The number of people passing through Hong Kong’s airport rose last month as travel restrictions eased and China reopened its borders for the first time since the pandemic began.
Hong Kong International Airport reported 2.1 million passengers in January, nearly 2,900% growth from the same period last year. Traffic to and from Southeast Asia and Japan recorded the most significant increases, according to a press release from the airport authorities.
China’s move to reopen its border with Hong Kong, coupled with demand for travelers for the Lunar New Year holiday, helped boost the increase. The city is eager to restore its status as a global financial hub and gateway to China – its biggest source of tourism and biggest trading partner – since the economy took a sharp blow amid the prolonged shutdown.
Hong Kong has been rapidly lifting pandemic restrictions since China ended its Zero Covid policy, effectively returning to normal except for the mask mandate. Earlier this month, daily quotas and testing requirements were lowered and all border checkpoints were opened.
To attract tourists, officials this month launched a tourism campaign that includes distributing more than 500,000 free plane tickets this year. The Airport Authority bought the tickets in 2020 as part of a HK$2 billion ($255 million) rescue package for the aviation industry.
Mainland visitors to Hong Kong could rebound this year to 78% of 2019 levels with the lifting of restrictions including daily travel quotas and mandatory Covid tests, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.
Hong Kong was Asia’s busiest international airport before Covid. January data shows only a third of the traffic the airport experienced in the same period four years ago. The government wants to revive the city’s global brand after three years of isolating itself during the pandemic, protesting and imposing tough security laws. Gross domestic product shrank 3.5% last year, the third contraction in four years.
Learn how to navigate and strengthen trust in your business with The Trust Factor, a weekly newsletter that examines what leaders need to succeed. Log in here.