In a bid to attract tourists after a pandemic-induced tourism slowdown Hong Kong leader John Lee unveiled a promotion campaign that will include 5,00,000 free flights to lure visitors, businesses and investors back to the financial hub.
Background
Hong Kong was slow and cautious in its approach to handling the pandemic.
It started canceling in-person events in January 2020 when the first cases started to emerge.
Traveling in and out of Hong Kong was challenging and expensive due to strict quarantines, which peaked at 21 days of isolation, along with requirements for multiple PCR tests which alienated the majority of travelers.
Travelers were hit hard since these quarantines were served in hotels and had to be paid for by them.
Those who tested positive on arrival were sent to government facilities.
Entry into the city was restricted to Hong Kong residents.
How to bring them back
The rebranding campaign, “Hello, Hong Kong”, promotes itself by means of an effort to tell “good stories” where years of political repression, coupled with pandemic curbs, have tarnished its business-friendly reputation.
This initiative was unveiled on Thursday but has been in the works for over two years.
Tickets will be spread out among the city’s three airlines – flag carrier Cathay Pacific, HK Express and Hong Kong Airlines.
The 500,000 tickets cost the city about $254.8 million in total.
How to claim it
Those interested in the initiative can visit the World of Winners splash page starting March 1 to enter their names into the flight ticket lottery.
The tickets will be allocated in three waves: from March 1 to people across Southeast Asia, from April 1 to people living in mainland China and from May 1 to residents in the rest of the world.
Locals can also participate.
From July 1, some airline tickets will be given out to Hong Kongers eager for a chance to make up for lost travel time.
However, the ticket winners will find a different Hong Kong than before, since some beloved local attractions like the Jumbo Kingdom floating restaurant, have closed permanently.
Others, like the famous Peak Tram, have gotten a makeover during the pandemic.
Perks in the new Hong Kong
The programme offers perks such as “no isolation, no quarantine and no restrictions” which Chief Executive John Lee announced was set to benefit business and tourism heavyweights.
He announced 500,000 free air tickets for visitors to experience the city’s “hustle and bustle”, which will start in March, with another 80,000 tickets up for grabs for residents in the summer.
“This, ladies and gentlemen, is probably the world’s biggest welcome ever,” Lee said.
The campaign launched in a flashy event with dancers and flashing neon lights in the city’s main convention Centre beside its famous harbour.
Airlines Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Express and Hong Kong Airlines will receive free flight tickets to be distributed to overseas visitors for six months from March 1.
Battered by pandemic
Hong Kong was largely closed off to the rest of the world for the better part of the last 3 years in an effort to battle the pandemic.
To that extent it issued mandatory quarantine of up to three weeks for arrivals, as well as intensive testing and screening.
It saw a paltry 6,00,000 visitors in 2022, less than one percent of 2018’s figure.
Before the pandemic, Hong Kong saw 56 million visitors in a typical year.
Beyond tourism
It wasn’t just foreign tourists that were spooked since the financial hub experienced its largest population drop since 1961, going down 1.6%.
Over 130 international companies have shuttered their Hong Kong offices over the past three years, while a recent survey of 253 Japanese companies showed securing quality workers was their top concern.
Official figures show that more than 1,40,000 people left Hong Kong’s labour force last year, when the economy contracted by 3.5 per cent.
