Last Updated: November 29, 2022

1. The current changing covid situation

Dear This Is Asia Travellers:

We would like to give an update on what’s going on in Hong Kong at the moment as of end of 2022. As you may aware, Asia in general is only just climbing out of the pandemic over the second half of 2022. Hong Kong, being Asia’s world city is somewhat lagging behind in terms of reopening, currently there is the so called “0+3” policy which every incoming passenger arriving into Hong Kong from overseas will require 1. Pre departure RAT test submission (within 48 hours) 2. Mandatory arrival PCR test by local health authorities 3. First 3 days not allowed into dining (mask off) venues 4. Second mandatory PCR test by local authorities on your 2nd arrival day at local testing points.

The above said rules of entry have already been largely “relaxed” from previous measures. As of right now, the government is not looking into further relaxations of rules as we must adopt and in line with the country’s “dynamic zero” policy.

2. Our advantage over the current rules

At This Is Asia Tours, our team have put our utmost effort to ensure safety towards our guests and also your well-being of “experience in Hong Kong” are taken care of, allowing us to ensure you understand the histories and backgrounds of Hong Kong and as well as local living standards, cultures and food. Ensuring our goal for you of “Be a local, See like a local”.

Given the current entry measures to Hong Kong, it is our responsibility to ensure your safe entry into Hong Kong and as well as your safety of coming in line with the updated covid and health measures, we will offer additional service beginning from the day prior to your departure to Hong Kong to the point when you meet our guide and beyond, ensuring your safe entry into Hong Kong  and not being involved with local quarantine and isolation measures during your stay in Hong Kong, no matter if it is just a half day airport layover tour or an extended full day Hong Kong private tour. We will have you managed with us during your stay for your peace of mind.

3. What’s ahead (our view)

As we are on ground and have our pulse on the latest, our information comes from a variety of local sources including media and local word of mouth and most importantly the style of situation handlings from the current government. From what we see so far, we predict that Hong Kong will further open up with relaxing on its health measures on covid. Without getting too detailed, this simply means it will be easier to travel into Hong Kong, no matter if you are coming to board a cruise ship, getting off a cruise ship, on a half day or full day flight layover in Hong Kong, or even really travelling to Hong Kong and staying for a few days or longer to explore, Hong Kong is now open and ready to welcome guests into the city. The time is now to start planning your next Hong Kong trip to experience the latest or to include Hong Kong as part of your trip stopping by.

Within the foreseeable future (probably the next 12 months), there will still be some level of entry requirements to come into Hong Kong, even though the city has its doors open. So we advise that you enquire with us on what is needed and which is the best way to enjoy and maximise your experience in Hong Kong, without the concerns of the rules.

4. Tours to Macau, Shenzhen and Mainland China

As there are currently still mandatory designated hotel quarantine measures to these cities, we are not operating tours to Macau and Shenzhen until further notice.

5. Continue to embrace the “new normal”

Health & Safety Best Practices for All Tours:

Do not go on tour if you, or someone with whom you have been in contact, are sick or are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms (such as cough, fever, shortness of breath). Travelers can take advantage of our Flexible Cancellation Policy if they need to cancel their tour at the last minute.

Vehicles to be sanitized (interiors and door handles) before and after each tour.

Hand sanitizer, spare masks and wipes to be available at all times.

Wear masks while in enclosed spaces, like vehicles or museums.

Be aware of and respect local health and safety regulations and advisories.

We also expect guides and travelers to continue to embrace the “new normal” we’ve all become accustomed to: Wash/sanitize hands frequently; Cough or sneeze only into a closed elbow; Avoid shared items; Maintain physical distance between yourself and those outside your bubble.
In the context of Covid-19, it is also especially important for our guides to be extra prepared before each tour. We consider following these best practices to deliver tours as smoothly, safely, and enjoyably, as possible:

Message travelers prior to the date of the tour to confirm ground rules, to make them aware of local regulations and advisories, and to gauge their level of comfort with any associated risks.

Consider keeping the vehicle front passenger seat empty, to ensure physical distance between guide and traveler. This may be something we may want to discuss with travelers in advance.

Provide travelers with the information and time they will need to make any necessary preparations for the tour (e.g. arranging personal supplies such as water, food, sanitizer, masks, wipes).

Arrange meeting locations which allow for optimal physical distancing – for instance, open areas free from crowding.

Actively protect travelers from others who are not respecting their space or adhering to safety measures.

Plan routes and itineraries to avoid crowds and busy periods.

Schedule regular hand washing breaks.

Consider using a bluetooth mic while driving, so your voice can carry to the back of the vehicle, even when wearing a mask.

Be transparent with travelers if any of our guides have allergies, a persistent unrelated cough, etc.

Be generally over-cautious, be seen to be taking precautions seriously, and please do not downplay potential risks.

We hope that providing this reassurance to travelers will get us one step closer to returning to the “normal” all of our livelihoods depend upon.

6. National Security Law

We understand your concern in regards to the ongoing protests news you have seen in Hong Kong since mid 2019. The situation now has eased as the violent parts of the protests are over in the meantime with the local Hong Kong government handling the situation of revealing in small parts a step at a time. Unveiling the truth of every stage of mixed conflicts since mid 2019. This is now an ongoing legal process within our justice system which will take long periods of time to resolve. In our modest opinion, as long as the local Hong Kong government are not initiating probes or announcements that will make the public angry, the people of Hong Kong will not be coming out on the streets to produce an image that is not welcoming for our international guests.

The New National Security Law for Hong Kong the world has heard on the news lately, to put in a simpler context, we at This Is Asia Tours would try to avoid with political matters nor discussed matters of the CCP during our tours operations if possible. Our opinions are always modest focusing mostly on local histories and the story of Hong Kong. This new piece of law may seem a big deal in Hong Kong, however it will not affect travellers coming to Hong Kong as long as we are nowhere near to a platform of subversion to the CCP, as you will experience in Hong Kong living and seeing just like a local. We understand there may be updated travel guidelines and advisories from your country, however our guides on our tours together with ours guests will handle our comments and actions in an appropriate manner in keeping us away from being involved with this new law.

At the same time, we here at This Is Asia are closely monitoring on news and social media together with our local knowledges, keeping an eye on the latest situation should anything escalate. We would definitely avoid any danger towards our guests and would place the best recommendations to avoid and as well as showing you the best of what we promised for our tours in showing you the true face of our local community, our cultures yet not missing out on the fundamentals of each of part of our cities, which we have successfully produced over the last half of 2019 to just before the pandemic with months of happy guests walking out of our tours. We are here to assure you there is nothing better than being with a local while travelling. Allowing you see Hong Kong like a local, be a local.

7. Cancellation policy.

Under normal circumstances, our team would seek confirmation from you before processing a customer-requested cancellation that is outside of your standard cancellation policy. Under the flexible cancellation policy, and to best assist you and reduce the volume of calls from our support teams to you, we will automatically cancel and fully refund all customer-requested cancellations. This policy will also apply to non-refundable bookings. Accordingly, we will not be making payment for these cancelled bookings. As the situation is constantly changing, we will ensure to keep you informed of any updates.

Thank you for your continued trust and loyalty. Should you have additional questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly for your trip or any member of our team.

Sincerely,

This Is Asia Torus – Hong Kong Macau Shenzhen