Photo/NBD

On February 2, John Lee, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China (HKSAR), announced at the launch ceremony of the "Hello, Hong Kong" global publicity event that 500,000 free air tickets will be given away to lure worldwide tourists.

The free air ticket plan will start on March 1 and will be handed out for free in stages within six months in different ways, such as lucky draws, first come first served, buy one get one free.

The campaign will first be carried out in the Southeast Asian region, the biggest visitor source for Hong Kong before the epidemic, including Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia, followed by the mainland China and Northeast Asia.

Fred Lam, Chief Executive Officer of Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK), believes the event would bring at least 1.5 million tourists to Hong Kong, accounting for 8%~10% of passenger traffic in the next six months.

In addition, this summer the AAHK will give out 80,000 complimentary tickets to Hong Kong citizens for outbound travel as well as residents of the Greater Bay Area.

Apart from the free air ticket plan, the HKSAR will hold a series of events and promotional measures to lure tourists.

For example, famous people and Internet celebrities will be invited to promote Hong Kong, including art, culture, sports events, natural and ecological sites.