For Hong Kong’s battered tourism industry, the announcement that officials have been in contact with 11 countries over forming travel bubbles brought a ray of hope in the coronavirus gloom.
To make bubbles possible, Yau said, coronavirus tests before departure and upon arrival might be necessary, and the two sides would need to discuss whether negative results at both ends meant travellers could skip quarantine or spend less time in isolation. The Covid-19 situation at certain destinations, including Tokyo, was still fluctuating, according to Hong Kong tourism sector lawmaker Yiu Si-wing, who suggested officials look at travel to southern Okinawa island as a first step, case numbers permitting.
A trial scheme allowing foreign tourists to visit the country was being finalised this week, under which arrivals would be confined to a designated resort or area for a 14-day quarantine period. Under another arrangement, visitors would be allowed to travel around Thailand after completing three weeks’ quarantine on Phuket Island and obtaining negative results in several Covid-19 tests.
Last month, it moved to relax restrictions for incoming travellers from “low-risk” regions such as mainland China, Taiwan and Malaysia, allowing them to serve a seven-day stay-home notice, rather than the 14 days required for all other travellers. Yiu, the lawmaker, said Hong Kong had confidence in Singapore despite the surge in Covid-19 figures earlier. “If the pandemic is under control, Hongkongers will go to Singapore,” he said.
Yiu noted the pandemic was stable in Malaysia, which had recorded just over 9,500 cases, and Hong Kong residents would want to visit there, although the destination was not as popular as Thailand and Japan.South Korea has been battling a second wave of infections that emerged in mid-August, with about 4,500 cases confirmed in the greater Seoul area over the past three weeks.
“Hongkongers feel Koreans usually comply with the rules. Just right now, some people there might not have fulfilled the government’s requirements in their daily lives,” he said.Vietnam “The most popular outbound destinations for Hongkongers are Thailand, Japan, South Korea. Other than that it would be Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam,” Yip said. “These countries are within Asia and they [need tourists really badly] because their economy needs it.” Outlook: business travellers will be ahead of the queue, again going by past precedent.
Source: News Formal (newsformal.com)
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