This would be the best time to travel to Hong Kong 0:48
(CNN) --
The Hong Kong government has announced plans to give away 500,000 airline tickets as part of efforts to revive its tourism industry and attract visitors to the city.
The “Hello Hong Kong” initiative was unveiled on Thursday, but it has been in the works for more than two years.
Hong Kong removes most covid-19 mandates, including testing for arriving travelers
Tickets will be distributed among the city's three airlines: flag carrier Cathay Pacific, HK Express and Hongkong Airlines.
The 500,000 tickets cost the city about $254.8 million in total.
The Hello Hong Kong campaign launch ceremony was held on February 2.
(Lam Yik/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
How the raffle works
Travelers interested in traveling to Hong Kong can visit the World of Winners home page from March 1 to enter their names in the plane ticket lottery.
Tickets will be allocated in three waves: from March 1 to people in Southeast Asia, from April 1 to people living in mainland China, and from May 1 to residents of the rest of the world.
Locals can get in on the action, too.
Starting July 1, some plane tickets will be handed out to Hong Kongers eager for a chance to make up for lost time.
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Those who have been to Hong Kong before will find a different city than the one they remember.
Some famous local attractions, such as the Jumbo Kingdom floating restaurant, have closed permanently.
Others, like the famous Peak Tram, have been renovated during the pandemic.
recover the trips
Hong Kong was slow and cautious in its approach to the coronavirus pandemic.
The city began canceling in-person events in January 2020 when the first cases of patients exhibiting symptoms of a new flu-like illness were reported in Wuhan, China.
Traveling in and out of Hong Kong was challenging and expensive during the pandemic.
Strict quarantines, which reached a maximum of 21 days of isolation, and requirements for multiple PCR tests kept most travelers out.
These quarantines were attended in hotels and paid for by travelers.
Those who tested positive for the virus upon arrival were sent to government facilities.
Entry into the city was restricted to Hong Kong residents.
A Facebook group of more than 30,000 members helped Hong Kongers support each other during the difficult period, with some members sharing food deliveries, giving advice on dealing with loneliness and exchanging exercise tips.
Before the pandemic, Hong Kong received 56 million visitors in a typical year.
By 2022, that number had dropped to around 100,000.
And it wasn't just foreign tourists who stayed away.
The financial center experienced its largest population decline since 1961, falling 1.6%.
When City Manager John Lee announced in September 2022 that the lockdowns would end, some worried it was too late.
Hong Kong