'Full Vaccination Needed For Future Travel Bubbles'

Commerce secretary Edward Yau said on Tuesday that future travel bubbles will only be open to Hong Kong residents who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, or those who – due to their age or health reasons – are unable to get inoculated locally.

The vaccination requirement already applies for the SAR's travel bubble with Singapore, which will start on May 26 at the earliest.

Critics, including the Democratic Party, have questioned this requirement, calling it an "unequal treaty" as Singaporeans aren’t required to be vaccinated before they fly to Hong Kong.

But speaking on morning radio shows, Yau insisted the measure is appropriate. He said Hong Kong has the right conditions to take one more step and offer an additional safeguard for its residents.

The secretary also said Hong Kong is in talks with Australia and New Zealand to set up "travel bubbles", but conceded that Taiwan, a popular holiday destination for Hongkongers, is not among the places with which the SAR is currently discussing plans.

Meanwhile, the chief executive of travel agency WWPKG, Yuen Chun-ning, said enquiries jumped after the announcement of the Hong Kong-Singapore travel bubble on Monday but there haven't been many bookings yet.

He said a five-day tour to Singapore would cost over HK$10,000 in the initial days, but he believes prices will drop when more flights become available after June.

Yuen said the Singapore travel bubble plan may not be of much help to the SAR's battered tourism industry as the market isn't big.

But he hoped this bubble can be a successful example and lead to similar arrangements with other places, such as Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea.