Joy For HK Tourists As Japan Finally Opens Up

Hong Kong tourists packed on to flights to Japan on Tuesday to make the most of the country's newly-eased Covid restrictions, with some travellers revealing they'd been left sleepless and excited by the prospect of finally getting back to one of the SAR's favourite desinations.

Before Tuesday, tourists visiting Japan needed to arrange a visa in advance and join organised tour groups. Since Tokyo announced it was easing the rules, airlines have been adding extra flights from the SAR to serve expected strong demand.

One family of three heading to Fukuoka said they expected to spend about 400,000 yen, or $21,500, on their three day trip, and the father of the family said he couldn't wait to create lasting memories with his daughter.

“I'm excited, I haven't travelled [to Japan] for too long, I couldn't sleep well last night… I will bring her [my daughter] to the zoo and to try on a kimono,” he said.

Another woman who was heading to Osaka with her husband said: “We’ve brought around 600,000 to 700,000 yen. [We’ll] play hard and shop hard. Our last trip is already in February 2020.

“I’ve prepared an empty suitcase [for shopping] and added 20kg luggage allowance… I want to buy everything,” she added.

Hong Kong people made more than two million visits to Japan in 2019, according to figures from the Japan National Tourism Organisation.

The CEO of Hong Kong Express, Mandy Ng, told reporters that the easing of border curbs both in Hong Kong and Japan had encouraged independent travellers to plan their journeys, with flights to all Japanese cities on Tuesday "very full".

“We have opened all the check-in counters… we can see an enthusiastic market response after the zero-plus-three arrangement is announced,” She said, referring to the SAR government's decision to end hotel quarantine for incoming travellers.

Ng added that the airline would increase the number of weekly flights to Japan from about 50 this month to 120 during the peak travel season in December, with a popular route to Tokyo Haneda Airport to be restored.

She said that by the end of March, the airline planned to run 460 flights a week, similar to pre-pandemic levels.

The airline announced previously that it was cancelling or rescheduling a number of flights in the coming months, angering some travellers who had booked seats. Asked about the decision, Ng said only that it was made after a “comprehensive review”.

“We notice that people, in general, are planning more advance for their travel compared to pre-Covid times. That’s why we have conducted a comprehensive review on our flight schedule next year in order to give a more transparent outlook to our flight schedule so travelers can make their travel plan ahead,” Ng said.

Ng stressed that most of the affected flights had only been rescheduled, not cancelled, and all the affected passengers had been notified and offered a full refund.