Horizon：Tourism under pandemic
【明報專訊】In light of the pandemic situation, the number of tourists around the globe has shrunk significantly. Companies that rely heavily on tourism strive to survive in this grim situation. Let's take a look at how they manage to do business under these circumstances.
◆Hong Kong:
fly on top of the city!
An airport company has introduced a brand new way of travelling around Hong Kong. Ｃustomers can take a 90-minute flight on top of the city. Some people merged the word ''fly'' with ''vacation'', and described this form of travelling as a ''flycation''!
◆Thailand:
long-stay visa
Thailand is trying to attract tourists by issuing a special tourist visa(特殊觀光簽證). With an effective proof of quarantine, tourists could apply for a 90-day travel visa which can be renewed twice, allowing tourists to stay up to 9 months! The policy is expected to be implemented in October .
◆China:
''Golden Week''
Despite the ongoing pandemic situation, China's tourism is boosting. The Golden Week starting from 1 October is one of the week-long holidays for Chinese citizens to go on a domestic trip. Though the figure has dropped this year, over 13 million railway passenger trips (人次) were made on the first day of the Golden Week.
◆Australia:
travel bubble
Many countries are exploring the possibility of adopting ''travel bubbles''(旅遊氣泡) with other countries. ''Travel bubbles'' means allowing tourists to travel quarantine-free, but with limited destinations and subject to several restrictions. In the current arrangement, the travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand is one-way only — only from New Zealand to Australia.
■Glossary
shrink (v) 縮小
significantly (adv) 顯著地
implement (v) 實行
restriction (n) 限制
[Smarties' Power English 第291期]
