Opinion | Local tourism boom requires better management of Hong Kong’s northern hotspots
- While a renewed appreciation for the countryside is welcome, the rise in traffic and burden on local infrastructure needs addressing
- The creation of dedicated bus routes and development of public services could help to open up hidden gems while respecting nature and local communities
As a resident of the North District, I have mixed feelings about this: on the one hand, people are beginning to appreciate hidden gems like Luk Keng, Lau Shui Heung Reservoir and Sha Tau Kok Public Pier; on the other, roads are getting jammed as people flock to the beautiful countryside en masse.
According to the government’s Northern Metropolis Development Strategy Report, “early planning for provision of eco-recreation or tourism facilities [ …] can avoid damage to the ecosystem caused by unregulated outdoor recreational activities”.
These guiding principles are absolutely applicable to the current situation in the northern New Territories, but the “early planning” seems already long overdue. Infrastructure, and in particular transport, is far from adequate, resulting in a case of “overtourism”, with crowded visitor destinations causing severe disturbances to residents’ daily lives.
For example, connectivity is crucial. Every year, maple tree admirers travel all the way to Lau Shui Heung Reservoir for a glimpse of the leaves in their autumn colours. The excessive number of tourists vying for public transport of limited capacity or hitting the road in private vehicles creates a huge nuisance for locals.