Hong Kong is preparing for a surge in travel after it yesterday ended mandatory COVID-19 hotel quarantine for international arrivals, with travel companies reporting a significant increase in requests.
The curbs were lifted for the first time in more than two-and-a-half years, after Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee (李家超) last week said that such arrivals could return home or seek accommodation of their choice, but had to self-monitor for three days on entry.
“I have been waiting for this for almost three years,” said 58-year-old Hong Kong resident, Barbara Van Moppes, who arrived from Bangkok. “The rest of the world has opened up and so Hong Kong needs to open up now and return to normal, because it’s such a fantastic place to live.”
Photo: Reuters
All international arrivals in the territory had previously been forced to stay for as long as three weeks in hotel quarantine at their own expense, although the period was gradually cut to three days.
Yesterday’s change still leaves Hong Kong far behind much of the world in dropping curbs. International arrivals are barred from bars and restaurants for three days.
Although allowed to go to work and school, they still need to do multiple COVID-19 tests in the first week after arriving.
Still, Hong Kong’s Travel Industry Council expects outbound travel to surge as much as 50 percent for the next few months, executive director Fanny Yeung (楊淑芬) told Radio Television Hong Kong.
Growth would be capped by the number of outbound flights, but Yeung said that inbound tourism, inhibited by the existing curbs, was unlikely to grow by much.
Travel Web site Expedia Hong Kong said searches for Japan surged 10-fold last week while those for Taiwan almost doubled over the prior 14 days.
Trip.com said flight searches surged 95 times and orders soared 50 percent on its Hong Kong site on the week, with Tokyo, Bangkok, Osaka and Singapore featuring as top destinations.
The International Air Transportation Association said the next step would be for Hong Kong to scrap all COVID-19 measures.
The territory had been a global outlier outside mainland China in imposing hotel quarantine for international arrivals, in line with the country’s “dynamic zero” COVID-19 strategy.
Business groups, diplomats and many residents had slammed the COVID-19 rules saying they threatened Hong Kong’s competitiveness and standing as a global financial center.
Still, residents landing at the territory’s airport were thrilled by yesterday’s easing.
“It’s now totally hassle-free, so I just came out within 30 minutes,” said businessman Marjuk Mutahlif, 32. “I can go.”
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