Hong Kong is planning to give away air tickets and vouchers to woo tourists back to destination. In launching the “Hello Hong Kong” tourism campaign, Chief Executive John Lee said the city will offer 500,000 free air tickets to welcome tourists from around the world in what he called “probably the world’s biggest welcome ever.”

“Hong Kong is now seamlessly connected to the mainland of China and the whole international world and there will be no isolation, no quarantine,” he said at a ceremony late last week. “This is the perfect timing for tourists, business travellers, and investors from near and far to come and say, ‘Hello, Hong Kong.’”

Under the campaign, most of the plane tickets – worth 2 billion Hong Kong dollars ($342 million) – will come from three Hong Kong-based airlines (Cathay Pacific, HK Express and Hong Kong Airlines) through various promotional activities, including lucky draws, “buy one, get one free” promotions, and games. The project will begin in March and last about six months, said Fred Lam, CEO of the Airport Authority.

“We hope those who secure the air tickets can bring two or three more relatives and friends to the city. Although we are just giving away 500,000 air tickets, we believe this can help bring Hong Kong over 1.5 million visitors,” Lam said.

The airlines will distribute the tickets in phases, with the Southeast Asian markets set to benefit in the first stage, he said.

An additional 80,000 air tickets will be given away to Hong Kong residents in the summer, Lam said.

Visitors can also enjoy special offers and vouchers among other incentives in the city, Lee said.

Hong Kong received 56 million visitors in 2019 – over seven times its population –before the pandemic began. But its strict COVID-19 restrictions have been keeping visitors away over the past three years, devastating the tourism sector and its economy.

In the past few months, it finally dropped its mandatory hotel quarantine rule and PCR tests for incoming travelers, resulting in a slight increase in arrival figures. Still, its 2022 visitor numbers were just 1% of the 2019 level.