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John Lee, the chief executive of Hong Kong, unveiled a brand-new tourist campaign. "Hello Hong Kong" is the name of the outstanding campaign to attract tourists and revive tourism. He claimed that the renowned city would provide 5,000 free air tickets to welcome guests from around the world.
After 3 years of self-imposed isolation due to the COVID outbreak and frequently violent protests in 2019, the government is attempting to recover the economy and restore Hong Kong's reputation abroad. The 3.5% decline in the gross domestic product last year was the third decrease in four years.
Fred Lam, the chief executive of the city's Airport Authority, announced during the conference that the tickets would be given by Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., its low-cost airline HK Express, along with Hong Kong Airlines International Holdings Limited.
The six-month offer will start at the beginning of March, he said, adding that there would be many ways to win tickets, including a lottery system & two-for-one buys. The Southeast Asian markets are expected to benefit first from the airline distribution of the tickets, he said. According to Mr. Lam, an additional 80,000 flying tickets will be distributed to Hong Kong residents over the summer.
The policy, which provides a total of more than 700,000 tickets, will also assist residents of the Greater Bay Area. The Greater Bay Area is a project of the Chinese government to connect Hong Kong to nearby mainland cities, such as the financial and technology center of Shenzhen as well as the manufacturing powerhouses of Dongguan & Foshan.
Along with other incentives, the city also offers special deals and vouchers to visitors, according to Mr. Lee. In 2019, Hong Kong welcomed 56 million tourists, more than 7 times its population.
But over the past 3 years, its strict Covid regulations have driven away tourists, bringing down the country's tourism industry and economy. The city's GDP decreased by 3.5 percent from 2021, according to figures from the government.
Hong Kong has just stopped requiring hotel quarantines & PCR tests for arriving travelers, which has led to a modest increase in arrival numbers. Even yet, the number of visitors in 2022 was just 1% higher than in 2019.
The free tickets may put pressure on the airlines. At the end of the previous year, 32% of Cathay Pacific's pre-Covid flying capacity remained. Before Covid, Hong Kong was Asia's busiest international airport. In 2020, as part of a HK$2 billion rescue plan for the airline industry, the Airport Authority bought the tickets.
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