Hong Kong gov’t mulls booking system, fees for tourist camping spots after NGO slams inaction on overcrowding

2026-02-23 - 06:25

Hong Kong authorities will consult lawmakers on introducing booking systems and fees for popular tourist camping spots to combat overcrowding, following NGO criticism of government inaction. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) director Mickey Lai (second from left) and AFCD deputy director Patrick Lai (second from right) at East Dam in Sai Kung on February 20, 2026. Photo: GovHK. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said in a Facebook post on Sunday that it had deployed personnel to country park hotspots in Sai Kung since the start of the Lunar New Year Golden Week to maintain cleanliness and remind visitors of proper etiquette. According to the AFCD, it is currently looking into long-term strategies to manage popular places under its jurisdiction. It is considering measures such as implementing reservation systems and fees, and will submit a proposal to the Legislative Council in the latter half of the year. A total of 26 enforcement cases were recorded over the holiday involving littering and lighting fires outside of designated barbecue and camping areas, the AFCD added. Long Ke Wan on February 21, 2026. Photo: GovHK. NGO Greenpeace said on Facebook last week that it observed serious overcrowding and littering in Ham Tin, Sai Wan, and Long Ke Wan – popular camping spots in Sai Kung – during visits on Tuesday and Friday. ‘Irreversible damage’ The NGO counted around 450 tents set up in Ham Tin and 135 tents in Sai Wan on Tuesday, the second day of the Lunar New Year, it said on Facebook. It said this far exceeded the official capacity of the campsites, which the AFCD puts at 50 tents. Greenpeace said that AFCD personnel were deployed to conduct outreach to visitors, but they left after nightfall, after which visitors began engaging in destructive activities such as setting fires and littering. Following the “chaos” at the popular nature spots during the National Day and New Year’s Eve holidays last year, the government still “had not learned its lesson,” Greenpeace criticised. A crowded campsite and litter left behind in Sai Kung on February 18, 2026. Photos: Greenpeace. “These stop-gap measures have missed the mark and are unable to address the root cause of overtourism at country parks,” the NGO wrote in Chinese. In another Facebook post on Friday, Greenpeace said it doubted the government’s comments that the situation in the popular Sai Kung spots was “under control” during the holiday, sharing photos of overflowing rubbish bins and an unsanitary bathroom. The NGO was referring to the AFCD’s post on Thursday, in which the department said there were more tents at usual at Ham Tin and Sai Wan but that the “overall situation was under control.” A beach in Sai Kung on February 20, 2026. Photo: Greenpeace. In the same post, the AFCD said that there were “no problems” with public order and hygiene, and that visitors cooperated with the department. Greenpeace also said visitors left behind significant amounts of rubbish, adding to the workload of sanitation workers, while overtourism also risked causing “irreversible damage” to the city’s nature. The NGO said on Friday that before the Lunar New Year holiday, it had already made several appeals to the government to enact a comprehensive ecotourism policy, including conducting footfall forecasts and environmental assessments. “Yet, Hong Kong’s countryside was seriously overcrowded on the second day of the Lunar New Year, with damage to the environment occurring more frequently,” Greenpeace said. “The government relies only on sanitation workers to clean up afterwards instead of addressing the problem at the source.”