Outbound Travel Expected to Not Grow as Much

According to a local news report on Sept. 26, the Travel Industry Council (TIC) said it expects outbound travel to increase as much as 50% in the next few months due to newly relaxed COVID-19 restrictions.

The council’s executive director Fanny Yeung told the local news outlet that, “The flight capacity is still a limitation… and maybe the flight capacity is not able to support the demand.”

Yeung warned that outbound travel growth would be limited by the number of flights leaving Hong Kong, while inbound tourism will likely not increase by much.

The TIC has been in contact with local airlines struggling to replace pilots who have left, and Yeung warns that it will take time to recruit fully trained pilots to keep up with the demand of outbound travel.

Yeung adds that while outbound travel might grow between 40% and 50% by the end of the year, the total number of trips will be modest.

The local news outlet also reported that inbound travel is likely to see significant increases in growth, as only people who have work commitments, family, or friends, in Hong Kong are likely to visit.

“We don’t expect a significant growth in the leisure sector, because now visitors have a choice, and around the world there are a lot of cities and countries, they’ve opened up totally, so I just don’t think they would select Hong Kong as a destination if they’re not allowed to get into restaurants, bars, theme parks, etc.,” said Yeung.

The government’s “0+3” entry scheme which took effect on Monday asks that travelers monitor their own health for three days without staying in a quarantine hotel.

During those three days, travelers are given an “amber” health code, prohibiting them from entering certain venues covered by the vaccine pass.