Hong Kong airline ticket giveaway takes off

  • 📰 gmanews
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 33 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 17%
  • Publisher: 68%

Philippines Headlines News

Philippines Latest News,Philippines Headlines

People hoping to take advantage of a Hong Kong scheme to give away half a million free airline tickets faced hours-long online queues on Wednesday, as the Asian financial hub bids to woo tourists back.

The city last month launched a campaign to reboot its reputation as"Asia's world city," after years of strict pandemic-related travel restrictions and a crackdown on sometimes violent pro-democracy protests.

Tourism once comprised nearly five percent of the city's economy, but visitor figures plunged last year to 600,000—less than one percent of 2018 levels. Social media users complained of long online queues to register, and an AFP reporter encountered wait times of more than two hours on the Cathay Pacific website. More than 55,000 users were waiting to access the offer, according to the reporter.

Hong Kong once had one of the globe's busiest and best-connected airports, but travel came to a virtual standstill when the city imposed strict travel restrictions and quarantine requirements as part of China's zero-COVID doctrine.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 11. in PH

Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Hong Kong to scrap COVID mask mandate from March 1Hong Kong's move to scrap masks comes after its government this month launched a promotional campaign called 'Hello Hong Kong' to bring back tourists and businesses.
Source: rapplerdotcom - 🏆 4. / 86 Read more »

Hong Kong to scrap COVID-19 mask mandate from March 1Hong Kong will drop its COVID-19 mask mandate, chief executive John Lee said, in a move to lure back visitors and business and restore normal life more than three years after stringent rules were first imposed in the financial hub. | Reuters
Source: inquirerdotnet - 🏆 3. / 86 Read more »

Hong Kong to scrap COVID-19 mask mandate starting March 1Hong Kong will drop its COVID-19 mask mandate, chief executive John Lee said on Tuesday, in a move to lure back visitors and business and restore normal life more than three years after stringent rules were first imposed in the financial hub.
Source: gmanews - 🏆 11. / 68 Read more »

Hong Kong ends one of world’s longest mask mandates after 945 daysHong Kong might scrap its mask mandate as soon as early March, according to people familiar with the matter, a major step as one of the world’s last Covid holdouts works to reclaim its status as a global business hub.
Source: manilabulletin - 🏆 25. / 51 Read more »

Ex-hubby, in-laws charged with slay of HK model ChoiHong Kong—The ex-husband and two former in-laws of a Hong Kong model were charged on Monday with her murder after
Source: MlaStandard - 🏆 20. / 55 Read more »

Hong Kong's exports register biggest drop in 70 years as demand plummets | Kari Lindberg / BloombergHong Kong’s exports plunged in January by the most in 70 years as waning global demand and the Lunar New Year break weighed on trade and Chinese demand remained weak, even after the mainland emerged from Covid Zero. Overseas shipments plummeted 36.7percent from a year earlier to HK$290.9 billion ($37.1…
Source: BusinessMirror - 🏆 19. / 59 Read more »