Hong Kong Airport Sees Nearly 2,900% Increase in Passenger Count as China Reopens
The number of people passing through Hong Kong airport skyrocketed over the past month as travel restrictions were eased and China reopened borders for the first time since the pandemic began.
Hong Kong International Airport handled 2.1 million passengers in January, nearly 2,900% growth over the same period last year. According to a press release from the airport authorities, traffic to and from Southeast Asia and Japan saw the most significant increases.
China’s move to reopen borders with Hong Kong, coupled with pent-up demand for Lunar New Year travel, helped fuel the surge. The city is keen to restore its status as a global financial hub and gateway to China — its biggest source of tourism and largest trading partner — as its economy has taken a hit amid the prolonged shutdown.
Hong Kong is rapidly lifting pandemic restrictions since China ended its Covid-Zero policy and has effectively returned to normal except for a mask mandate. Earlier this month, daily quotas and testing requirements were dropped and all border checkpoints were opened.
To attract tourists, officials this month launched a tourism campaign that includes the distribution of more than 500,000 free airline tickets this year. The airport authority bought the tickets in 2020 as part of a HK$2 billion ($255 million) bailout for the airline industry.
According to Bloomberg Intelligence, mainland visitors to Hong Kong this year could surge to 78% of 2019 levels if restrictions such as the daily travel quota and mandatory Covid testing are lifted.
Hong Kong was Asia’s busiest international airport before Covid. January’s data represents just a third of the traffic volume the airport saw in the same period four years ago. The government is looking to revitalize the city’s global brand after three years of self-imposed isolation during the pandemic, protests and the imposition of tough safety laws. Gross domestic product shrank 3.5% last year, the third decline in four years.
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