Hong Kong’s tourism businesses have hailed the creation of a travel bubble with Singapore as an important step in reviving a local economy battered by Covid-19, with hopes it can open the door to similar arrangements with other destinations.
“If this plan can really be introduced, it will be a small step forward under the pandemic. But in terms of the revival of the Hong Kong economy, it’s a big step,” said Michael Li Hon-shing, executive director at The Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners. Hong Kong, Singapore reach agreement on two-way, quarantine-free travel bubbleAnnouncing the plan earlier on Thursday, Hong Kong commerce minister Edward Yau Tang-wah said travellers would need to prove they had tested negative for the coronavirus, but there would be no restrictions tied to the purpose of their travel.
When there is no other border reopening with other destinations, then the focus may shift to Singapore ... Of course, it will depend on the cost of the virus testsIn the first eight months of 2020, 22,590 people visited Hong Kong from Singapore, a drop of 93.7 per cent on the same stretch a year ago. Overall, Hong Kong’s tourist arrivals collapsed 91.9 per cent to 3.54 million over the period.
Story continuesYiu expected the visitor flow from both sides would initially be just 10 to 20 per cent of normal levels, with the final figure partly determined by the required procedures, the number of flights and the transport arrangements.
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