Incentive schemes for travel industry extended until March 2022

Travel agents will also receive a higher funding worth $150,000.

The government will extend the application for the Travel Agents Incentive Scheme (TAIS) and the Green Lifestyle Local Tour Incentive Scheme (GLIS) for one year or until 31 March 2022.

The extension is intended to aid the industry that continues to suffer due to the prolonged impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government has also raised the funding for TAIS to $150m from $50m.

“Extension of the application deadlines of the two schemes and the increase in the funding commitment for the TAIS will benefit the trade more, enabling the trade to capitalise on the opportunities arising from the gradual resumption of tourism activities in future, thereby providing stimulus for the revival of the travel industry,” a spokesman said.

This also comes after the recent announcement of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) that cross-border travel will be unlikely in the next three to six months.

Under the TAIS, travel agents are granted cash incentives of $100 or $120 for each outbound or inbound overnight travelers they serve, with the number of eligible travelers capped at 1,000 for each agent.

The scheme was launched by the government with the HKTB and the Travel Industry Council in October 2019. The initial application period of the scheme was from November 2019 to April 2021.

GLIS, meanwhile, extends cash incentives based on the number of green lifestyle local tour participants they serve.

The incentive is worth $200 for each participant, also with a cap of 1,000. The original application period for GLIS was set to close this month.