Local tourism boom exposes shortcomings
Jasper Law says a holistic review of infrastructure, regulations and promotion is desperately needed as visitors overrun the city’s northern beauty spots during the pandemic
During weekends, it is not uncommon to see long queues for buses heading to Hong Kong’s rural areas, which have become local tourist hotspots given that overseas travel is still not a convenient option.
As a resident of the North district, I have mixed feelings about this: on the one hand, people are beginning to appreciate hidden gems such as 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.
To balance the needs of the local community with those of the budding local and eco-tourism sector, a framework covering infrastructure, regulation and promotion is needed.
For example, connectivity is crucial. Every year, maple tree admirers travel 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.
One solution is to build a large public transport interchange to separate tourism traffic from community traffic. The Nohi Bus Centre in the Japanese city of Takayama offers a particularly good model, with connections to and from popular tourist attractions and a multistorey car park that encourages park-and-ride.
The introduction of additional dedicated bus routes to currently popular sites such as Robin’s Nest Country Park, as well as to future attractions like Long Valley Nature Park and the Agricultural Park in Kwu Tung, could also help alleviate traffic.
One solution is to build a large public transport interchange to separate tourism traffic from community traffic
Elsewhere, a relaxation of tourism-related regulations, with an emphasis on guest house and restaurant licence applications – after a holistic review by a dedicated task force – could be considered in a bid to keep up with demand and hopefully stimulate innovative development.
The use of land near local tourist attractions could be reviewed and development of franchises considered to respond to future infrastructural needs arising from the growth of tourism, so that each “spot” provides a catering, retail and cultural experience.
With connectivity and capacity taken care of, the question remains how best to tell the story of the unique, beautiful, urban-rural landscape of the northern district. Here, cross-industry collaboration between tourism and film is certainly worth exploring.
Local film director Amos Why features several of Hong Kong’s hidden gems in his film Far Far Away, including the natural landscapes of Mui Tsz Lam, Sha Tau Kok and Luk Keng. Local tours are being organised by travel agencies in conjunction with the release of the film.
This model has a lot of potential if filmmakers are given incentives and support to develop stories around the Northern Metropolis. What’s more, strategic identification and planning of potential tourism spots in the district should be carried out, followed by resource allocation for branding for each spot. Tourist information should be available in multiple languages to attract both local and foreign visitors.
The northern New Territories is a unique landscape that comprises urban zones, rural villages, wetlands and mountain ranges. As we look forward to a new administration and the formation of a proposed Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, we anticipate prompt action, underpinned by holistic planning, to conserve such beloved tourist attractions.