Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu previously said the scheme’s expansion was expected to bring about 300,000 extra visitors to Hong Kong and generate up to HK$1.5 billion (US$192 million) in additional revenue each year.
Lawmaker Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung, also a member of the government’s key decision-making Executive Council, said local airlines, including Cathay Pacific Airways, should roll out more new routes and direct passenger services to the eight newly added cities to fully capitalise on the benefits of Beijing’s goodwill measures.
“Without direct flights, there is no incentive for mainland tourists of these remote cities to come a long way to Hong Kong. You cannot expect them to fly more than 10 hours with layovers at different places just to visit the city,” he said.
“Our nation has specially looked after Hong Kong by adding more cities to the solo travel scheme. Local airlines should actively provide more offerings to respond to Beijing’s favour, which is designed…














