Hong Kong Worldwide Airport reported 2.1 million passengers in January, practically 2,900% development from the identical interval final 12 months. Visitors to and from Southeast Asia and Japan recorded essentially the most vital will increase, in line with a press launch from airport authorities. 

China’s transfer to reopen borders with Hong Kong, coupled with pent-up demand to journey for the Lunar New 12 months break, helped gas the surge. Town is keen to revive its standing as a world monetary hub and gateway to China — its largest supply of tourism and largest buying and selling accomplice — since its economic system took a pointy blow amid the extended closure. 

Hong Kong is quickly eradicating pandemic restrictions since China ended its Covid Zero coverage, and has successfully returned to regular aside from a masks mandate. Earlier this month, each day quotas and testing necessities had been dropped and all boundary checkpoints opened.

In a bid to draw vacationers, officers this month launched a tourism marketing campaign that features distributing greater than 500,000 free air tickets this 12 months. The Airport Authority bought the tickets in 2020 as a part of a HK$2 billion ($255 million) rescue bundle for the airline business.

Mainland guests to Hong Kong may rebound this 12 months to 78% of 2019 ranges with the removing of restrictions together with the each day traveler quota and obligatory Covid checks, in line with Bloomberg Intelligence.

Hong Kong was Asia’s busiest worldwide airport earlier than Covid. January’s information symbolize solely a 3rd of the visitors the airport skilled in the identical interval 4 years in the past. The federal government desires to revive town’s international model after three years of self-imposed isolation through the pandemic, protests and the imposition of robust safety legal guidelines. Gross home product shrank 3.5% final 12 months, the third contraction in 4 years.