A green group on Friday said that the government should use ecotourism methods as an alternative to attracting visitors to Hong Kong through traditional tourism strategy frameworks.

In a statement, Friends of the Earth said it opposes the government's plan to light up Victoria Harbour with monthly pyrotechnic and drone displays as a means of boosting tourism.

The group said that frequent pyrotechnic shows would create all kinds of pollution, adding that it would also sacrifice the environment of Victoria Harbour.

"Monthly fireworks not only cause the production of air pollutants such as sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and other particles, but it also affects people's respiratory and lung health. This could induce health problems such as coughing, bronchitis, and asthma," they wrote.

"Pollutants from fireworks may also fall onto the water's surface, which would worsen the water quality of Victoria Harbour. Fireworks also generate noise pollution. All these problems really outweigh the gains."

The green group added that that the shows could make people feel that the government's environmental protection vision is inconsistent given that they are pushing the waste-charging scheme, while spending public funds on future firework displays.