A multimillion-dollar fund has been set up to upgrade facilities and improve cleanliness in country and marine parks after a surge in visitors flocking outdoors to escape the risk of Sars.
The $7.5 million fund would help ensure visitors enjoyed themselves while touring the parks and keep them clean and tidy, said Ngar Yuen-ngor, senior country parks ranger with the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.
She said 1.38 million visitors toured the parks in April, compared with 890,000 in the same month last year.
Tens of thousands of people flooded into country parks and beaches over weekends and public holidays in an unprecedented exodus from urban areas fuelled by fears over the deadly virus.
But the sudden increase of visitors also left a trail of rubbish and many paths were littered with discarded glass and plastic bottles.
Miss Ngar said 83 fixed-penalty tickets for littering had been issued last month, an increase on April and March, when 53 and 51 tickets were issued respectively.
She said the fund would mainly be used on three fronts - to ensure visitors enjoyed themselves, to keep the parks clean and tidy, and to protect park assets.
