Tourists hailing from eight mainland cities will be welcomed with HK$200 vouchers for restaurants and shops, Chief Executive John Lee said on Tuesday.

Last week, the central government added eight new cities, including Urumqi, Hohhot and Heilongjiang to the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS), allowing residents to travel to the SAR without joining a tour group.

Speaking ahead of the weekly Executive Council meeting, Lee said he expects visitors from the eight cities to provide a large boost to Hong Kong's tourism sector.

"The IVS is the main source of tourists for Hong Kong. It contributed 60 percent of all mainland tourist arrivals last year. The eight cities come with large populations and they also have significant economic growth, with high spending power," he said.

"The eight cities are located in the north, northwest and northeast of China respectively. They are further away from Hong Kong, when compared with the other cities under the IVS. This will bring in a lot of overnight visitors, largely increase per capita spending, and revenues from tourism and related sectors will increase exponentially."

Lee said the authorities have a series of measures to attract more tourists, including the HK$200 vouchers.

He added that a drone show at the weekend received rave reviews.

"Our purpose is to let locals and visitors feel the joy, when they participate in these activities. We hope to use activities to bring liveliness, and use liveliness to bring more money," he said.