Hong Kong is ready for a surge in travel after the global financial hub has ended mandatory COVID 19 hotel quarantine for international arrivals on Monday Sep 26 with travel companies reporting 10 fold jumps in requests.
For the first time in more than two and a half years, the curbs were lifted after the city's leader, John Lee, said last week that such arrivals could return home or seek accommodation of their choice, but had to self-monitor for three days on entry.
Barbara Van Moppes, a 58 year old Hong Kong resident who arrived from Bangkok, said she has been waiting for this for almost three years.
Hong Kong needs to open up now and return to normal, because it is such a fantastic place to live. All international arrivals in the city had previously been forced to stay in hotel quarantine for as long as three weeks at their own expense, though the period was gradually reduced to three days. International arrivals are barred from bars and restaurants for three days. They still have to do multiple COVID 19 tests in the first week after arriving, even though they are allowed to go to work and school.