Outbound Travel Alert System (OTA System) is a travel advice system for residents of Hong Kong who are travelling overseas. Based on risk assessments by the Security Bureau of the

Hong Kong Government The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government) is the Executive (government), executive authorities of Hong Kong. It was established on 1 July 1997, following the ...

, it advises travellers from Hong Kong of the potential risk to personal safety in other countries or regions in the current environment.

History

On 25 November 2008, Thai anti-government protesters of the Thai political crisis rushed into and occupied the Departure Hall of the

Suvarnabhumi Airport Suvarnabhumi Airport is the main international airport serving Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. Located mostly in Racha Thewa subdistrict, Bang Phli district, Samut Prakan province, it covers an area of , making it one of the biggest intern ...

, which forced the airport to close and cancel all departing flights. Nearly 500 residents of Hong Kong were affected by the incident and were stranded in Bangkok. Two days later, representatives from the Hong Kong tourism industry claimed that the

had been too passive about the incident, and that the Security Bureau had not issued any travel warnings. The

Chinese Government The government of the People's Republic of China is based on a system of people's congress within the parameters of a Unitary state, unitary communist state, in which the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) enacts its policies through people's ...

Macau Government The Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region, commonly known as the Macao Government, is the Executive_(government), executive authorities of Macau. Formed on 20 December 1999 in accordance with the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declarati ...

and other countries began to send charters to repatriate their residents from Thailand four days after the incident. However, the Secretary of the Security Bureau announced that Hong Kong would have special arrangements with

Cathay Pacific Cathay Pacific Airways Limited, or simply Cathay Pacific, is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main airline hub, hub located at Hong Kong International Airport. The airline's operations and its subsidiaries have schedule ...

and Hong Kong Express for their residents to return home, after a Hong Kong couple were involved in a car crash on the way from Bangkok to

Phuket International Airport Phuket International Airport is an international airport serving the island of Phuket and its province in southern Thailand. It is located north of downtown Phuket in the Mai Khao subdistrict of Thalang district. The airport plays a major r ...

. The Hong Kong Government was accused of being unresponsive, having no sense of crisis and handling the case ineffectively during the incident. The Hong Kong Government and the country's tourism industry held discussions on tourism warning systems; and on 20 October 2009, the Security Bureau established the Outbound Travel Alert System.

System

Alert level

Coverage Area

The Outbound Travel Alert System covers 85 countries, which are the foreign countries that are the most popular destinations for residents of Hong Kong; other destinations are occasionally added. According to the guidelines of the Security Bureau,

Mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...

Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...

and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

are not included in the system. * Except the stated 25 countries or regions, the remaining 60 countries are forced to under the system since 20 October 2009.

Related services

The

Immigration Department The Immigration Department is a disciplined service under the Government of Hong Kong, responsible for immigration control of Hong Kong. After the handover of Hong Kong to China in July 1997, Hong Kong's immigration system remained larg ...

offers a travel advisory service, known as "Points to Note When Planning Your Trip". Three to four days prior to their journey, residents of Hong Kong can provide their cell phone number and their travel destination and dates. The Immigration Department will then send a text message containing any warnings, advisories or incidents relating to that country prior to the traveller's departure.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Outbound Travel Alert System

Tourism in Hong Kong Public health and safety in Hong Kong