As the government is slowly all remaining Covid-19 limitations on inbound entries, Hong Kong is giving away 500,000 aircraft tickets to entice travelers back to the financial center. The tickets are valued at HK$2 billion. Tickets include prominent airlines like Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Airlines, and Hong Kong Express.
The Hong Kong Key Plan
British carrier Virgin Atlantic announced on Wednesday that it would cease operations in Hong Kong due to problems associated with the conflict in Ukraine. The British airline said that the continuing Russian airspace shutdown had created significant operational challenges that have led to the financial conclusion to not restart operations for March 2024 as planned.
“The agreement with the airline firms will be finalized by the airport authority. We’ll launch the advertising campaigns for complimentary airline tickets as soon as the government declares that it will abolish all Covid-19 limitations for incoming travelers “The Hong Kong Tourism Board’s executive director, Dane Cheng, said.
The free tickets, which were purchased to aid Hong Kong Airlines during the pandemic, were scheduled to be distributed by the city’s airport authority to travelers coming in and leaving the following year, according to Mr. Cheng.
However, Cheng on Wednesday stated that his organization would be in charge of the advertising campaign for said program, which was anticipated to release at the beginning of 2024 but is happening sooner. He further confirmed that the airport authority will finalize things with the airline companies while the tickets don’t stand for all the inbound tourists, a part of it is being planned to be given to the outbound travelers while some would be distributed by the travel agents.
In addition to bringing in its “Hong Kong Super Fans” for its global participation program, the organization has also extended invitations to the city to more than 500 members of the travel industry, media professionals who cover tourism, and other influential people.
Cheng further confirmed that a number of large-scale occasions would be conducted, along with the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival in November, to highlight the vibrant and dynamic nature of the city, according to Cheng.
For such occasions, he claimed, more than 400 eateries would provide special meals and offers of up to 30%. According to Sing Tao, the government predicted that it would require one to two quarters before tourists will return to the city after it lifted the final restrictions, which included a three-day movement ban.
Business organizations and industry leaders are already putting pressure on Chief Executive John Lee Ka-Chiu to present a road map defining Hong Kong’s period of stability, including the easing of all entrance restrictions for inbound tourists.
A slow revival
 On September 26, Hong Kong lifted its hotel quarantine rules and shortened its health surveillance period from four down to three days. The city has been isolated for the majority of the epidemic because of Covid-19 regulations, which has hurt its reputation as a major financial hub and its economy.
The “0+3” admission plan, which replaces the lodging quarantine requirement with a three-day surveillance period, was implemented by the government last week in an effort to boost tourism to Hong Kong. Travelers have to submit to daily Covid-19 testing for a week as part of the new regulations, and they are given an amber health code that prevents them from entering places like bars and restaurants that require vaccination checks.
The initial stage of the worldwide advertising campaign, according to Cheng, will concentrate on Asia as well as other short-haul regions in preparation for the permanent elimination of all travel restraints. However, he noted, the board would delay any significant promotions aimed at china until entry restrictions for the rest of the nation were loosened.
According to official statistics, Hong Kong had 184,000 foreign visitors during the initial eight months this year, more than double the 91,400 visitors that arrived during the entire year of 2021. However, it was a significant decrease from 56 million visitors in 2019.
