HONG KONG, 18 July 2019: Even though travel advisories on Hong Kong remain at a low cautionary level, demonstrations still caused a 5.4% drop in flight bookings from Asia.
The assessment came from ForwardKeys, which analyses over 17 million flight bookings a day. It revealed that demonstrations in Hong Kong, against the controversial extradition bill, deterred people from making plans to visit the city.
During 16 June to 13 July, an estimated 2 million protesters took to the streets that culminated in a general strike, the siege of police headquarters and the storming of the Legislative Council building.
Flight bookings from Asian markets* fell by 5.4% on the equivalent period last year. During the first two weeks (16 – 29 June) bookings fell 9% and during 30 June to 13 July, 2.2%.
This sharp setback in bookings reversed a positive trend in which bookings for the first six and a half months of the year increased 6.6% up when compared with 2018.
ForwardKeys vice president Insights Olivier Ponti said: “Even though the numbers do not look good, things are not all bad for Hong Kong.
“So far, the adverse media cover has not caused a decline in long-haul bookings to Hong Kong and Asian bookings made this year are still ahead of those made during the same period in 2018.
“Growth has slowed substantially since the mass protest of 16 June. Also, it seems as if the lowest period occurred before the storming of the Legislative Council. However, on the less optimistic side, there were further demonstrations after our most recent numbers were run, so another downturn is possible.”
(*The bookings data excludes China and
Taiwan because of a decline in bookings in the latter part of June, due to the
Dragon Boat Festival falling 11 days earlier this year than in 2018.)
