There have been quite a few reports lately about many people heading to the Hong Kong Geopark areas near the East Dam of High Island Reservoir, which has been promoted by the government yet with inadequate transport, and woeful facilities for visitors.
Such issues are described in an article by immediahk. Auto translation of some of the text:
Even though the Government pays lip service to the need to strike a balance between development and conservation, there is still no clear answer as to whether such a “balance” is feasible in the context of the tourism boom and the check-in culture. There is even a contradiction between these two goals in nature – a surge in popularity will lead to a wave of imitation, leading to a large number of people entering areas with very low carrying capacity, while tourism benefits are often measured on the basis of the flow of people, and without adequate management support, damage is inevitable. This kind of self-sabotage driven by facilitation often becomes a part of the government’s investment in infrastructure.
Although the Government had noticed the 4,300 people per day in Dongba as early as the end of March and remained on high alert during the May Day holiday, the crowds had decreased. This may be related to the fact that after the “MacLehose Trail 322 tragedy”, a “lightning protection” reminder appeared on Xiaohongshu [Note 9], reflecting that the tourist experience has become tired. If the East Dam gradually falls out of favor and tourists move to other attractions, the damage to the site has already been done, and the loss of local natural heritage and public space has already been done.
In the future, the government should avoid “developing” the next ecological attraction (e.g. South Lantau, Tsim Bi Tsui, Pak Nai, etc.) with the same logic and falling into a death spiral of blind cooperation, and should instead reflect on the value of a well-protected countryside. In the trend of “travel everywhere”, the real choice may not be to create more check-in places, but to maintain the natural and cultural assets that will not be disturbed.
東壩啟示錄：郊野如何避免陷入旅遊打卡化的死亡螺旋？