As one of the most unique attractions in Hong Kong, Ngong Ping 360 is one of the world's top 10 amazing cable car rides. [Photo/VCG] HONG KONG - Around 1.83 million tourists visited Ngong Ping 360 in 2018, a famous tourist attraction in Hong Kong, up 75 percent from 2017, Ngong Ping 360 operator told the press on Tuesday. The average number of tourists per day increased by about 6 percent to 5,385, reaching a 10-year high, according to statistics released by Ngong Ping 360. In 2018, more than 50 percent of tourists were from foreign countries, 27 percent from the Chinese mainland and Macao, and 15 percent from Hong Kong. Last year saw an apparent growth in the number of tourists, Andy Lau, the acting managing director of Ngong Ping 360, said. He explained that the growth was brought by the official operation of two cross-border infrastructures, namely the Hong Kong section of Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. Before the official operation of the two infrastructures, we introduced our products to local travel agencies in the Chinese mainland and delivered customized offerings. During the Chinese New Year holiday, from Feb 5 to Feb 11 this year, the average number of tourists per day increased by 12 percent, Lau said. We will forge close partnerships with large-scale e-commerce platforms in the Chinese mainland, and introduce more high-end products to tourists in order to explore a bigger market in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Lau said. custom bar braceletcustom sports braceletscustom logo wristbandsde securite pour personne ageeembossed wristbandscolorfilled wristbandsembossed printed wristbandsdual layer wristbands
Pharmacists work at a hospital in Enshi, Central China's Hubei province. [Photo/VCG] BEIJING - The government will allow inclusion of more medicines for serious diseases in the list of medical insurance reimbursement, following a successful attempt in 2018, said a senior health official Tuesday. The government will try to lower the prices of these medicines through negotiations with pharmaceutical firms, said Xiong Xianjun, a senior official with the National Healthcare Security Administration, at a press conference held in Beijing. Seventeen types of cancer medicines were included on China's medical insurance reimbursement list last year, with their payment standards 56.7 percent lower than their retail prices on average. By the end of last year, Chinese hospitals and pharmacies purchased 1.84 million doses of the cancer medicines at the lower prices reached by the government with suppliers, according to Xiong. They paid 562 million yuan (about $83.88 million) for the medicines, 918 million yuan less than if the medicines were sold at the retail price, he said. The medical insurance fund paid out 256 million yuan to the insurance policy takers for the cost of the medicines in 2018, he added.
