Hong Kong is Giving Away Half a Million Tickets to Lure Tourists
Hong Kong is giving away more than half a million free plane tickets to lure tourists. However, the tourist flow has far from recovered after previous corona restrictions, which is why the government is starting a striking campaign called ‘Hello, Hong Kong’.
As of March, 500,000 tickets will be given away mainly by local carriers Cathay Pacific Airways, HK Express and Hong Kong Airlines. They are distributed in various ways, for example, through lotteries and promotions where a second ticket is free.
Hong Kong welcomed just 605,000 tourists last year. In 2019, this involved almost 56 million tourists. In the metropolis, where people have only been massively infected with the coronavirus since the beginning of 2022, very strict measures were in place to contain the virus, just like in China. Hong Kong leader John Lee promised “no isolation, no quarantine and no restrictions” at the start of the campaign. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is probably the world’s greatest welcome ever.”
Before the pandemic, Hong Kong also faced a major political crisis. In the region, officially an autonomous part of China, large protests took place against the regional government, the influence of Beijing and police brutality. These protests repeatedly turned into violent clashes and were eventually suppressed by a controversial security law.
