He said the airlines would distribute tickets in phases, with Southeast Asian markets benefiting in the first phase. Hong Kong will give away air tickets and vouchers to attract tourists back to the international financial hub. Which is racing to compete with other popular travel destinations in a fierce regional competition. During the pandemic, the city has largely aligned itself with mainland China’s “zero-Covid” strategy and relaxed. Its entry rules are months slower than rivals such as Singapore, Japan, and Taiwan. Even after China reopened its border with mainland China in January, the tourism recovery was sluggish.
Big Welcome Hong Kong Tourism Campaign
On Wednesday, Chief Executive John Lee launched a “Hello Hong Kong” tourism campaign, saying the city would offer 500,000 free air tickets to welcome tourists from around the world, which he described as “probably the world’s most expensive holiday ever”. Big welcome”. “Hong Kong is now connected to mainland China and the entire international world and there will be no isolation, no quarantine,” he said at a ceremony. “It’s the perfect time for tourists, business travelers, and investors to come and say, ‘hello, Hong Kong.’
Under the campaign, the majority of plane tickets – 2 billion Hong Kong dollars ($255 million) – will come from the three Hong Kong-based airlines through various promotional activities, including lucky draws, “buy one, get one free” promotions & games. , Airport Authority CEO Fred Lamm said the project would begin in March and last about six months. “We hope that those who acquire air tickets can bring two or three more relatives and friends to the city. Although we are only giving away 500,000 air tickets, we believe this will help bring more than 1.5 million visitors to Hong Kong Can be found,” Lam said.
He said the airlines would distribute tickets in phases, with Southeast Asian markets benefiting in the first phase. Lam said an additional 80,000 air tickets would be given to Hong Kong residents over the summer. Those living in the Greater Bay Area will also benefit from the policy, which offers more than 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.