Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said authorities plan to implement a pilot booking and fee system at popular country sites no later than this year's National Day Golden Week, in hopes of addressing growing concerns over overtourism in the city's country parks and campsites.

Speaking at a Legislative Council meeting on Wednesday, Tse said his bureau and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) are currently studying the feasibility of such a system, taking into account site-specific conditions, ecological protection needs and practical operational considerations.

The review, he said, includes examining booking arrangements, potential fee structures and whether to implement a real-name registration system.

Tse noted that since a booking and fee system would represent a significant departure from the AFCD's current management approach for most country sites, the department plans to introduce it gradually through pilot schemes.

"This allows us to gain experience and evaluate the various measures before wider implementation," he said.

Legislator Chris Ip expressed concerns that a pilot approach might simply shift the problem elsewhere.

"If tourists arrive at certain sites and find them full, would they simply move to other sites that don't require reservations?" Ip asked.

"If that happens, it's essentially moving the Sai Kung problem to other parts of Hong Kong, which is not ideal."

Ip pointed to the AFCD's Twisk Campsite, which already operates a booking system, as a potential model for territory-wide application.

He proposed a straightforward approach where "those with bookings can enter, and those without face penalties", saying this would provide more effective regulation.

In response, Tse emphasised the need for a transition period to allow visitors to adjust.

"If Hong Kong suddenly implemented this booking system overnight and turned away everyone who arrived without a reservation, it would definitely create a very chaotic situation," he said.

"That's why we are starting with pilot schemes first. This way, we can gradually disseminate the information through these pilots.

"There are many specific details we need to work out — things we haven't done before. We can observe which methods work better and which allow for smoother implementation before rolling it out on a larger scale."

Meanwhile, Yau Wing-kwong, CEO of the Environmental Association, told RTHK that a booking and fee system would provide a fair solution, noting such systems are common worldwide for managing visitor numbers at popular venues.

"We are having overtourism problem in some of the districts or some part of the country park with a lot of campaign and we have a problem of rubbish being dumped and other problems like fire and other controls," he said.

"I think in a way that we all welcome visitors and we should be friendly to visitors, but also we have to protect our country parks and places where people can hang out or enjoy the environment."

Yau noted that such management systems aren't new to Hong Kong.

"If you look at Ocean Park, it is under control and managed. Disneyland or even some of the conservation sites, they all have management," he said.

"You have to do a booking to go in, and if the number of visitors is over the capacity, then we can stop people going in for a certain period of time. With the booking system, you can also plan well ahead of how many people you're expecting."


Edited by Tony Sabine