The announcement comes in hope of encouraging travel back to the region as Hong Kong authorities scrap current quarantine regulations.

The Airport Authority Hong Kong is said to have set aside HK$2b in 2020 for buying some half a million flight tickets from airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, Hong Kong Express, Cathay Pacific and the now out-of-business Cathay Dragon. Giving away these tickets, which the government bought in 2020 to attract travellers, is one of the measures aimed at boosting back tourism.

The new relaxed inbound rules will mean travellers will no longer be required to go direct to a designated quarantine hotel. Instead, they will need to show a negative Covid test for the first three days of their stay. They will be able to leave their hotel for meetings or to visit a trade show or showrooms, but will be restricted from entering busy establishments such as bars and restaurants. The region will be hoping the announcement along with the free plane tickets will help reinstate Hong Kong’s status as an international destination for business travellers.

The government estimated that it will take one to two quarters for tourists to return to the city even after it cancels the remaining curbs,

The city’s strict Covid-19 rules have kept it isolated for most of the pandemic, when the city’s Covid-19 travel rules were at their strictest, arrivals had to spend 21 days in a designated quarantine hotel, tarnishing its standing as a global financial centre and battering its economy.

This new change in the rules and the free plane tickets will no doubt give Hong Kong businesses a glimmer of hope that international travel will start to resume to pre-pandemic levels and put the Hong Kong financial hub back on the global stage.