Hong Kong to Lure Tourists With Free Air Tickets
Hong Kong says it will give away 500,000 airline tickets, worth HK$2bn ($254.8m; £224.3m), as it tries to boost its Covid-hit tourism industry.
As reported by BBC, the city rolled back several of its coronavirus rules in recent weeks.
However, major airlines are struggling to get their flight schedules back to pre-pandemic levels.
On Wednesday, British airline Virgin Atlantic said it will stop operating in Hong Kong because of issues linked to the Ukraine war.
“The airport authority will finalise the arrangement with airline companies. Once the government announces it will remove all Covid-19 restrictions for inbound travellers, we’ll roll out the advertising campaigns for the free air tickets,” Dane Cheng, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board said.
Mr Cheng added that the free tickets, which were bought to support Hong Kong airlines during the pandemic, will be distributed next year to inbound and outbound travellers by the city’s airport authority.
Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic said it would close its office in Hong Kong and no longer fly between the city and London Heathrow after 30 years in the Asian aviation hub.
“Significant operational complexities due to the ongoing Russian airspace closure have contributed to the commercial decision not to resume flights in March 2023 as planned”, the British carrier said.
