Relief in sight for long-suffering residents of Hong Kong’s crowded Kowloon City as officials pledge tourist curbs to ease chaos
- As many as 10,000 mainland Chinese day-trippers on cheap tours have flooded the area to shop and dine, pushing locals to their limits
Residents of Kowloon City where as many as 10,000 mainland day-trippers on cheap Hong Kong tours have disrupted local lives could soon get a respite after authorities on Thursday pledged to come down hard on illegal parking and unseemly foot traffic.
The government will take action from next Wednesday to curb the long-running problems presented by mainland tourists in To Kwa Wan, authorities said after a meeting with the local district council.
Other areas also grappling with an influx of day-trippers include Hung Hom and Kwun Tong.
In To Kwa Wan, local residents have complained of being fed up with the crowds, whose buses have added to vehicle congestion and queues at restaurants, with some shops now catering exclusively to mainlanders. Locals have also claimed to be saddled with higher prices for daily necessities and food, given the higher demand from tourists.
“Tour buses are parked in the middle of roads, which not only worsens traffic jams in the area but also makes it dangerous for passers-by to cross roads,” Garfield Ku, a local resident in her 30s who lives in a residential building, said.
“Tourists randomly throw rubbish such as cigarette butts on the streets and flower beds, and they spit a lot.
