The Hong Kong government has announced that beginning Monday, visitors to the city will no longer be required to enter mandatory hotel quarantine.
Additionally, passengers will no longer be required to show a negative Covid test before boarding a flight to Hong Kong.
They will instead monitor themselves for possible infection for three days.
The news sparked a rush for Hong Kong flight tickets, with the Cathay Pacific website operating a booking queue.
In October, the airline said it would add more than 200 pairs of flights to both regional and long-distance destinations.
“While we will continue to add more flights as quickly as possible,” a statement said, “it will take time to gradually rebuild our capacity.”
Hong Kong has some of the strictest rules in the world because it adheres to China’s zero Covid policies.
As a result, its departure from what the mainland is doing has been long anticipated. Arrival restrictions have been in place for more than two years.
There are still rules in place for visitors. They are not permitted to enter common areas such as restaurants or shopping malls for the first three days after arrival. They must also submit to PCR tests on days two, four, and six.
However, the prolonged border closure has significantly impacted Hong Kong’s economy, putting the Asian financial center at a competitive disadvantage compared to rivals in the region, such as Singapore.
On Friday, Singapore surpassed Hong Kong as Asia’s top financial market in the Global Financial Centres Index.
“Hong Kong has been isolated from the international community for two and a half years and is suffering as a result,” said Hao Hong, chief economist at Grow Investment Group.
“While the end of hotel quarantine is a step forward, restoring confidence will take time, especially given the tide of talent exodus from Hong Kong.”
“The easing of travel arrangements will re-establish a level playing field in terms of competing with other cities on connectivity,” said Louis Kuijs, S&P Global Ratings’ chief Asia Pacific economist.
“The fact that Hong Kong can move on this while mainland China maintains its Covid stance largely unchanged for the time being strengthens the case for the ‘two systems’ component of the ‘one-country, two systems’ arrangement that grants Hong Kong special status within China.”
“In the coming years, the city should be able to leverage that role, including through the Greater Bay Area initiative.”
Earlier on Friday, Japan announced that entry rules would be relaxed, with tourists able to visit without a visa and without going through a travel agency beginning on October 11. A daily arrivals cap will also be lifted.
