CNN
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Market vendor Mr. Chan used to be on one of the busiest streets in Hong Kong.
“There are no tourists now, whatsoever,” he says. Mr Chan sells silver earrings, necklaces and scarves on Tung Choi Street in Kowloon, famous for its robust night market.
The last three years have been harsh on him. Before the pandemic, he used to keep his stall open till 10 pm, but these days he closes at 7 pm
He expects rapid change with the end of the quarantine, which has had a devastating effect on businesses dependent on tourism.
Hong Kong has taken steps in recent days to re-open itself to the world, first by lifting its mandatory three-day hotel quarantine, then announcing a global banking summit in November.
The city also plans to give 500,000 million airline ticketsapproximately $254.8 million, to global visitors, along with residents, as part of a “market recovery campaign”.
Authorities hope the moves will revive Hong Kong’s status as an international trade and travel hub, but some locals believe it may be too late for change.
lifting of quarantine Greeted with enthusiasm by the city’s residents, who have endured devastating pandemic measures for more than two years.
At its strictest, Hong Kong’s quarantine rules require arriving travelers to spend 21 days in a hotel room paid for at their own expense. Only Hong Kong residents were allowed entry.
Those unlucky enough to come from certain regions or countries where coronavirus cases are high may find themselves in government run facility,
As a result, travel to and from the financial center was at a record low.
Once the end of the quarantine was announced on Friday, 30 September, travel-hungry Hong Kongers flocked to book flights online. The city’s flag carrier, Cathay Pacific, set up a virtual “waiting room” to visit its website, where hold times can easily stretch to 30 minutes.
Online travel booking service Expedia said its website also saw a 9-fold increase in searches for flights from Hong Kong to Tokyo and an 11-fold increase for flights from Hong Kong to Osaka.
However, interest in flights to Hong Kong remains unchanged, said Lavinia Rajaram, Expedia’s Asia head of public relations.
Although the hotel quarantine may have ended, the city still enforces a 3-day period during which visitors are barred from eating at restaurants or visiting bars. That and complicated immigration requirements, including pre-flight vaccination certificates and negative tests, may put off potential visitors.
In November, Hong Kong plans to host the International Rugby Sevens tournament, which has been held annually since 1976 except for the last two years. A popular spectacle that attracted fans from overseas before the pandemic, it is questionable how many will brave the border restrictions.
While drinking is permitted, food will be banned at the ceremony. According to the city government, fans will be required to wear their masks at all times except when drinking.
Hong Kong’s Asian neighbors including Japan, Taiwan and South Korea took steps in past weeks to remove any remaining barriers to travel, making them more attractive destinations for international travelers.
Another cloud hanging over the forecast is the ongoing zero-Covid regime in mainland China. In 2019, the last year before travel was heavily restricted, 78% of visitors to the city came from the mainland,
The government’s effort to reopen and promote the city came too late for Maxence Travers, a restaurant owner who had to close his business Honi Honi Tiki Bar last year.
He says the nine-year-old bar could not survive the 2019 protests and the pandemic. After a gap of six months, he opened a restaurant in the city’s Tai Hang neighborhood but is struggling to keep it going, he said.
Travers’ business is one of many in the food and beverage industry that closed permanently during the pandemic. Some of the city’s iconic Cantonese restaurants – including Mido Cafe, Jimmy’s Kitchen and Lin Heung Tea House – have also closed their doors.
Travers was deeply troubled when he saw an interview with Hong Kong’s Health Secretary Lo Chung-mau, in which Lo said Hong Kong would continue to open up until a new Covid variant emerged.
“I cried. Depression. Really hard, that hard feeling. I said, ‘Not again.’ About the third year in a row. You know, it’s been tough,” Travers said.
They believe that reopening the city will not be enough to restore them to where they were 12 years ago.
“We need to provide impetus to Hong Kong, because we have lost too many things right now,” he said.