How to get a free flight to Hong Kong in a 500,000 airfare giveaway

Hong Kong will begin giving away 500,000 plane tickets from Wednesday in a bid to attract visitors and boost its weak economy, just as it finally drops its mandatory mask-wearing rule.

The tickets are distributed by the city’s airlines – Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. and its budget unit HK Express, as well as Hong Kong Airlines Ltd. and newcomer Greater Bay Airlines Co.

Who will get them first?

Inhabitants of Thailand, initially. Cathay will distribute 80,000 return tickets in March, with 17,400 allocated to Thailand on Wednesday. It will expand the handouts to Singapore and the Philippines later this week and to other nearby Asian countries in the following days.

Hong Kong Airlines will also distribute tickets to residents of Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam from Wednesday. The carrier has not disclosed how many tickets will be distributed per country. Greater Bay Airlines will distribute tickets to Taiwan in May, followed by South Korea in July. HK Express will join the campaign in April, but has not disclosed details.

In April, free tickets will open for residents of mainland China. Some 80,000 tickets will become available to Hong Kong residents in July, although it is unclear which routes they will be valid for. Authorities have also not given a reason for the different timelines and order of the handouts.

How to apply?

Cathay requires people to register on its website and take part in a three-question quiz. The tickets will be distributed on a first come, first served basis to those who get the answers right. Each applicant can only submit one entry. The winners will be announced on the campaign website on 3 April and will receive a confirmation email the same day.

Hong Kong Airlines also distributes tickets on a first come, first served basis. It has released application details on its campaign page.

Who is eligible and other conditions?

Cathay says entrants must be at least 18 years old and each winner can only get one ticket. Winners will still have to pay taxes and fees, and tickets are not refundable, exchangeable for cash, or transferable. You also cannot upgrade seats with cash or frequent flyer miles.

Do the tickets expire?

Yes, according to Cathay. Winners will receive a unique code via email once the redemption period begins. That must then be used within a month to get a ticket.

When booking a ticket, the minimum stay in Hong Kong is two days and the maximum is seven days, says Cathay. Winners must travel within nine months of receiving the redemption code email. The rebooking fee is HK$1,200 ($150).

Why is Hong Kong doing this?

Tourism has traditionally been a major contributor to Hong Kong’s coffers, but three years of Covid restrictions left the city largely cut off from the outside world and battered to the economy, leaving it behind rival hub Singapore.

Hong Kong’s economy contracted by 3.5% in 2022 – its third contraction in four years – and ran a deficit of a staggering HK$140 billion for fiscal 2022-2023, about three times higher than the government’s original estimate.

The giveaway is part of a ‘Hello Hong Kong’ campaign to promote the city as a tourism hub and bring back visitors. Airport Authority Hong Kong bought the tickets in 2020 as part of a HK$2 billion bailout package for the aviation industry. Click here for more information from the Airport Authority.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is being published from a syndicated feed.)