Hong Kong offers 500,000 free flights after Covid isolation

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Hong Kong is ready to welcome the world back, promising more than 500,000 free air tickets and positive publicity to revive the country after three years of isolation due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  

In a rebranding campaign named "Hello, Hong Kong", the government bills itself as an effort to tell "good stories" about Hong Kong, where the political crisis accompanied with pandemic curbs have stained the city's business-friendly reputation.  

During a speech to business and tourism heavyweights, Chief Executive John Lee said there will be "no isolation, no quarantine and no restrictions" and announced half a million free flights for visitors to experience the city's "hustle and bustle".  

The giveaway will open in March and will be distributed by local airlines HK Express, Cathay Pacific, and Hong Kong Airlines.  

During the summer, 80,000 more tickets will be offered to residents, with the carriers yet to announce destinations.    

"This, ladies and gentlemen, is probably the world's biggest welcome ever," Lee said.  

Beijing's zero-Covid doctrine of quarantine, closed borders and face masks contributed to an economic recession and the exodus of more than 2.5% of the population.

More than 130 international companies have closed their offices in Hong Kong over the past three years, and a recent poll of 253 Japanese companies showed securing quality workers was their top concern.

More than a quarter of the surveyed firms were concerned about brain drain resulting from the national security law Beijing imposed in 2020 to quell violent protests.  

Last year, more than 140,000 people left Hong Kong's labor force when the economy contracted by 3.5%.  

The city's reputation as a financial centre will hinge on its ability to uphold human rights, the top US diplomat in Hong Kong, Greg May, said last week.