Asia, met with Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov in Tashkent on Wednesday, where both sides exchanged views on formalizing the intent to advance the arrangement.

Under the existing setup, Hong Kong SAR passport holders may visit Uzbekistan visa-free for only 10 days, while Uzbek diplomatic and official passport holders can enter the SAR without a visa for 14 days. Ordinary Uzbek passport holders, however, still require a visa to visit the city.

"The two governments will promptly advance the specific implementation measures to bring the arrangement into effect as soon as possible," Lee said on his social media page.

The visa-free arrangement would enhance exchanges between the two places, stimulate tourism, study and commercial cooperation, lay a solid foundation for long-term economic and trade relations, and help the city tap into emerging markets in Central Asia, the CE added.

Giovanni Angelini, former CEO of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts and a board member of Quality Assessment Organizations and Education, said the arrangement is "definitely a positive move as personal and professional mobility has become a strategic asset in an increasingly interconnected world”.

"The more stable bilateral relationships (between the SAR and Central Asian countries), the better," said Angelini, who is also a professor of tourism and hospitality at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Fanny Yeung, executive director of the Travel Industry Council, told Radio Television Hong Kong that the launch of a Cathay Pacific direct flight to Almaty — Kazakhstan's largest city, set to begin in the first quarter of next year — would further boost the city's tourism prospects in the region.

Yeung said the city's tourism industry began engaging with Central Asian countries in 2024, when she led a delegation to the region to explore cooperation opportunities.

Visitor arrivals from Central Asia have not yet been separately categorized in Hong Kong's official tourism statistics.