As tourism around the world slowly recovers after a long halt from the pandemic, Hong Kong has finally joined the rest of the world in moving to full throttle on travel and tourism.
The trend arrives as the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) recently upgraded its forecast, suggesting the hub will reach the pre-pandemic level by the end of 2024, buoyed by the Hong Kong Government ramping up its airport workforce by 6,300 workers under a new scheme.
Welcoming the upgrade is Hong Kong Tourism Board’s Regional Director, ANZ, Karen Macmillan, who suggested IATA’s forecast will inject more confidence into Australian-based travel agents to sell more trips to the destination.
“Reinforcement within the Australian travel industry of IATA’s new projection for Hong Kong’s recovery, along with the tourism board’s education and marketing of the destination…for those seeking city breaks, cultural immersions, foodcentric travel experiences and a great layover option will be positive,” she said.
Affirming Macmillan’s view, Cathay Pacific also noted that it is currently rebuilding its capacity as “quickly as is feasible”, with the carrier confident of operating 70% of pre-pandemic figure en route to the forecasted full recovery by the end of 2024.
MEANWHILE, to further sustain the surging travel demand, Hong Kong Airlines is adding two more Airbus A330s aircraft after acquiring the same model for the Bangkok route on 21 Jun.
The rest of the fleet will arrive in the coming months and operate in major cities across Asia, including Shanghai, Tokyo and Taipei.
