Exclusive | Coronavirus: more Hong Kong hotels set to pull out of quarantine scheme renewal to capitalise on local market
- Source says hotel industry experiencing decline in occupancy rate after government earlier launched ‘3+4’ travel scheme
- Hotels turn attention to local market, with hopes of capitalising on providing staycations during Christmas holiday season
More hotels in Hong Kong are expected to pull out of the next round of the government’s quarantine scheme that runs until February, industry insiders say, as occupancy rates hover near 50 per cent and operators focus on the local market.
The Post confirmed on Friday the government sent out letters the day before inviting hotels to take part in the next cycle of the scheme, which will begin on November 1 .
According to the government, 61 hotels are currently providing about 23,000 rooms for travellers. They must spend three days quarantining in a hotel room, followed by four days under home medical surveillance. The Health Bureau told the Post that 3,100 rooms would be unavailable as seven hotels had already said they would leave the scheme.
The deadline for hotels to enrol is September 16, while the current cycle will end on October 31.
A senior hotel source said that they understood the recent rise in Covid-19 cases, which have hovered around the 10,000 mark, meant the government needed to prepare for another round of the scheme.
