Hong Kong’s new global promotion campaign will “kickstart” the city’s reopening to international travelers, the Hong Kong Tourism Board told CNBC.Squawk Box Asia” on Friday.
As part of the “Hello Hong Kong” campaign, which was launched on Thursday, 500,000 air tickets will be given Starting from March, in the next six months.
Tickets will be offered through three Hong Kong carriers – Cathay Pacific, HK Express and Hong Kong Airlines.
part of free ticket HK$2 billion ($255 million) relief package that the government offered to airlines in 2020 during the height of the pandemic.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board is also investing at least HK$100 million in promotion for the initial phase of the campaign. at the launch event,
But Hong Kong still faces a “dilemma” – its infrastructure has some catching up to do to accommodate the increase in visitors, said Dan Cheng, executive director of the tourism board.
“I think that dilemma, we’re really seeing from other markets and destinations when they start to reopen over the past year. It’s been difficult to get hold of … especially airlines, airports and even For hotels,” he told CNBC.
,[But] You want to kickstart and … tell the world in one clear message that Hong Kong and then the mainland – we have finally reopened.”
How are tickets allotted
The ticketing will be phased out: it will start with Southeast Asian markets, followed by mainland China and northern Asia, and eventually other parts of the world.
Some 80,000 tickets have also been reserved for Hong Kong residents, which authorities aim to deliver over the summer.
Cheng said the number of tickets for each zone was based on “traffic share” and visitor numbers before the pandemic.
Fred Lam, CEO of the Airport Authority of Hong Kong, also hopes that the free tickets will have a multiplier effect on the number of visitors.
He said, ‘We hope that those who have got tickets will also bring two-three friends and family with them. [to Hong Kong],” according to CNBC’s translation of Lam’s remarks at the campaign launch.
“Even though we are only giving away 500,000 air tickets, we believe this will bring in more than 1.5 million tourists,” Lam said. This is approximately 10% of the total number of visitors expected during the campaign period.
How visitors can get their hands on these free tickets will depend on “local market regulations and customs”.
,[That] Large-scale lucky draws may be involved, Lam said, may be awarded on a first-come-first-served basis, may be offered to buy one free ticket, or through game participation.
‘Reopened very clearly’
China said on Friday Cross-border travel with Hong Kong and Macao Will resume fully from February 6, mandatory pre-departure testing and lifting of arrival quotas, According to a report by Reuters.
“I think it’s very clear that the Hong Kong government and our mainland central government have also been very prudent and they [made] It is very clear that everything wants to restart in an orderly and progressive way,” Cheng said.
He said that before the pandemic, Hong Kong had “more than 25 million overnight visitors” each year, and that it would take time for the city to “get back” those numbers.
MICE events return to Hong Kong
Cheng said the past two to three years were “tough” for Hong Kong’s MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) industry, which Over 1.6 million foreign visitors In 2019, before the pandemic.
“In the last year or so, other countries and cities and destinations have started to open up and we’ve certainly had some amazing events that have happened in Hong Kong over the years,” Cheng said.
“Anchor Events” [were] Going out and they’re apologetic like, ‘We’re going to other places in Southeast Asia, the Middle East,’ or something basically postponed or postponed.
However, he added that the city is now “confident” and “looking forward to receiving visitors again”.
This can be seen through its “Hello Hong Kong” campaign, which has a 2023 lineup Over 250 events and festivals – Including the Hong Kong Marathon, Clockenflap Music Festival and Hong Kong Rugby Sevens.
The city’s tourism board said more than 100 international MICE events are also planned for the year.