Travel scheme Round Two may start soon as tour limits relax

The first round, suspended in December, will likely resume in May.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) announced the second round of the Spend-to-Redeem Free Tour may start soon after the government relaxed restrictions on the local tours.

Around 100 tours in the first round, involving 2,500 participants, were completed before the programme was suspended in December due to the pandemic. The HKTB said the first round may resume in May at the earliest.

The HKTB said it will announce the details of the second round later, since participating tour operators have to register with the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong to ensure they adopt the newest health measures.

This comes as the restrictions on travel agents to hold tours with up to 30 participants is lifted.

The relaxation of group gathering restrictions, however, came with more stringent public health measures. These include the vaccination of working staff, and enhanced contact tracing amongst others.

The Free Tour Programme forms part of the HKTB’s strategies to drive the tourism sector toward recovery. The HKTB had said it has received an additional $765m fund for 2021/22.

Read also: Cross-border travel unlikely in next six months: HKTB

The hard-hit sector suffered during the pandemic as it forced territories to close down their borders to prevent spread of the pandemic.