Travellers purchasing a plane ticket to fly out of Hong Kong from October 1 will have to pay HK$200 in air passenger departure tax (APDT) instead of the current HK$120, the government announced on Wednesday.

The tax increase was announced by Financial Secretary Paul Chan when he delivered his budget blueprint last month. The measure is expected to boost government revenue by about HK$1.6 billion each year.

In a statement, officials say some passengers will continue to be exempted from the tax.

They include passengers under the age of 12, direct transit passengers, those taking connecting flights, as well as passengers who arrive at and depart Hong Kong by plane on the same day.

Passengers who get to the Hong Kong International Airport by ship, or by vehicle via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, will also be waived, provided that they remain in the restricted area at all times.

"The APDT was last increased more than 20 years ago in 2003-04. The proposed increase constitutes only a very small portion of the overall travelling cost for the general public and travellers to Hong Kong. The impact on air passengers is expected to be minimal,” a government spokesman said.

The Air Passenger Departure Tax (Amendment) Bill will be gazetted on Friday, and it will be tabled at the Legislative Council for first reading and the commencement of the second reading debate on March 19.