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Vivian Au

Greater Bay Airlines will launch direct flights between Hong Kong and a lesser-known Japanese city, with tourism experts saying it may become a popular destination for residents who often visit the country and are growing bored with its main attractions.
The airline announced on Monday that the scheduled flights to Yonago in Tottori prefecture, located on the western coast of Honshu island, would launch on October 27, expanding its network in Japan from Tokyo and Osaka.
The new service between Hong Kong and Yonago Kitaro Airport will run three times a week.
Tourism industry representatives said they expected demand for the new route to be high, since Greater Bay Airlines would be the only local carrier offering flights to the city.
Timothy Chui Ting-pong, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Association, said Hongkongers who visited Japan frequently were “getting bored” with some first-tier cities such as Tokyo and Osaka, and they could be keen to explore sightseeing spots in the new destination.

“Hongkongers can easily access Tottori Sand Dunes, a national reserve near Yonago, with scheduled services,” he said.
Chui said he believed Yonago, located about 200km (124 miles) north of Hiroshima, could become a popular destination among Hongkongers, as tourists could soak in the hot springs and enjoy its winter snow and scenery.
Steve Huen Kwok-chuen, executive director of EGL Tours, said it “made sense for airlines to explore second-tier cities in Japan”, given the country’s popularity among residents.
He added that Japanese authorities would likely welcome the new initiative and want second-tier cities to “replicate the tourism development seen in [their] first-tier cities”.
A Post search on the Greater Bay Airlines website showed that a return ticket for a trip from October 27 to November 5 was priced at HK$2,038 (US$262).
The outbound flight at 11.45am to Yonago Kitaro Airport, located in Sakaiminato, a coastal city about 29km north of Yanago, went for HK$1,190. The flight takes three hours and 35 minutes.
The inbound flight was marked as free on the website, but customers would still have to pay HK$848 in surcharges.
Currently, no other airline offers direct flights from Hong Kong to Yonago, and those who want travel there must first fly to another major city in Japan, then transit locally.
Yonago is a major city in the western part of Tottori, renowned for its natural scenery, including Mount Daisen and Tottori Sand Dune.
Mount Daisen is a large volcanic mountain that dominates the terrain in Tottori prefecture.
Sakaiminato is the childhood home of legendary manga artist Shigeru Mizuki, and Yonago Kitaro Aiport is named after his most famous creation, Kitaro, a one-eyed ghost boy who is the lead character in the comic book series “GeGeGe no Kitaro”.
Mizuki Shigeru Road, also in Sakiminato, features 170 bronze statues of the artist’s manga characters.


About 1.3 million Hongkongers visited Japan in the first half of the year, over 40 per cent more compared with the same period in 2023, according to official data.
The overall number of tourists from Hong Kong to Japan before the pandemic in 2019 was about 2.2 million.
The airline launched its scheduled services in July 2022 and currently operates flights to Bangkok, Taipei, Seoul, Tokyo, Osaka, Manila and Haikou with a fleet of eight Boeing 737-800 aircraft.


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Hong Kong’s Greater Bay Airlines to launch direct flights to Japan’s Yonago on October 27

Greater Bay Airlines will launch direct flights between Hong Kong and the Japanese city of Yonago in October. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

Yonago is a major city in western Tottori known for its natural scenery. Photo: Shutterstock

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Greater Bay Airlines currently serves seven destinations with a fleet of eight Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

The port in Humen, Dongguan, is one of six where passengers can depart from and transit for their flight in Hong Kong with just one booking. Photo: Shutterstock

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Visitors to the websites of HK Express and Greater Bay Airlines were met with online queues in the first hour of the latest sales. Photo: Handout

The discount HK Express airfares are being sold on a first-come, first-served basis but exclude taxes and surcharges. Photo: Dickson Lee

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Tourism experts predict Yonago will become popular destination among Hongkongers for its natural scenery such Mount Daisen and Tottori Sand Dune


Tourism experts predict Yonago will become popular destination among Hongkongers for its natural scenery such Mount Daisen and Tottori Sand Dune.
