'Businesses Mulling Incentives For Those Vaccinated'

Restaurants, hotels, retailers and entertainment venues are all willing to offer various perks and discounts to people who are vaccinated against Covid, if it would help boost Hong Kong's inoculation rate, Business and Professionals Alliance vice-chairman Jeffrey Lam said on Friday.

The pro-establishment lawmaker and executive councillor said some hotels that he had approached were willing to offer discounted staycation packages and buffets.

Ocean Park and Ngong Ping 360, meanwhile, were happy to hand out some free tickets to those who have been vaccinated, he said, while many restaurants and retailers were open to offering competitive discounts.

Lam said the Airport Authority was receptive to his idea of handing out free flight tickets to mainland cities or popular destinations where the virus situation is under control, and the MTR Corporation said it could give out stored value tickets to vaccinated people.

He did not specify how many vaccinated people could be given the various perks, and didn't say why these offers have not been introduced already.

The lawmaker said some people have been put off receiving a vaccine because of "misleading" media reports.

“We have to believe in science. We have to believe in the doctors’ advice. The numbers that we see on TV and radios everyday do not fully reflect the whole situation. But again the government needs to come forward and give a clearer picture to the general public of Hong Kong,” he said.

Lam also suggested the government could be more proactive in providing incentives for people to get vaccinated, including by offering more subsidies under the Continuing Education Fund.