Hong Kong has dropped all of its Covid-19 restrictions and is welcoming visitors to experience everything the city has to offer — from dim sum and street markets, to hikes and beaches. Read on to find out how you can win free airline tickets to and from Hong Kong, as well as complimentary drinks, cash vouchers, and other goodies.
What is Hello Hong Kong?
The government recently launched Hello Hong Kong, a promotional campaign to encourage tourists to visit the city. The biggest draw of the campaign is the giveaway of more than 700,000 free airline tickets to and from Hong Kong. It’s important to note that only 65% of these tickets will be given to travellers, while the rest are reserved for government bodies to promote tourism in the city.
The tickets will be for round-trip economy flights on four Hong Kong-based airlines: Cathay Pacific, HK Express, Hong Kong Airlines, and Greater Bay Airlines. Travellers will only have to pay the taxes, surcharges, and fees that apply to the tickets. There are other incentives for visitors, such as welcome drinks, cash vouchers, and gifts.
How can tourists get their free tickets?
Tourists will get 500,000 free tickets, which the airlines will distribute in different ways: buy-one-get-one-free promotions, lucky draws, competitive games, or on a first-come-first-served basis.
The campaign is called the “World of Winners” campaign, and those interested in getting these tickets should visit the airline websites to check when the offers kick off and subscribe to the newsletters to get reminders:
- https://flights.cathaypacific.com/en_HK/offers/world-of-winners.html
- https://www.hongkongairlines.com/en_HK/readysetgo/main
- https://wow.hkexpress.com/jp/en-jp/
- https://www.greaterbay-airlines.com/hk/en/offers/promotions/World-of-Winners-Tickets-Giveaway-Campaign.html
When can tourists get these free tickets?
The ticket giveaways will run from March 1, 2023 till September 2023. They will be distributed to travellers from different regions based on the pre-pandemic pattern of visitors to Hong Kong. Here is the schedule of when the tickets will become available to tourists:
- March: Southeast Asia (Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Cambodia)
- April: Mainland China
- May: Europe (The UK, Germany, Switzerland, France, and Spain), North America (the US and Canada), Australia, New Zealand, and Asia (Israel, the UAE, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and South Korea)
- June: Japan, South Africa, and South Korea
- July: Taiwan
- September: Mainland China
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific was the first airline to announce its giveaway schedule. It distributed 80,000 tickets to visitors from seven different countries in Southeast Asia, starting March 1. Residents of these countries had to either be a Cathay member or sign up for free membership on the airline’s website. They were then required to answer three questions correctly and the fastest to do so were eligible for the tickets.
In April, Cathay Pacific organised a lucky draw campaign to distribute tickets to tourists from Mainland China and the Greater Bay Area, with tickets to Hong Kong for Mainland China visitors from Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Xiamen, and other Mainland cities except the Greater Bay Area (read the latest announcement), and tickets to overseas destinations via Hong Kong International Airport for travellers from the Greater Bay Area (read the latest announcement).
In May and June, Cathay will give away free tickets from various destinations, including:
| Country | Number of tickets | Conditions |
| UK (May 9 to May 15) | 3,260 | Giveaway (read here) |
| Germany (May 9 to May 15) | 900 | Giveaway (read here) |
| Switzerland (May 9 to May 15) | 380 | Giveaway (read here) |
| France (May 10 to May 16) | 950 | Promo code (read here) |
| Spain (May 10 to May 16) | 350 | Promo code (read here) |
| US (May 17 to May 23) | 2,890 | Giveaway (read here) |
| Canada (May 17 to May 23) | 1,555 | Giveaway (read here) |
| Israel (May 10 to May 16) | 400 | Promo code (read here) |
| UAE (May 22 to 28) | 650 | Lucky draw (read here) |
| Nepal (May 22 to 28) | 340 | Lucky draw (read here) |
| India (May 22 to 28) | 4,260 | Lucky draw (read here) |
| Bangladesh (May 22 to 28) | 340 | Lucky draw (read here) |
| South Africa (June 6 to 12) | 450 | Lucky draw (read here) |
| Australia (May 29 to June 4) | 6,020 | Giveaway (read here) |
| New Zealand (May 29 to June 4) | 460 | Giveaway (read here) |
| Korea (May 16 to May 22) | 24,000 | Giveaway (read here) |
| Japan (June 26 to July 2) | 12,000 | Lottery (read here) |
Hong Kong Airlines
Hong Kong Airlines runs a Click & Go campaign by which they give tickets away to participants on a first-come-first-served basis. Each traveller can only win one ticket, which can only be used for a trip that is between two days and seven days long. Passengers aged below two years old are not eligible for Click & Go tickets, while those between two and 12 years old must be accompanied by an adult. The tickets can only be used for specific travel dates and are also subject to blackout dates.
- South East Asia: Hong Kong Airlines began its participation in the Hello Hong Kong campaign in March when it distributed 6,000 free round-trip economy tickets to Hong Kong from three cities in Southeast Asia: Bangkok, Hanoi, and Manila.
- South Korea: In May, the carrier announced that travellers from Seoul could win 2,200 tickets to Hong Kong by participating in Phase 2 of its Click & Go campaign from May 17-19. The airline also kicked off a Special 2-For-1 Offer for round trips to Hong Kong originating in Seoul.
- Japan: The airline held a two-day campaign to give away free tickets from Japan to the SAR from June 27-29 for passengers from Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo, Okinawa, Fukuoka, and Nagoya. There is also a Special 2-For-1 Offer for tickets from Tokyo, Osaka, Okinawa, Fukuoka or Nagoya to Hong Kong.
- Taipei: Hong Kong Airlines gave away 1,100 free tickets from Taipei to Hong Kong from August 29-31, for travel dates between September 1, 2023 and March 24, 2024, except for blackout dates from September 28- October 9,2023, and February 7-14, 2024.
The carrier is currently running a Click & Go campaign by which 15,800 visitors from Mainland China — departing from Shanghai Pudong, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Shanghai Hongqiao, Chongqing, Beijing Daxing, Haikou, Sanya, and Beijing — to Hong Kong can win another round of free round-trip economy tickets. Participants who successfully book their tickets must use them for travel dates between September 12, 2023 and March 24, 2024, for travel periods lasting between two and seven days.
HK Express
Budget carrier HK Express began its campaign in late June 2023 with a giveaway for visitors from Japan. It gave away 14,900 tickets from June 26-July 9 on a first-come-first-served basis to Japan residents from Tokyo (Narita and Haneda), Osaka, Fukuoka, Nagoya, Takamatsu, Kagoshima, and Okinawa to Hong Kong.
The airline also distributed more than 24,000 tickets to Mainland Chinese residents to travel to 19 cities in Asia via Hong Kong from August 29-September 11. The destinations included cities in Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Thailand.
Greater Bay Airlines
Greater Bay Airlines ran two lucky draw competitions to give Korean passport holders aged over 19 years old travelling from Seoul the chance to win 200 round-trip tickets to Hong Kong. The campaign for the first 100 tickets ran from May 16-31, and the giveaway for the second lot of 100 tickets took place from June 10-30.
Passengers can also avail a buy-one-girl-one-free offer on round-trip tickets between Seoul and Hong Kong purchased from select travel partners.
The carrier kicked off its ticket giveaway for travellers from Taiwan to Hong Kong in July. The airline is distributing a total of 1,500 economy round-trip tickets to passengers from Taipei to Hong Kong as part of two campaigns: lucky draws and a buy-one-get-one-free offer. Passengers can register for three rounds of lucky draws until September 28 in which they stand a chance to win 100, 50, and another 50 tickets respectively.
How can Hongkongers get their tickets?
Hong Kong residents began getting 80,000 free airline tickets from July 2023. Three city-based airlines have been giving away tickets to SAR residents to travel from Hong Kong to various destinations across Asia.
HK Express
The distribution drive began with the HK Express campaign in which the airline gave free tickets to travellers from Hong Kong to 19 destinations in five countries in Asia, from July 11-24. There were 21,626 tickets available on a first-come-first-served basis to go to:
- Japan: Tokyo (Narita and Haneda), Osaka, Fukuoka, Nagoya, Takamatsu, Kagoshima, and Okinawa
- South Korea: Seoul, Busan, and Jeju
- Thailand: Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi), Phuket, and Chiang Mai
- Vietnam: Da Nang and Nha Trang
- Taiwan: Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung
Hong Kong Airlines
In late July, Hong Kong Airlines revealed that it would distribute free tickets to SAR residents for international travel in three rounds. In Round 1, the carrier will give 6,800 tickets for Hongkongers to Osaka, Chongqing, Bali, Sapporo, and Shanghai Hongqiao on July 24 on a first-come-first-served basis.
Hong Kong Airlines followed this up with a second round of free tickets for Hongkongers. The carrier also gave 9,800 tickets for Hong Kong residents to travel to Bangkok, Sanya, Beijing Daxing, Hangzhou, Nagoya, Nanjing, and Seoul on August 7. It will conclude its distribution drive for Hong Kong residents this month during an in-person promotion for 1,000 free tickets on August 26 and 27, and an online campaign for 8,500 tickets from August 21.
The airline recently revealed that it will begin another Click & Go campaign on October 17 for Hong Kong departures on designated routes on a first-come-first-served basis. No other details have been revealed as yet.
Greater Bay Airlines
The low-cost carrier will give tickets to passengers as part of a buy-one-get-one free offer, from September 18-30. The airline will give tickets from Hong Kong to six destinations in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, but has not yet revealed details about how passengers can book these tickets.
There were also 60,000 tickets distributed to encourage residents to get their Covid-19 vaccinations in 2021, and there will be additional tickets for travellers from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area.
World of Winners rewards
Tourists who win free airline tickets to Hong Kong as part of World of Winners campaign are also eligible for several rewards, which they can claim at various attractions, hotels, and malls across the city. The winners can claim their rewards as long as they present their World of Winners notification email upon making a booking or redeeming their prizes. The rewards include free upgrades to two-day tickets for Hong Kong Disneyland, discounts at various hotels in the city, and digital shopping vouchers at malls across the SAR.
Consumption vouchers for tourists
Visitors in Hong Kong for less than 90 days can get free drinks and great deals at restaurants, shops, and attractions as part of the HK Goodies programme.
- Complimentary drinks: Visitors can get one free drink each worth over HK$100 from more than 100 bars, restaurants, and hotels in Hong Kong, including Argo, which made Asia’s 50 Best Bars list in 2022.
- Cash vouchers: Tourists can get HK$100 off at any one of over 120 restaurants, shops, or attractions in the city.
- Gifts: Travellers to Hong Kong van get an exclusive gift worth over HK$100 at several attractions and museums in the city to take back home as souvenirs.
The coupons are valid for 30 days after visitors get them. Once they expire, they will not be reissued. The F&B offers are only valid for dine-in, not takeaway or home delivery. They can be redeemed until December 31, 2023.
New consumption vouchers for visitors
- Visitors are also eligible for 300,000 free and discounted tickets on MTR-run trains in the city, from March 28. Tourists will get 100,000 single-journey tickets on the Airport Express worth HK$115 each, from or to Hong Kong Station. They can also get 100,000 MTR adult tourist day passes with a value of HK$130 for two passes. Travellers on the High Speed Rail can claim 100,000 coupons with a discount of RMB120 covering four coupons.
- The Hong Kong Jockey Club is handing out 2,000 tourist packages worth HK$430, each of which includes a tourist badge, food and beverage coupons and discount coupons for souvenirs of the racecourse and horse-riding. These offers can be claimed on race days at the Happy Valley Racecourse or Sha Tin Racecourse.
Where to get the vouchers?
Travellers can head to these Hong Kong Tourism Board Visitor Centres to pick up their vouchers:
- Hong Kong International Airport Visitor Centre
- Kowloon Visitor Centre, Star Ferry Pier, Tsim Sha Tsui
- Hong Kong West Kowloon Visitor Centre
Alternatively, visitors planning their trips to Hong Kong can make travel arrangements using these online travel portals and travel agents and collect their vouchers from them, starting February 15.
How to redeem HK Goodies?
Visitors can only redeem these offers once with a non-Hong Kong mobile phone number by:
- Registering for the HK Goodies before you arrive in the city or during your stay in the SAR by logging into the Hong Kong Tourism Board website.
- Acquiring the coupons of your choice and selecting which restaurant, bar, or attraction you’d like to redeem it at, and adding it to the ‘My Wallet’ feature.
- Using the coupon by scanning the Hong Kong Tourism Board QR code at the merchant’s physical store.
What are the current Covid restrictions to enter Hong Kong?
There are no more Covid-related travel restrictions on Hong Kong-bound travellers. From April 1, travellers to the SAR no longer have to take a pre-departure Covid-19 test, which was the last pandemic-related measure imposed on inbound passengers.
From March 1, mask-wearing is no longer compulsory on Cathay Pacific Flights, at schools, and on the MTR. However, anyone who enters a government-run hospital or healthcare facility must wear a mask.
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Header image credits: Tim Durgan via Pexels
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