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Cathay Pacific says people can join the latest race for tickets until July 2. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Hong KongHong Kong economy

275,000 queue for free tickets from Japan to Hong Kong given out as part of tourism push

  • Queue for round-trip tickets from Narita, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka or Sapporo airports drew more than 9,000 hopefuls just two minutes into online lucky draw
  • Previous Korea giveaway drew 130,000 participants and complaints competition was so fierce it was ‘more difficult than buying tickets for a K-pop idol concert’
Cathay Pacific
Ambrose Li
Ambrose Li
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More than 275,000 people joined an online queue on Monday for 12,000 free Cathay Pacific Airways air tickets from Japan to Hong Kong, despite the carrier using a lucky draw for its giveaway that will remain open for days.

The competition for round-trip economy-class tickets from Narita, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka or Sapporo airports drew more than 9,000 hopefuls just two minutes into an online lucky draw opening at 11am (Hong Kong time), with Cathay’s website showing 275,000 users in the queue at 6.40pm.

Hello Hong Kong: how do I get free airline tickets and what else is on offer?

The last lucky draw was for a giveaway of nearly 11,000 free flights for residents in South Korea, which drew 130,000 participants and complaints that the competition was so fierce it was “more difficult than buying tickets for a K-pop idol concert”.

Those using Cathay’s free air tickets to visit Hong Kong could stay between two and seven days, with the voucher valid from July 12 to April 11, 2024.

The offerings are part of a 700,000-ticket giveaway handled by local airlines under the government’s “Hello Hong Kong” campaign. The city is aiming to attract more than 1.5 million visitors and revive post-pandemic tourism.

For the latest ticket giveaway involving Japan, Cathay said interested parties could join the race until July 2, with winners to be selected at random and the results announced on July 12.

Tens of thousands vie for free tickets to Hong Kong from Britain, Germany, Switzerland

Previously, the city’s flag carrier offered tickets to residents of countries including Singapore, Australia and Britain, with complaints of difficulties entering the competition.

Winners must pay all taxes and surcharges that apply to their tickets.

Hong Kong Express, Cathay Pacific Group’s budget carrier, is also giving away 14,900 round-trip tickets between eight Japanese cities and Hong Kong.

Another giveaway for flights between Japan and Hong Kong will be available on Tuesday from Hong Kong Airlines. It will distribute 2,050 round-trip economy-class tickets for Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo, Okinawa, Fukuoka and Nagoya on a first-come, first-served basis.

Hong Kong’s airline ticket giveaway: chaos, long waits for Southeast Asian hopefuls

The Airport Authority bought 500,000 tickets from local airlines in 2020 as air traffic ground to a halt during the coronavirus pandemic, to support the industry and promote its recovery.

Cathay aims to reach 70 per cent of pre-pandemic passenger flight capacity by the end of this year and 100 per cent by the end of 2024.

The remaining destination for Cathay’s free-ticket campaign is Taiwan, with the giveaway expected in July.
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