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Hong Kong-Singapore travel bubble postponed at the last minute
Travellers hoping to travel between Hong Kong and Singapore had their bubble burst at the weekend.
The highly anticipated Singapore-Hong Kong travel bubble has been postponed at the last minute.
Hong Kong’s Minister of Commerce And Economic Development, Edward Yau announced a two-week postponement just a day before it was to begin on 22 November.
It was suspended after Hong Kong reported 43 new coronavirus cases at the weekend.
"For any scheme to be successful, it must fulfil the condition of securing public health and also make sure that both sides would be comfortable and feel safe about the scheme," Yau said.
"In light of the situation in Hong Kong, I think it’s the responsible way to put this back for a while, and then relaunch it at a suitable juncture."
It is suspended for an initial two-week period and will be reviewed then.
In a social media post Yau wrote that it is a ‘sober reminder that the Covid-19 virus is still with us’ as Hong Kong’s senior health official said it has ‘probably entered’ a new wave of cases.
It is a major blow to tourism operators in both destinations.
The travel bubble has sparked huge demand in travel bookings and some of the first flights were sold out.
Customers who booked a flight with Singapore Airlines or Cathay Pacific and don’t wish to defer travel to a later date can request a full refund.
Industry organisations such as IATA had lauded the travel bubble agreement and were hoping it would form a blueprint for other destinations across Asia.
Hong Kong has recorded a total of 5,561 cases, including 108 deaths, and Singapore has had ten times as many cases but only 28 deaths so far.
Written by Ray Montgomery, Asia Editor
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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