Exclusive | Travel bubbles: commerce minister sounds cautious note on Hongkongers’ holiday plans
- Edward Yau looks forward to forming a travel bubble with Thailand, but does not specify any dates for rolling out arrangements
- He says the tourism sector should seize opportunities by repackaging Hong Kong’s natural and historical resources
Hongkongers’ hopes of spending their summer holiday abroad are still hanging in the balance, the commerce minister has told the Post, even though the city has planned to form a travel bubble with Thailand.
In an exclusive interview, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah struck a cautious note on the possibility of forming travel bubbles with countries that have successfully contained the coronavirus during the peak travel season.
When a travel bubble is formed between Hong Kong and another region, city residents with a valid health certificate stating they are free of the coronavirus will be exempt from mandatory quarantine while visiting that destination.
“It’s hard to say. If both sides are satisfied [with the conditions], I think individual small bubbles may be created. But they will not be so extensive,” Yau said.
He added he hoped Thailand would be part of the small bubbles Hong Kong wanted to create, but he did not specify a date for rolling out the arrangement.
Hong Kong’s tourism has been paralysed since February when all but three of the city’s border checkpoints were closed to contain the pandemic.