As reported by Reuters, the news agency — Dane Cheng, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board hopes that Hong Kong’s tourism will be back to normal by July.

The news agency reported that the effects of the novel coronavirus on Hong Kong’s tourism sector is unprecedented and the city can hope to start seeing things returning to normal by July, in part by trying to develop new markets, the head of the tourism board told Reuters news agency. The Covid-19 crisis has paralysed the global financial hub’s economy, which was already reeling from months of anti-government protests, with travel restrictions to curb the spread of infection grinding tourism to halt.

Cheng said it would focus on boosting local consumer spending and promote the city to new markets such as India and Vietnam and to Muslim tourists. “The best we can hope for would be in June, July. By that time, you could see things resume to normal. The border of Hong Kong reopening, air services resuming, that is the time for us to move on and start our recovery plan.”