Hong Kong welcomes record low of 95 arrivals on Monday

Travellers from Pakistan, India and the Philippines are barred from entry and most other passengers must enter hotel quarantine for 21 days

Only 95 travellers arrived at Hong Kong International Airport on Monday. Cathay Pacific

The pandemic continues to disrupt the travel industry as Hong Kong reports a record low of 95 arrivals at its international airport.

The tally was reported on Monday by Paddle Your Own Kanoo, an air travel-focused website, and came after Hong Kong temporarily barred passengers from India, Pakistan and the Philippines.

Travellers from these nations cannot fly to the city until at least May 4.

Hong Kong has introduced tough travel restrictions owing to the pandemic and most visitors from overseas must show a negative Covid-19 test result and enter hotel quarantine for 21 days.

Travellers from some countries have been barred outright. India, Pakistan and the Philippines were identified as extremely high-risk and have been on this list since April 20.

Travellers entering the city from mainland China, Macao or Taiwan must enter quarantine at home, although residents arriving from the mainland will be exempt from this rule from Thursday.

Anyone arriving from Australia or New Zealand must also enter hotel quarantine, but only for 14 days.

Passenger numbers down nearly 99 per cent

In the past year Hong Kong has reported a sharp drop in tourist numbers. Last month, the city's international airport released its Air Traffic Statistics for March report.

The data shows an 89.9 per cent drop in traveller numbers compared with the same month last year.

As one of Asia's busiest transport centres, Hong Kong airport handled 71.5 million passengers in 2019. On a 12-month rolling basis, passenger numbers have fallen 98.6 per cent to 835,000 travellers, the report found.

The number of flights arriving and departing from the airport dropped 66.2 per cent over the same period.

Hong Kong and Singapore this week announced a travel bubble, a move that could help to boost these numbers.

The initiative allows travellers from either city to visit the other if they test negative for Covid-19 before departure and on arrival.

Hong Kong residents can also only fly to Singapore at least 14 days after they receive a second dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

All flights for the initial phase of the travel bubble have already sold out, according to the Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines websites.

Domestic travel recovery in Hong Kong

While the number of overseas visitors has hit an all-time low in Hong Kong, the government has relaxed restrictions on local tours and the city's tourism board plans to recommence its Spend-to-Redeem initiative.

Initially launched last year, the campaign encourages domestic travellers to spend on retail or dining to redeem a free guided tour.

Participants can select from several tour options, which each include a guide, return transport, one meal and visits to at least two landmarks or points of interest.

The initiative was paused in December owing to an increase in Covid-19 cases, but tours look set to resume in May at the earliest, the tourism board said. To date, Hong Kong has recorded 11,749 infections.