Leading five destinations for city travellers are Tokyo, Taipei, Osaka, Bangkok and Seoul, according to travel platform.
After three years of not travelling since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, 25-year-old Hongkonger Mena Liu missed the feeling of stepping onto an aeroplane the most. The software developer is in South Korea for 11 days from April 1 to 11 exploring Busan and Jeju Island during the Easter holidays, the longest break since all travel restrictions in Hong Kong were lifted. Liu had yearned to travel since the city’s borders reopened and the government started gradually loosening strict Covid-19 rules , which included shortening quarantine periods and removing compulsory tests. “I’ve wanted to travel since last year, but since I changed jobs recently, there weren’t any leave days for me to take,” she said. “I broadened my horizons in South Korea and felt excited and happy … I haven’t been on a plane in a long time, so I missed it.” Liu is among tens of thousands of Hong Kong travellers eager to leave the city over the tomb-sweeping Ching Ming Festival and Easter period. The traditional Chinese festival falls on Wednesday, while Easter is from April 7 to 10. This means an office worker taking one day off will get a six-day holiday. The most sought-after destinations for Hong Kong travellers during the spring holidays include Tokyo, Taipei, Osaka, Bangkok and Seoul, according to Expedia for Business president Ariane Gorin. “It is worth noting that visiting Tokyo this spring is attracting high interest from Hong Kong travellers, at the same level as pre-pandemic,” she said. Hong Kong tour operators warn of long airport waits to clear immigration in Japan She added that the average length of stays for these top five destinations increased by 20 per cent compared to the same period in 2019, while mobile searches also grew by 40 per cent.
