As the government gradually relaxes the anti-epidemic policy and the "yellow code" restriction on entry is lifted, the Southeast Asian tourism industry immediately formed a delegation to visit Hong Kong. It seems that everything is going well for Hong Kong's return to normal.
Cai Wenxuan, managing director and vice president (international market) of Ctrip Group (Trip.com), accepted an exclusive interview with "Hong Kong 01" and pointed out that on the day of the relaxation (13th), the number of Hong Kong people searching for flights to Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea also increased significantly, reflecting positive Plan Christmas and New Year trips; the search volume for inbound flights to Hong Kong has also increased astonishingly, an increase of 20 times compared to the same period last year, among which passengers from Vancouver and Toronto, Canada accounted for the most searches for Hong Kong flights, more than doubled compared to the 7 days before the relaxation.
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Searches for inbound flights to Hong Kong recorded a 20-fold increase compared to the same period last year
Over the past few decades, with the development of the tourism market, the way Hong Kong people travel has changed from group tours to self-guided travel. Some people choose to book air tickets, hotels, and even meals or scenic spot tickets on online platforms instead of going through travel agencies.
Based on big data, the travel website Trip.com found that the tourism industry in Hong Kong is indeed gradually recovering.
Cai Wenxuan revealed that in the first 11 months of this year, compared with the same period in 2019, Hong Kong's flight orders have recovered to about 40%, and hotel orders have reached as high as 90%.
When the government announced the further relaxation of measures last Tuesday (13th), the search volume for inbound flights to Hong Kong saw an astonishing increase, with an increase of 2,004% compared to the same period last year, or a 20-fold increase.
Thailand, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea are the most popular among Hong Kong people
On that day, Hong Kong users searched for the most flight destinations, followed by Bangkok, Tokyo, Taipei, Seoul and Osaka.
Among them, Seoul has the highest growth rate of 908%, as for Bangkok, Osaka and Tokyo, it has also exceeded 600%, and Taipei has increased by 233%. %.
Passengers from Vancouver and Toronto, Canada, searched for Hong Kong flights the most
At the same time, the "0+3" has been further relaxed to the abolition of the "yellow code" for entry. Many business travelers or Hong Kong residents from other places also plan to book air tickets to Hong Kong.
If compared with the data of the 7 days before the relaxation, the number of searches for Hong Kong flights by passengers from the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and Canada also recorded an increase.
Vancouver, Toronto, and London ranked the top three, all of which more than doubled, and Singapore even recorded a 403% increase.
As for the mainland, Beijing and Singapore ranked seventh and eighth respectively, recording 264% and 108%.
In addition, the number of searches for flights transiting from foreign countries to the mainland via Hong Kong also recorded an increase of 89% on that day, which means that in addition to mainland tourists planning to go to Hong Kong, foreign tourists are also planning to go to the mainland via Hong Kong.
The global market is expected to return to pre-epidemic levels in 2025
Cai Wenxuan said that "we see a good trend in the data", pointing out that since the relaxation of measures in Hong Kong, the flight search data has performed satisfactorily, reflecting that Hong Kong people plan to travel for Christmas or next month's New Year.
He believes that as the demand for entry and exit will continue to rise in the next few months, he believes that Hong Kong's tourism industry can recover quickly.
He quoted data and estimated that the global market will recover to 100% before the epidemic in 2025, but he admitted that some regions are recovering faster. For example, Europe and the United States took the lead in returning to normal in January this year, and then Southeast Asia and East Asia also switched to Therefore, according to the switching time, the recovery speed of Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and other East Asian regions is indeed slower than that of Europe, America and Southeast Asia.
"As long as the policy is open, recovery will happen sooner or later"
Since the outbreak of the epidemic, Hong Kong's economy has inevitably been hit.
He believes that Hong Kong people do not need to worry too much. "It is not only Hong Kong, but also other regions. After all, when a market is open, customers have to adapt, such as booking hotels and coming to Hong Kong during the holidays, so it is gradual. As long as the policy is open, Recovery is a matter of time."
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