Hong Kong top destination for mainland travellers, bolstered by freebies

As of April 14, the most-popular travel destinations for Chinese mainland travellers include Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, Seoul, Macao, Tokyo.

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Tourists from the Chinese mainland walk along the harbour front in Hong Kong SAR on March 13, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)

April 19, 2023

HONG KONG – Hong Kong has reclaimed its spot as the top destination outside the mainland for outbound air ticket bookings during the upcoming May Day holiday on online travel agency Ctrip’s big data platform FlightAI. With the launch of the “World of Winners” air ticket giveaway campaign, Hong Kong is expected to become even more popular.

According to FlightAI, searches for domestic and outbound flights by Chinese mainland travelers during the holiday have outperformed those of 2019 by 150 percent and 40 percent respectively.

Hong Kong is so popular with mainland tourists that around 90 percent of the discounted air tickets to the city on Ctrip have been sold.

As of April 14, the most-popular travel destinations, indicated by the number of flight ticket bookings, include Hong Kong, Bangkok in Thailand, Singapore, Seoul in South Korea, Macao, Tokyo in Japan, with Hong Kong ranking the highest.

To further stimulate the enthusiasm of mainland travelers, Hong Kong Airlines has launched its “Buy One Get One Free” campaign on Ctrip from April 17 to April 20, during which the offer to book two tickets for the price of one is available. Tickets through Oct 26 (except Sept 27-Oct 2) can be booked with the offer, covering important holidays as the May Day holiday, Dragon Boat Festival and the National Day holiday.

The “Buy One Get One Free” campaign is a part of the “World of Winners” air ticket giveaway campaign launched on March 1. Sponsored by Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK), 500,000 air tickets will be given away to travelers in major markets.

The “World of Winners” landed in the Chinese mainland on April 15, with a launch ceremony in Shanghai hosted by Fred Lam Tin-fuk, CEO of AAHK. “We are particularly excited to allocate 140,000 air tickets for the mainland travelers, who have long been an important and valued segment of inbound passenger traffic to Hong Kong,” Lam said.

Despite the suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lam added that with the ongoing support of the central government, Hong Kong’s aviation industry will enjoy even more opportunities.

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