Tourism Industry Additional Support Scheme (Special Further Subsidies)

The Government has launched a round of special further subsidies under the Tourism Industry Additional Support Scheme (the Scheme), which aims to -

1. provide to each eligible licensed travel agent with a one-off special further cash subsidy based on the number of staff members they have on 31 October 2020:
   
   
   1. for travel agents with 10 staff members or less: a flat rate of $50,000 each;
      
      
   2. for travel agents with 11 staff members or more: the subsidy level will be directly proportional to the number of staff members they have, using a subsidy level of $5,000 per staff member as the basis of calculation; and
      
      No application is required for travel agents which have successfully applied for and received subsidy in the last round of the Scheme (i.e. received subsidy between December 2020 and February 2021), the headcount to be used for calculating the special further subsidy will be the number approved in the last round of the Scheme.
      
      For travel agents which have NOT received subsidy in the last round of the Scheme, the headcount to be used for calculating the special further subsidy will be the number of staff members to be approved by the approving authority after vetting their application, and in any case not more than the number of staff members on 31 March 2020.
2. provide each eligible travel agent’s staff a one-off special further subsidy of $7,500.

Eligibility

1. “Eligible travel agent”: a travel agent holding a valid travel agent licence (issued under the Travel Agents Ordinance (Cap. 218)) on 14 February 2020 (the day on which the Government announced the establishment of the Travel Agents Subsidy Scheme under the Anti-epidemic Fund) and when the special further subsidy under the Scheme is disbursed.
2. “Eligible travel agent's staff”: staff employed by an “eligible travel agent” on 31 March 2020.

Disbursement of Subsidy

No application is required for eligible travel agents and eligible travel agents’ staff who have received subsidy in the last round of the Scheme. The Government will send SMS notifications to them about the disbursement arrangement of the special further subsidy. If eligible persons need to update their bank account information for receiving the subsidy, they are required to complete the form below and submit to the Travel Agents Registry on or before 20 August 2021─

• Application for Change of Bank Account Information (for Travel Agents)
• Application for Change of Bank Account Information (for Travel Agents' Staff and Freelance Accredited Tourist Guides and Tour Escorts)

For eligible travel agents which have NOT received subsidy in the last round of the Scheme and their eligible travel agents' staff, they will be required to submit an application with documentary proof to the Travel Agents Registry on or before 31 August 2021. Application details are as follows:

• Guide to Application
• Application Form

Enquiries

For enquiries, please contact the Travel Agents Registry: