Happy Hong Kong — a series of food and recreational events planned for 2023 — was reportedly supposed to be launched on April 13. However, the campaign kick-off has been postponed, possibly to next week, due to the ongoing visit of Xia Baolong, the director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, in the city.
The highlights of the initiative are a land-sea carnival at Victoria Harbour, gourmet marketplaces across the city that will showcase Cantonese and Mainland cuisine, and themed events at attractions such as Hong Kong Disneyland and Ocean Park Hong Kong. According to a report in Sing Tao Daily, the launch was supposed to take place at M+ Museum in the West Kowloon Cultural District.
Authorities hoped to kick start the campaign before April 16, which is when the first instalment of consumption vouchers for 2023 worth HK$3,000 (Hong Kong residents) and HK$1,500 (eligible non-residents) will be paid to Hongkongers. However, the launch may now be postponed to next week, according to the South China Morning Post.
While the Hong Kong government hopes to revive local spending with the consumption voucher and Happy Hong Kong schemes, it also plans to attract tourists back to the city with its Hello Hong Kong campaign. The highlight is a 500,000 free airline ticket giveaway for visitors for economy round-trip tickets on four city-based airlines: Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Airlines, HK Express, and Greater Bay Airlines.
These promotions tie in with the city’s recently suspended Covid-control measures, such as the mask mandate and pre-flight departure tests, which previously impacted large-scale events and inbound passenger traffic.
Header image credits: Leung Cho Pan via Canva
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