While the rest of the world struggled to find a way to relax travel restrictions, the two Asian financial centers have been trying for months to open up to tourism. In November 2020, the number of Covid-19 infections in Hong Kong skyrocketed, forcing Singapore and Hong Kong to postpone the “travel bubble”. And now, a new outbreak in Singapore has extinguished hopes of a “travel bubble” once again. “Next time, they should announce the enforcement 24 hours in advance so that Covid-19 does not have time to react,” Wong, 33, joked. The “travel bubble” connecting Singapore and Hong Kong was postponed twice because of the Covid-19 epidemic. Photo: Getty Images. Travel thirst The two city governments carefully drafted detailed criteria and announced new safety regulations to open the border. Many people who want to travel rush to book tickets to secure seats on two scheduled return flights each day. They plan to go to specific places, meet friends. Now again they are disappointed. “Singapore is only a 3.5 hour flight from Hong Kong, but now it feels like the other side of the world.” WSJ quoted Emma Herblot – 42-year-old French expert working for an online payment company in Singapore – lamented. Singapore and Hong Kong have been relatively successful in containing the Covid-19 epidemic and are still applying strict isolation regulations. People returning from anywhere still have to be isolated in concentrated for 2-3 weeks. So many Singaporeans and Hong Kongers have not traveled for more than a year now. Travel blogger Aaron Wong at Changi Airport in February 2020. This is his last trip before the Covid-19 epidemic. Photo: WSJ. Unlike the US or Europe, people stuck in Singapore and Hong Kong don’t have much choice when it comes to commuting. The area of ​​Singapore is only 728 square kilometers, Hong Kong is only slightly larger. Andrew Scott – a 41-year-old editor who works at a Hong Kong media company – said he planned to visit friends in Singapore. “It was fine until around January, I really wanted to go somewhere,” he lamented. I was so excited about the travel bubble plan and then it was all a disappointment.” Last year, Asian tourism experts and officials asserted that the “tourist bubble” was the key to opening the border. They say that two-dimensional “bubbles” will appear first, followed by regional “bubbles”. Some experts envision a giant Asian “travel bubble” consisting of countries that have succeeded in containing the Covid-19 epidemic. The Hong Kong government has used a “travel bubble” to encourage people to get vaccinated in recent weeks. “Great but dull Singapore” Since the beginning of the pandemic, Singapore has recorded more than 61,600 cases of Covid-19 per 5.8 million people and 31 deaths. Meanwhile, Hong Kong recorded 11,800 cases per 7.5 million people and 210 deaths. As the number of infections in Singapore increased, Chitra Karamchandani (30 years old, in Hong Kong) was extremely worried. She has not seen her fiancé for the past 1.5 years because of restrictions on entry to non-citizens. According to the plan, he was supposed to fly to Hong Kong at the end of this month and they will hold a wedding in June. Karamchandani had detailed plans to welcome her fiance, including walking around the city and learning to cook Japanese noodles. The “bubble” burst made her extremely disappointed. “When will the border reopen? We just want to see each other again,” she lamented. Dennison Wee – 26 years old, working in finance in Singapore – hopes his trip to Hong Kong will become an inspiration for him to continue blogging. He has written about journeys through nearly 100 cities around the world. Without a “tourist bubble”, Singaporeans and Hong Kongers are trapped in the city’s small size. Photo: Getty Images. But since March 2020, he has only written a few reviews about hotels within a radius of about 20 km around his apartment. Mr Wee, 26, said: “Singapore is great but it’s dull. We must have only one hill to walk on, a few islands.” To keep himself busy, travel blogger Wong participates in projects to stimulate local tourism. He continued to wait for another 2 weeks until the authorities had a new notice. “All we can do is hope,” Wong said.

“Back then, my biggest concern was my homework and whether any boy I liked would keep an eye on me. Now, what I’m most concerned about is whether I have enough gel on my hands. bacteria, and is the discomfort in the throat related to Covid-19?” Wong shared on South China Morning Post . Wong thinks millennials like her are pursuing Y2K fashion as a way of nostalgia for the past. This is not a new trend, it has been growing in recent years and is starting to become more popular. Britney Spears is considered the icon of Y2K fashion. Rotating fashion The return of Y2K fashion is fueled by Gen Z (those born in 1995 or later), inspired by 1990s and early 2000s fashion. It’s not hard to come across social media stars Young people show their style when wearing clothes according to the “trend” of decades ago. Y2K style is associated with Keira Knightley images on the red carpet with a small white shirt and low-rise jeans, party girls like Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian in sportswear or lace-up tops, skirts baby pink short, or singer Britney Spears in any of her outfits. “We see that image in today’s youth, who want to be the most stylish when they appear. We not only see it on the streets but big fashion brands are also accepting the return. Tom Ford’s fall/winter 2020 collection sees the return of pantyhose on the catwalk,” Wong said. A campaign video by Skims, released to promote the 2021 Velour collection, even features Hilton and Kardashian in 2003-style tracksuits. In 2002, a collaboration between Louis Vuitton and Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami gave the luxury label a playful, youthful look using multicolored monogram prints and cherry blossoms. . The mix of art and fashion became popular and this collaboration lasted until 2015, making it a trendy trend. Many social media stars return to Y2K fashion, preferring to wear crop tops and wide-leg pants. Crop tops, kid’s t-shirts or bustier tops, considered classics of the 2000s, are making a comeback. Stars like Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and Jessica Simpson all love the cut-out outfits. Sarah Jessica Parker wore a lot of crop tops and strapless tops when she played Carrie Bradshaw in “Sex and the City”. On the red carpet of the Oscars 2021, actress Zendaya surprised by wearing a yellow Valentino couture dress with cutouts in the front. She also wore a bra with a Tom Ford bust at the 2020 Critics’ Choice Awards. Supermodel Bella Hadid and “Y2K fashion queen” Emily Ratajkowski also often appear with crop tops. Gen Z showed interest in Y2K fashion such as wide-leg pants, flared pants or low-rise pants. In the early 2000s, many big stars made flared pants a fashion icon. At the 2004 Billboard Music Awards, Alicia Keys made an impression when wearing flared pants. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen wore flared jeans on the red carpet in the 2000s, and Mischa Barton went viral at the 2004 Kids’ Choice Awards with these pants. Wedge shoes have also made a comeback thanks to the popularity of social media, as stars like Ariana Grande and Gigi Hadid have both appeared in these shoes. This style of shoe, which was a “craze” in the late 1970s, suddenly reached new heights in the mid-1990s thanks to the promotion of the Spice Girls stars. The wedge shoe style, which was popular in the mid-1990s, is also popular among young people today.