Improve transport services at Hong Kong geopark to support tourism: lawmakers
Call to action from lawmakers follows minister brushing aside similar suggestions and stressing importance of conservation over development
Hong Kong should improve transport services and infrastructure at an internationally recognised geopark, lawmakers said on Friday, as the site’s popularity triggered concerns over illegal taxi charges and dangerous climbs by visitors.
The city’s tourism minister had on Thursday cautioned against building more infrastructure at the High Island Reservoir East Dam, which is part of the city’s Unesco Global Geopark in Sai Kung East, because of the potentially harmful impact on the environment.
The wider location has become a popular hotspot for visitors and is promoted on various mainland Chinese social media platforms.
Images posted online showed hundreds of visitors waiting at the geopark to get minibuses during public holidays.
“The site is located in a restricted area where visitors can only walk, or take minibuses or taxis to reach the location, which may result in many people waiting to leave in the evening,” lawmaker Stanley Li Sai-wing told a radio programme on Friday.
“I hope minibus operators can extend their service hours to handle the long queue of visitors.”