Hong Kong to Give Away 500,000 Air Tickets to Revive Tourism

Hong Kong will hand out 500,000 air tickets to bring in much-needed visitors as part of a global publicity campaign unveiled on Thursday.

The city’s leader John Lee announced the giveaway at the launch of the Hello Hong Kong campaign at a briefing, saying it was “probably the world’s biggest welcome ever.” Lee highlighted a number of events coming up including the Rugby Sevens and city marathon in a speech given in English, Mandarin and Cantonese.

.... If you're looking for a fun trip and a free flight, it might be time to turn your eye to Hong Kong.

On Thursday, the city's leader John Lee announced Hong Kong is giving away 500,000 plane tickets this year to encourage tourism. The giveaway will begin in March and last six months, according to Hong Kong's Airport Authority.

Fred Lam, chief executive officer of Hong Kong's Airport Authority, added that there will be various ways of winning the tickets, including a lottery system and two-for-one purchases. In 2020, the Airport Authority spent $2 billion to buy tickets from airlines, including HK Express, Cathay Pacific Airways, and Hong Kong Airlines.

Hong Kong will also give away 80,000 flights to city residents this summer, and another to 80,000 residents of the Greater Bay Area of southern China, where Hong Kong is located.

It's all part of the government's plan to revive the city's economy after its self-imposed three-year isolation during the pandemic, political turmoil due to controversial security laws going into effect in 2020 and widespread protests in 2019.

The city's "Hello Hong Kong" campaign will include events like the Rugby Sevens tournament and a city marathon.

.. Why has Hong Kong lost tourists in the last 4 years?

The city has faced difficult obstacles during the last four years. One of the most pivotal was the response to the pro-democracy protests in 2019. Demonstrators and police clashed, and some of the protests turned into riots that significantly damaged parts of the city. The central government responded a year later with a law that allowed law enforcement “to criminalize speech and stifle dissent,” and pro-democracy leaders were arrested during that time, The New York Times reported.

And then there was the COVID-19 pandemic. Borders were sealed and strict quarantines and COVID-19 restrictions were imposed. Those have lessened but aren’t gone completely.

The city continues a mandatory indoor and outdoor mask requirement, and violators who get caught could be fined up to $1,275, per The Times.

If you want to be one of ticket winners, here’s how to do it, according to CNN. There will be three rounds of giveaways.

March 1: Tickets will be available to residents of Southeast Asia. April 1: Tickets open up to residents of mainland China.

May 1: The rest of the world can apply for the free tickets.

July 1: Hong Kong locals can try for some of the city’s tickets for residents to “make up for lost travel time,” per CNN.

Ref: Hong Kong to Give Away 500,000 Air Tickets to Revive Tourism (bloomberg, cnbc, deseret)