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HKFP
3 days ago
- Business
- HKFP
Unused Covid-19 facility in Kai Tak converted into youth hub featuring hostel, sports, cultural spaces
An unused Covid-19 isolation facility in Kai Tak will be converted into a youth hub featuring a hostel with rooms starting at HK$200 a night. Runway 1331, which opened on a trial basis on Sunday, is expected to officially launch in September. It consists of a hostel with 2,900 rooms with private toilets, as well as a performance venue, basketball courts, and common spaces for arts and cultural activities. The project is operated by Glorise Tourism & Culture – a subsidiary of the central government-owned China Tourism Group, also known as China Travel Service. Youth groups can apply for accommodation at trial rates of HK$200 a night for single rooms, while the rent for long-term tenants will range between HK$3,000 and HK$6,000 a month. At least 100 rooms will be reserved for people to stay free of charge if they have skills that they could use to contribute to the community, said Winnie Chiu, a director at Glorise Tourism & Culture. The project, near the old Kai Tak Airport, is named after the former airport's single runway numbered 13/31. Known as one of the trickiest airports to land in, Kai Tak Airport closed on July 6, 1998, while the neighbouring area has been redeveloped with the Kai Tak Sports Park and high-rise residential estates. Chief Executive John Lee announced in his policy address last year that the Kai Tak Covid-19 isolation site would become a 'youth development facility' for young people to 'stimulate creativity, develop culture and arts, and engage in mutual exchange.' In May, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak said the project aimed at attracting youth from overseas and giving them an extra accommodation option. 'When we speak to youths from different places, they often say it is difficult to find a place to live in Hong Kong,' she said. The Covid-19 facility in Kai Tak was among nine isolation sites built during the city's fifth Covid-19 wave in 2022, using workers from mainland China as Beijing sought to help the city amid the outbreak. The facilities were spread across the city, with the biggest one at Penny's Bay, near Hong Kong Disneyland on Lantau Island. Many of the facilities, however, were left underused as soaring infection figures made the government's policy of tracking patients and close contacts impossible. Lawmakers criticised what some called a misuse of public funds. Last year, the Development Bureau said some sites had been repurposed for other uses. The isolation centre in Tam Mei, located in Yuen Long, now serves as quarters for non-local construction workers. In Tsing Yi, the facility is managed by the Hong Kong Army Cadets Association to hold training for youth groups.
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong Covid facility at old Kai Tak airport takes off as youth hostel, culture hub
An unused Covid-19 isolation facility at a prime sea-view site in the heart of Hong Kong will be transformed into a youth hostel and cultural hub, offering 2,900 units at affordable rates and expected to debut in September. The project, renamed 'Runway 1331' and located at the former Kai Tak airport, is expected to provide young people with opportunities for entrepreneurship, cultural exchange and talent development. Named after the old airport's single airstrip, designated Runway 13/31, the project has been developed by Glorise Tourism and Culture, a joint venture between the central government-owned China Tourism Group and entrepreneur Winnie Chiu Wing-kwan. Chiu is also president of hotel chain Dorsett Hospitality International. 'We hope Runway 1331 ultimately will develop into the world's biggest incubator for the youth,' Chiu said on Sunday. The accommodation is equipped with basics such as beds, televisions, tables and chairs. Photo: Sam Tsang The project utilises 3,000 unused isolation rooms with private toilets located in dozens of four-storey buildings on an 11.5-hectare (28.4 acres) site. The isolation facility was built during the Covid-19 pandemic with the support of the central government.
