The government of Hong Kong has announced plans to give away 500,000 free airline tickets. It is a way to revive its tourism industry and attract visitors to the city.
The authority unveiled the “Hello Hong Kong” initiative on Thursday. But they have worked for over two years. The government will give the tickets to the city’s three airlines.
These are the flag carrier Cathay Pacific, HK Express, and Hongkong Airlines. The 500,000 tickets cost the authority about $254.8 million in total.
It is An Initiative to Bring Back Travel
This Chinese-controlled area was slow and cautious in its approach to the pandemic. The city began to cancel in-person events in January 2020.
It is when the Chinese found the patients exhibiting symptoms of a new flu-like disease in Wuhan. It was expensive and challenging to travel in Hong Kong during the pandemic.
The authority imposed strict quarantines, which peaked at 21 days of isolation. It also includes remnants for many PCR tests.
All these things create obstacles for travelers traveling to Hong Kong. The government prepared hotels for quarantines of travelers. Travelers have to pay for these hotels.
The government sent corona-positive people on arrival test at their facilities. They restricted entry into the city to Hong Kong residents.
A Facebook group helped Hong Kongers support each other through the challenging period. Some members used to share food deliveries in this Facebook group.
Some used to advise about coping with solitude and trading exercise tips. Hong Kong saw 56 million visitors in a typical year before the pandemic.
By the year 2022, that number had fallen to about 100,000. It was not only foreign tourists who were staying away.
The vibrant city experienced its highest population drop since 1961. It was going down 1.6%. The chief executive John Lee announced in September 2022 that quarantines would end.
But some people became worried it might be too late. The city is trying to revitalize itself after the Covid-19 pandemic.
The authority has taken steps to bring back many tourists. There is a chance of being successful, without any doubt.
Tourism is one of the valuable earning sources of Hong Kong, without any doubt. The government earns thousands of dollars every year from tourism in this place.
There are many attractive places in this great city of Asia and China. Many people love to travel and enjoy the vibrant life of Hong Kong without any doubt.
This city is also famous as an economic center of Asia and the rest of the world. It has many business headquarters where people related to business come every year.
How The Giveaway Works
Travelers eager to travel to Hong Kong can visit the World of Winners splash page starting March 1. They have to enter their names into the flight ticket lottery.
The authority will give the tickets in three waves. They will begin on 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.
The local people of Hong Kong can get in on the action, too. From July 1, the authority will give some airline tickets to Hong Kongers.
It is those people who are eager for a chance to make up for lost travel time. The people who have been to Hong Kong before will find a different city than the one they may remember.
Some famous local attractions, like the Jumbo Kingdom floating restaurant, have closed. Others, like the famous Peak Tram, have gotten a new makeover during the pandemic.