Hong Kong-Singapore Travel Bubble Could Start with One Daily Flight
Hong Kong and Singapore have agreed on a travel corridor but a start date has yet to be announced
In a statement released on Oct. 15, the Hong Kong Tourism Board announced that Hong Kong and Singapore had reached an “in-principle agreement” to create an air travel bubble between the two cities. However no date has been set for the flights to actually commence.
The arrangement will allow cross border air travel. Travelers using the bubble must test negative beforehand with a “mutually agreed upon” method. Upon reentry through the bubble, they will also be able to avoid the currently mandated 14-day quarantine period.
Bloomberg is reporting the travel bubble could start with one dedicated flight a day, according to Hong Kong Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau.
The number of flights under the agreement may change depending on the coronavirus situation in the cities, Yau said at a briefing Tuesday.
“We welcome the SAR Government’s announcement of the in-principle agreement to establish a bilateral Air Travel Bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore,” said Dr. YK Pang, chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board in the statement. “The announcement is a timely match with the HKTB’s launch of a standardized hygiene protocol for tourism-related sectors with the Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency, which was announced last week. The protocol allows the tourism-related sectors to be well-prepared to welcome visitors back, while bolstering visitors’ confidence in travelling to Hong Kong.”
Singapore has been one of the major source markets for Hong Kong’s tourism industry. The Hong Kong Tourism Board states that visitors from Singapore accounted for over 450,000 tourism-related arrivals in 2019.
Singapore has also agreed to allow travel to Indonesia for essential business, as well as a partially reopened land border with Malaysia for business travel.
To promote renewed tourism to Hong Kong, the tourism board is launching special offers for air and accommodation in an “Open House Hong Kong” campaign.
