Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said on Monday ecotourism management at Mirs Bay in Sai Kung would be relatively easy due to its geographical topography were the site to be opened up to tourists in the future.

His comments came after several lawmakers expressed concern over environmental protection issues that might arise from such an opening-up at a Legislative Council panel on Environmental Affairs.

Mirs Bay, situated at the northeastern side of Kat Ho and Sai Kung, was selected as an "outstanding example of beautiful bays" by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment in December.

Lawmaker Andrew Lam asked how the Environment Bureau would manage tourist capacity in the area as well as maintaining water quality.

"For Mirs Bay, boats are needed to reach some of its islands. In terms of future management... we can do it by monitoring vessel movements," Tse said.

"The Agricultural, Fisheries, and Conservation Department will also conduct patrols in places that are classified as geoparks or marine parks.

"For now, we think Mirs Bay has huge potential for ecotourism. We can safeguard the ecosystem and cleanliness of the area through managing tourist traffic and discuss concrete measures with travel promotional organisations or the Sports, Cultural and Tourism Bureau," he added.

Tse said his bureau had been co-operating with mainland departments for a long time on cutting out rubbish at its source, as well as making use of technology such as unmanned aircraft to help deal with issues such as marine litter.

He also said tourism management plans would be drawn up after observing the area's visiting trend rather than setting a quota before it had even been opened up.

Lawmaker Steven Ho, for his part, asked whether authorities would promote a responsible "ocean culture" among tourism industries before opening up the area.

In response, Deputy Director of Environmental Protection Samuel Chui said such issues would be addressed in talks with the Marine Department.


Edited by Tony Sabine