Hong Kong to introduce campsite booking system by National Day, environment chief says

2026-03-19 - 04:52

Hong Kong’s environment minister has said that the government plans to introduce a booking system for campsites by the National Day holiday in October. Approximately 450 tents filled the Han Tin Wan campsite in Sai Kung on February 18, the second day of the Lunar New Year. Photo: Greenpeace. Speaking at the Legislative Council on Wednesday, Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said the government would study the feasibility of a reservation-and-payment system. “I really hope we can launch the pilot as soon as possible. I’ve told the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department [AFCD] that it mustn’t be later than the National Day Golden Week. I’m hoping we can bring it forward even further,” Tse told lawmakers. He was responding to lawmaker Vincent Cheng, who raised concerns about overcrowding and littering at Sai Kung campsites during the Lunar New Year holiday last month. Cheng also asked whether the government would implement a booking system before the upcoming Labour Day or National Day Golden Week holidays, in May and October, respectively. Only one AFCD campsite in Hong Kong, the Twisk Campsite, requires a reservation, while all other designated sites “are available for visitors on a ‘first-come, first-served’ basis,” the minister said. ‘No severe damage’ Tse said the Environment and Ecology Bureau and the AFCD were examining the feasibility of introducing a reservation and fee-charging system at popular countryside locations and campsites. The government will consider the conditions at different sites, ecological protection, visitor safety, and implementation details such as reservation and fee-collection arrangements, as well as whether a real-name system should be adopted, Tse said. The AFCD “will... closely monitor the situation at popular countryside locations, and execute the plan of conducting various cleaning and management works, patrols and enforcement, as well as wider publicity and education on countryside etiquette,” he added. Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan at the Legislative Council, in Hong Kong, on May 27, 2024. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. In response to lawmaker Chris Ip, who asked whether the reservation and charging system would be implemented citywide, Tse said that the government had to allow tourists to adapt to the new rules or else chaos would ensue. Last month, Greenpeace counted over 500 tents at two camping hotspots in Sai Kung district, far exceeding the government’s capacity limits. The green group also said that government officers were absent at night, when littering and fires occurred. Tse, in a written reply to lawmakers on Wednesday, maintained that there was “no severe damage to the ecological environment of Ham Tin Wan, Sai Wan, and Long Ke Wan” in Sai Kung during the Lunar New Year Golden Week last month. He also said the AFCD “took enforcement action” against 32 people at the Sai Kung country parks from February 14 to 23. “Among these, 27 were non-local residents, with 16 involved in littering, eight spitting, and three lighting fires outside designated campsites or designated barbecue sites,” he said. “Five were local residents, with one involved in littering, one lighting fires outside designated campsites or designated barbecue sites, and three illegal bicycle activities.”