Hong Kong looks to mainland China for the next air travel bubble
- Hong Kong is hopeful its next air travel bubble could be with mainland China, the executive director of the city's tourism board said.
- Dane Cheng told CNBC such plans would hinge on the success of the forthcoming Hong Kong-Singapore travel corridor, due to launch on Sunday.
- Hong Kong on Friday registered more than 50 confirmed and preliminary cases. Rising Covid-19 cases in the city could threaten the deal.
SINGAPORE — Hong Kong is hopeful its next "air travel bubble" could be with mainland China, the executive director of the city's tourism board has said.
Dane Cheng told CNBC such plans would hinge on the success of the forthcoming Hong Kong-Singapore travel corridor. But he noted that adding a similar arrangement for quarantine-free travel around China's Greater Bay Area would be the logical next step for business and leisure travelers.
"The next one for Hong Kong that we would like to see (would be) with the mainland, the Greater Bay Area," Cheng said Friday.
The Greater Bay Area links several cities in Guangdong province with the special administrative territories of Hong Kong and Macao.
"That would be a key border for us," he added, noting both proximity and common business and family ties.
Rising Covid cases threaten deal
All eyes will be on Hong Kong and Singapore this weekend as they launch their much-anticipated bilateral travel bubble, with inaugural flights due to depart both cities on Nov. 22.
Their agreement hinges on several conditions, one of which is that the seven-day moving average of daily unlinked local cases does not exceed five in either city. If it does, the deal will be suspended for two weeks, according to the Hong Kong government.
Hong Kong on Friday registered more than 50 confirmed and preliminary cases, and its health minister Sophia Chan warned of a possible fourth wave.
If the Hong Kong-Singapore travel bubble is suspended due to the deteriorating coronavirus situation in either city, it could dash hopes of air travel bubble becoming a model for other countries.
A blueprint for other countries
Cheng, for his part, noted that both sides would have to be "cautious" about implementation of the program. But he added that it is "an important first step" in resuming international travel.
In October, tourist arrivals into Hong Kong were down 99% year-on-year, to 7,800 passengers. Typically, travelers from mainland China account for 60% of Hong Kong's inbound tourism.
"We would like to see more countries and more regions, more cities, planning to open in the first quarter of the coming year," said Cheng.
On Wednesday, major Asian travel operator Klook said tourism boards across the region had already been in touch to discuss plans should other bilateral travel deals emerge.