Years of harsh pandemic restrictions have battered Hong Kong’s once-thriving tourism sector and related industries. Now that those restrictions are finally (mostly) lifted, the city is making a major push to persuade tourists to return, spearheaded by an initiative to give away 500,000 free airline tickets
The ticket giveaway details were revealed yesterday as part of the rollout of the city’s new HK$2 billion (US$255 million) ‘Hello Hong Kong’ tourism campaign.
The giveaway starts on March 1 and the first phase of tickets will be aimed at tourists from Southeast Asia. Later phases will target mainland China and other markets.
The three participating airlines are Cathay Pacific, HK Express and Hong Kong Airlines. Each airline will have its own mechanisms for distributing its tickets and you will need to register on their individual websites starting on March 1 to be eligible.
The official Hong Kong International Airport “World of Winners” Tickets Giveaway Campaign Information Sheet notes: “The ticket will be given away by different types of activities such as lucky draw, first-come-first-served, or ‘Buy 1 or more – Get 1 Free’, as arranged by the participating airlines depending on airlines’ plan and local regulations.”
It also notes that all tickets will be for Economy Class, and “all related surcharges, fees and taxes would be borne by the winners”.
In addition to the 500,000 tickets being given away to overseas travellers, around 80,000 tickets will be given away to Hong Kong residents in the summer of 2023.
Overseas travelers to Hong Kong are no longer required to quarantine after arrival, but they must provide proof they are fully vaccinated and tested negative using a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) conducted within 24 hours or PCR-based nucleic acid test conducted within 48 hours prior to their scheduled time of departure.
