Hong Kong frontier town grants tourists limited access in pilot scheme as city’s leader officiates at opening of local pier
- Sha Tau Kok, one of last settlements to form part of regulated border zone established in 1951, allows tourists to apply for permits to access select areas
- City leader Carrie Lam attends launch of frontier town’s new pier, which will ensure quick access to historic Hakka village
An isolated historic town located on the border between Hong Kong and mainland China opened its doors to tour agencies as part of a pilot scheme that launched on Friday to promote eco-tourism and local culture.
As one of the last remaining settlements in the Frontier Closed Area, a regulated zone first established in 1951 to prevent illegal immigrants from crossing the border, access to Sha Tau Kok was previously subject to restrictions for non-residents.
The site is also part of the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy, a blueprint laid down by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor in her policy address last year which aims to transform several rural areas near the border with Shenzhen into an economic and residential hub that could house up to 2.5 million people.
The launch of the pilot scheme to open up select areas of the town to tourists came as Lam and several government officials attended the opening of the new Sha Tau Kok pier on Friday.
Lam said the pier’s opening was part of a bid to provide attractions where people could visit and take selfies, with the move aimed at promoting eco-tours and local culture, as well as to facilitate the development of the Northern Metropolis.