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Before the pandemic, Hong Kong attracted around 56 million tourists a year, but after more than two years of the world’s toughest travel restrictions, the popular destination is now in a critical position to bring back tourists. Measures are being taken.
Days after lifting long-standing hotel quarantine requirements, Hong Kong confirmed plans to give away 500,000 airline tickets to boost tourism.
That movement, first announced Two years ago, a spokesperson for the Airports Authority of Hong Kong (AAHK) confirmed to CNN that 500,000 airline tickets (worth about $254.8 million) were sold to residents as well as tourists from around the world. It was said that it would be distributed.
“In 2020, the Hong Kong Airport Authority pre-purchased approximately 500,000 tickets from Hong Kong-based airlines as part of a relief package to support the aviation industry,” the spokesperson said. Ta.
“This purchase serves the purpose of pre-injecting liquidity into the airline, while tickets will be distributed to visitors and Hong Kong residents around the world in the market recovery campaign.”
Further details will be announced once relevant arrangements with airlines are finalized, they said.
Hong Kong has been largely cut off from the rest of the world due to coronavirus disease (Covid-19) quarantine rules, and at one point required arrivals to spend 21 days in a hotel room at their own expense, making them unable to live in Hong Kong. Only those who were allowed to enter the country were allowed to enter the country.
The quarantine period was shortened from the original seven days to three days. Officially abolished on September 26thMany residents now log on to airline websites to book flights.
Hong Kong’s flag carrier, Cathay Pacific, at one point set up a virtual “waiting room” for you to access its website, while online travel booking service Expedia now offers a search service for flights from Hong Kong to Tokyo. Searches for flights to Hong Kong jumped 9x and 11x. Interest in flights from Hong Kong to Osaka remains strong, said Lavinia Rajaram, Expedia’s head of communications for Asia.
“We want to give Hong Kong the maximum scope to reconnect and revitalize the economy,” Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said at a press conference on Friday.
However, even though hotel quarantine has been lifted, visitors to Hong Kong still face various rules and restrictions before and after their arrival.
Travelers entering the country from abroad must provide a pre-flight vaccination certificate and a negative PCR and rapid antigen test result before entering the country.
Once allowed into the country, visitors must undergo a three-day self-monitoring period during which they are prohibited from eating at restaurants or visiting bars.
Visitors must also complete a PCR test on days 2, 4, and 6 after arrival, and a rapid antigen test daily for 7 days.
