Hong Kong will give away air tickets and vouchers to woo tourists back after a “zero-COVID” strategy during the pandemic. The international financial hub is racing to catch up with other popular travel destinations.
“We hope those who secure the air tickets can bring two or three more relatives and friends to the city. Although we are just giving away 500,000 air tickets, we believe this can help bring Hong Kong over 1.5 million visitors,” Lam said.
The airlines will distribute the tickets in phases, with the Southeast Asian markets set to benefit in the first stage, he said. An additional 80,000 air tickets will be given away to Hong Kong residents in the summer, Lam said. Those living in the Greater Bay Area will also benefit from the policy that offers over 700,000 tickets in total. The Greater Bay Area is a Chinese government initiative to link Hong Kong with neighboring mainland cities, including the technology and finance hub of Shenzhen and the manufacturing powerhouses of Dongguan and Foshan.
Hong Kong received 56 million visitors in 2019 — over seven times its population — before the pandemic began. But its over the past three years, devastating the tourism sector and its economy. The city’s GDP last year fell 3.5 % from 2021, according to the government’s provisional data.rule and PCR tests for incoming travelers, resulting in a slight increase in arrival figures. Still, its 2022 visitor numbers were just 1% of the 2019 level.This story has been corrected to reflect that the program was launched on Thursday, not Wednesday.
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