Hong Kong is giving away 500,000 free plane tickets to foreign visitors to boost its economy.
Chief Executive John Lee said in a press conference that the tickets are available to foreign tourists from all parts of the world.
"First and foremost we have prepared 500,000 free air tickets to welcome tourists from every part of the world to come to Hong Kong," Lee said.
The move follows the city's easing of zero Covid measures which include travel restrictions as it races to match competition from regional neighbours like Taiwan, Singapore and Japan in tourist attraction.
Hong Kong's tourism recovery has been sluggish even after it reopened its border with mainland China in January.
The city had aligned its Covid restrictions to China's 'zero-Covid' strategy which was dominated by lengthy lockdowns and widespread testing.
The restrictions which involved imposing strict lockdowns that spanned entire cities were aimed at keeping Covid cases as close to zero as possible.
As a result, Hong Kong has found herself racing against time to catch up with the regional competition for tourists as her neighbours opened up their borders and eased pandemic restrictions much faster.
