Hong Kong is giving away free air tickets. Here's how to lay your hands on them

In a bid to revive its tourism industry and attract tourists, Hong Kong is giving away 500,000 free airline tickets under a special campaign. Called "Hello Hong Kong", the initiative was unveiled on Thursday. However, it had been in the works for around two years.

City's three airlines – Cathay Pacific, HK Express and Hongkong Airlines – are a part of the initiative and the tickets will be divided amongst the three airlines. The 500,000 tickets will cost around $254.8 million.

The "Hello Hong Kong" campaign was launched with dancers and flashing neon lights in the city's main convention centre beside its famous harbour. The backdrop carried the slogan in various languages, including Russian and Spanish.

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Hong Kong leader John Lee said the campaign aims to tell the world that the city is open for tourism and its is aimed at boosting business and investment in the region.

"Hong Kong is now connected to mainland China and the whole international world, and there will be no isolation, no quarantine and no restrictions on experiencing...enjoying the hustle and bustle of Asia's world city," he said.

Here's how to bag the tickets

Those who wish to make use of the offer should visit the World of Winners splash page starting March 1 and enter their names into the flight ticket lottery. The entire process has been divided into three parts, targeting different regions. From March 1, it will be open to people across Southeast Asia, from April 1 to people living in mainland China and from May 1 to residents in the rest of the world.

Hong Kongers can also avail the offer from July 1, when some airline tickets will be given away to the locals.

What to expect in Hong Kong?

The Hong Kong you might have once visited no longer exists. Several attractions, such as the Jumbo Kingdom floating restaurant, have permanently shut shop. The famous Peak Tram underwent a makeover in the last three years.

The pandemic

Hong Kong was largely sealed off for much of the past three years in a bid to ward off Covid. There was a mandatory quarantine of up to three weeks for arrivals, as well as intensive testing and screening. It closely followed China's zero-Covid policy until the middle of 2022.

Hong Kong dropped most of the curbs in December, but mask-wearing remains mandatory except during exercise.

Notably, after China reopened its borders on January 8, scrapping most Covid-19 curbs, for international travellers, a quota system and Covid-19 testing requirement remained in place for travellers between the mainland and Hong Kong.

The three border checkpoints with China will reopen from February 6, Lee said at a press conference on Friday.

Lee also informed that Covid-19 vaccination will no longer be a requirement to enter Hong Kong for all arrivals, including non-Hong Kong residents.

(With inputs from agencies)

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