“The current 25 weekly flights from Dubai, Bahrain and Riyadh are about right for the market,” stated Nikhil Kilpady, sales and marketing manager, UAE and Oman, Cathay Pacific Airways.

Qatar Airways, which celebrated its 10th anniversary of operations to Hong Kong this year, updated the route to Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft, ensuring even greater comfort.

This year also saw Qatar’s national carrier resume full double-daily operations from Hong Kong, reinforcing the destination’s importance for the company.

“Apart from the lure of East Asia, Hong Kong is also an important hub in the region, with connections to many cities [across] Asia.

Hong Kong, hence, becomes a natural stopover choice for Middle Eastern tourists who want a complete East Asia experience,” posited Chan Cheong Eu, country manager, Greater China South, Qatar Airways, also shedding light on the relatively easy entry into the Asian destination for Middle Eastern travellers, with most nations now being eligible for a visa-free stay for a certain length of time.

The notion of Hong Kong serving as a stopover hub for further access into Mainland China and Asia in general was acknowledged by Tsang, Chai as well as Crestejo.

“The luxurious stay experience in [Hong Kong] and the gateway to Asia [helps] to attract [Middle Eastern] travellers,” stressed Crestejo.

As Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, divisional senior vice president, commercial operation, Centre, Emirates, further commented, with four daily flights offered by the UAE carrier between Dubai and Hong Kong, this route is very popular with Middle Eastern travellers, many of whom travel to China and southeast Asian countries through the city for both business and leisure purposes.

“We continue to carefully evaluate our existing operations in Hong Kong, and work closely with the relevant authorities to access possible opportunities if market conditions allow,” notioned Al Mualla pertaining to Emirates’ future plans for the Asian destination.

“Air connectivity is essential for Hong Kong to maintain its attractiveness as an international business and tourist hub. [...] As a Hong Kong home carrier, we will continue to work with HKTB and actively support initiatives for promoting Hong Kong to visitors [from] the Middle East,” concluded Kilpady.