Your perfect week: what to do in Hong Kong, June 1-7
served during the winter months , or the more adventurous Mystery Chicken, inspired by the Korean classic ginseng chicken soup.
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South China Morning Post
9 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Despite signs of recovery, Hong Kong's Cathay still has a job to do
Cathay Pacific Airways has consolidated a broad-based recovery from the dark days of the Covid pandemic with a 1.1 per cent rise in net profit to HK$3.65 billion (US$465 million) for the first six months of 2025, compared with the same period last year. It was driven by three main factors – higher passenger volumes that absorbed lower yields, another consistent performance by its cargo operations, which sustained the airline during hard times, and lower fuel prices. Advertisement The result sets Hong Kong's flag carrier up to meet the challenge of intense competition, amid rising demand, from a resurgent world aviation sector. It has signalled confidence with plans to buy 14 Boeing 777-9 jets, on top of 21 of the same model scheduled for delivery in 2027 or later, bringing its total investment to more than HK$100 billion in the coming years. This is on top of the 30 Airbus aircraft added last year to a previous order for 70. Market sentiment signalled the airline still has quite a job ahead of it, with Cathay Group's shares falling after the results and new plane orders were announced. The challenge is reflected in the loss recorded by Cathay's budget arm, HK Express, of HK$524 million before net finance charges and taxation, up from HK$73 million in the same period last year. The impact of earthquake rumours on travel to Japan, a core market, was held to blame. However, Cathay CEO Ronald Lam Siu-por said HK Express' strong fundamentals supported confidence in the future. Evidence that Cathay's post-Covid revenue gains are exhausted is to be found in an increase of 27.8 per cent in passenger numbers year on year in the first half of the year, compared with a rise of only 9.5 per cent in passenger revenue. At the same time, however, the cargo business again demonstrated resilience despite tariff risks amid geopolitical tensions and the trade conflict between the United States and China. Advertisement
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- South China Morning Post
Hongkongers warned of elevated chikungunya fever risk as cases rise across Asia
Hong Kong health authorities have warned of a heightened risk of possible chikungunya fever transmissions in the city as more Asian travel destinations popular among residents have also recorded local cases of the mosquito-borne disease. Director of Health Dr Ronald Lam Man-kin on Sunday also highlighted the challenges of preventing the disease from spreading, pointing to its 'significantly' shorter incubation period in mosquitoes, which allowed the virus to replicate more quickly. Lam's warning came after the city recorded five confirmed chikungunya fever cases. Following the city's first imported chikungunya fever case in six years on August 2, four new cases were subsequently confirmed, concerning residents who had also been to Foshan in Guangdong province and Bangladesh. 'Many of Hong Kong's popular travel destinations, especially in Asia, have seen local transmission. We have seen several imported cases over the past week,' Lam told a television programme on Sunday. 'The source of these cases is not limited to mainland China, but also includes other places like Bangladesh.'
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Grab halts Mandarin driver trial in Malaysia after backlash, government warning
Malaysia 's transport regulator has warned e-hailing companies against discriminatory practices after Grab, the country's largest ride-hailing service, started charging a premium on customers requesting Mandarin-speaking drivers. The controversy erupted earlier this week when a screenshot went viral on social media, showing that the cost to book a ride with a Mandarin-speaking driver was up to 50 per cent higher than for similar rides without the language requirement. It provoked outrage in Malaysia, where identity politics and rising ethno-nationalism have deepened mistrust between the Malay majority and the country's ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities. In response, the Land Public Transport Agency (Apad) issued a reminder to e-hailing providers that their licensing conditions require booking systems to be 'fair and equitable to all drivers'. The agency warned that discrimination against e-hailing drivers was a criminal offence, carrying penalties of up to 200,000 ringgit (US$47,200) in fines and two years' imprisonment. Apad, in a statement on Thursday, said it was 'committed to ensuring the sustainability of e-hailing services as a fair and inclusive public transportation service that is free from any form of discrimination towards all stakeholders'. Grab had earlier defended the Mandarin driver option as a pilot project, launched in response to a surge in tourist arrivals from China . The number of Chinese visitors reached 1.4 million in the first four months of 2025, according to Tourism Malaysia, a 38 per cent year-on-year increase. 'This experiment was crucial in testing the sustainability and demand among tourists, as we work towards introducing support for additional languages,' Grab said in a statement on Thursday.
