17th March 2023 – (Hong Kong) The Hong Kong government has just launched a new tourism promotion campaign, known as “Hello Hong Kong,” which is set to offer an unprecedented 500,000 flight tickets to visitors throughout the city. This innovative initiative is expected to galvanise interest among travel enthusiasts looking to explore the city’s unique attractions and cultural heritage.
As part of this groundbreaking campaign, the Travel Industry Council has now opened up applications to local travel agencies for 10,000 complimentary round-trip flight tickets to a variety of Southeast Asian destinations during the first stage, but with a catch. These free tickets are contingent upon purchasing one ticket beforehand, operating on a “buy one, get one free” model.
This enticing offer has received an overwhelming response from the travel agency community, with over 200 agencies participating in a recent briefing session held by the Travel Industry Council on Thursday, 16th March. However, only those travel agencies with proven experience are eligible to apply, with requirements including the recruitment of at least three tour groups in the past five years or the handling of at least 30 independent travellers to Hong Kong.
Successful applicants can look forward to receiving a minimum of 20 free tickets per city, but subject to availability and the number of applications received. In the event of exceeding the minimum quota of 20 tickets per city, a lottery will be held to determine the successful applicants.
This novel tourism promotion campaign is being widely lauded as a crucial step towards revitalising Hong Kong’s tourism industry, which has been grappling with the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic for over three years. The government is hopeful that this campaign will encourage more visitors to come to Hong Kong, thereby providing a much-needed boost to the local economy and businesses.