February 15, 2025

Banos Online

Traveling Around the World

Why Hong Kong Is Providing Absent Half a Million Airline Tickets

Why Hong Kong Is Providing Absent Half a Million Airline Tickets

Hong Kong will hand out 500,000 air tickets to convey in significantly-wanted site visitors as element of a global publicity marketing campaign unveiled on Thursday.

The city’s leader John Lee introduced the giveaway at the start of the Howdy Hong Kong marketing campaign at a briefing, stating it was “probably the world’s biggest welcome at any time.” Lee highlighted a amount of situations coming up together with the Rugby Sevens and city marathon in a speech given in English, Mandarin and Cantonese.

The govt is in search of to revive the financial system and maintenance Hong Kong’s world graphic which was ruined by often-violent protests in 2019, the imposition of tough safety rules in 2020 and 3 years of self-imposed isolation all through the pandemic. Gross domestic product shrank 3.5% final 12 months, its 3rd contraction in 4 a long time.

The tickets will be dispersed by means of Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., its spending plan carrier HK Convey as very well as Hong Kong Airlines Worldwide Holdings Ltd., Fred Lam, chief executive officer of the city’s Airport Authority, said at the briefing. The giveaway will start out at the start of March and final 6 months, he reported, including there will be diverse techniques to win tickets, such as a lottery procedure and two-for-1 purchases.

Hong Kong obtained some 605,000 readers last yr as the metropolis little by little dropped its Covid constraints, up from 91,000 in 2021, according to the nearby tourism board. That compares with just about 56 million in 2019 ahead of the pandemic hit.

The ticket giveaway could strain airlines. Cathay Pacific’s flight capability at the end of past year was 32% of its pre-Covid level. Hong Kong was Asia’s busiest global airport prior to Covid. The Airport Authority bought the tickets in 2020 as aspect of a HK$2 billion ($255 million) rescue package deal for the airline market.

The metropolis will also hand out 80,000 air tickets to Hong Kong residents in the summer season, and an additional 80,000 to residents of the Better Bay Space, Lam stated.

Moves are underway to increase the range of people from the rest of the state. Screening prerequisites and a quota system for mainland Chinese readers are established to be dropped, even though 3 a lot more border crossings with the mainland will reopen as early as Monday, the South China Morning Put up claimed. The border reopened last thirty day period for the very first time in 3 many years.

Natixis SA estimates Hong Kong’s economic climate shed $27 billion in prospective development due to the consequences of the pandemic and the city’s rigorous Covid curbs.

Hong Kong’s only remaining pandemic-period restriction is required mask putting on in general public places. The city’s leader Lee stated this week he hopes to eliminate the mask mandate when the wintertime surge is above, without offering dates.

— With aid from Jill Disis, Danny Lee and Olivia Tam.

A lot more Have to-Reads From TIME


Get hold of us at [email protected].