After borders were fully reopened between the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao on February 6, 2023, searches for group trips to the two Special Administrative Regions of China immediately surged by 180 percent on Ctrip.com, an online travel services provider. After the three-year pandemic lockdown, the reopening is expected to boost the hotel, catering, shopping and entertainment sectors in the cities. To boost the tourist industry, Hong Kong offered one million consumption coupons and 500,000 free airline tickets to tourists. Meanwhile, new tourist venues, such as West Kowloon Cultural District, are open and travel will be eased by the adoption of AlipayHK, which facilitates transactions in restaurants, shopping malls and transit systems.
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