Quick takes

Hong Kong government’s budget targets events

This week the Hong Kong government unveiled its latest budget. Plenty of money will be allocated to get Hong Kong back on its feet. The government expects the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) to host ten major exhibitions this year that attract 500,000 visitors and the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is being given an addition HK$200 million to attract business events.

Macau’s visitor numbers begin a comeback

In January, Macau’s visitor arrivals jumped by over 100% year-on-year and nearly 260% month-on-month to approximately 1.4 million – boosted by the easing of COVID restrictions and the Lunar New Year holiday. That figure is still far below the 40 million visitors in 2019, but 2023 will still likely record a remarkable recovery.

Routes Asia head to Langkawi in 2024

Informa’s influential conference, Routes Asia, will be held in Malaysia in 2024. Here’s hoping that by 2024 most Asian airlines will have restarted all the much-needed routes and added capacity around the region.