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| Chinese residents are eager to travel abroad from January 8 |
Soon after Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said the border between Hong Kong and China would be lifted by mid-January, it was confirmed the date would be January 8, and this would include international flights.
Thirty minutes after this announcement, the number of enquiries on travel website Ctrip.com surged 500 percent. Who can blame them after being isolated from the rest of the world for almost three years?
And the top 10 destinations Chinese residents are looking to travel to?
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| Top places are Macau, Hong Kong and Japan |
Queries for flights to the mainland also shot up after it was announced travellers coming into China would not need to do nucleic acid tests or quarantine, though a PCR test would be needed 48 hours before flying.
The government also promises to make it easier for for business travellers and foreigners working in China to get visas more easily. During the pandemic overseas travellers could only enter China if they had a valid residency permit or obtained a relevant visa.
With this news, flights from Hong Kong to Shanghai increased by 1,039 percent, while searches for trips to Beijing and Hangzhou rose by 718 percent and 662 percent respectively.
Hongkongers looking to cross the border must do so at the Shenzhen Bay checkpoint, where there is a daily quota of 3,500.
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| Hongkongers can cross border at Shenzhen Bay |
These sudden changes are a lot to take in after years of Beijing scaring people about Covid-19.
Nevertheless this latest announcement not only allows international business to resume -- if there is any left -- but more importantly for family reunions to finally take place after years of being apart.
But still -- with the number of cases surging and not enough people vaccinated in the country, is now the best time to open up China to the world?
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