Hong Kong Distributes 500.000 Free Airline Tickets for Tourists: There Are Southeast Asian Quotas, Here's How To Get It

Illustration of Hong Kong. (Wikimedia Commons/EstialI)

JAKARTA - The Hong Kong government announced plans to give out 500.000 free airline tickets, part of an effort to draw back visitors to restore the glory of its tourism industry.

Launched on Thursday, the 'Hello Hong Kong' initiative has been in the works for two years.

Tickets will be distributed among three airlines, namely Cathay Pacific, HK Express, and Hongkong Airlines. The total funding required for this initiative is approximately USD 254.8 million.

Travelers wishing to travel to Hong Kong can visit the 'World of Winners' page starting March 1, to enter their names into the flight ticket raffle, CNN reported February 3.

Tickets will be distributed in three batches for three regional divisions. First, from March 1 for people across Southeast Asia, April 1 for people living in mainland China and May 1 for citizens around the world.

Locals can join in too. Starting July 1, some flight tickets will be issued to Hong Kong residents who wish to have the opportunity to make up for lost travel time.

Those who have been to Hong Kong before will find it a different city than they may remember.

Some favorite local attractions, such as the floating restaurant Jumbo Kingdom, have been permanently closed. Others, such as the famous Peak Tram, underwent changes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is known, before the pandemic, Hong Kong was visited by 56 million visitors a year. By 2022, that number will drop to around 100.000 visitors.

And it's not just foreign tourists staying away. Hong Kong also experienced its biggest population decline since 1961, totaling about 1.6 percent.