Hong Kong’s natural environment provides a striking mix of lush hills, clear streams, and dramatic coastlines shaped by a subtropical climate. Nearly two-thirds of the territory is covered by verdant protected country parks that shelter a diverse range of wildlife. With well-marked trail networks and inspiring viewpoints — whether on iconic routes such as the MacLehose and Wilson Trails or scenic favorites like Dragon’s Back and the Lantau Peak Challenge — these landscapes represent a major tourism asset for the city.
Contemporary tourists increasingly seek authentic, meaningful, and immersive experiences, often traveling to natural areas to experience, enjoy, and appreciate nature. In this context, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s extensive trail network has made the city a popular destination for nature-based tourism. During peak travel periods — such as weekends and mainland public holidays — backpackers, many equipped with professional hiking and camping gear, visit Hong Kong in great numbers. For Hong Kong’s tourism industry, these visitors can make a substantial contribution by generating demand across a wide range of sectors. Their spending on transportation, accommodation, food and beverages, shopping, and entertainment helps local businesses maintain steady revenue and supports continued investment in tourism infrastructure.
Hong Kong is a compact, high-density city, though its supporting systems have relatively limited ecological carrying capacity. When visitor numbers exceed a certain threshold, they can damage the environment. For example, a substantial influx of tourists into natural areas and country parks can accelerate soil erosion, trample vegetation, generate excessive waste, and disturb wildlife. Over time, these cumulative impacts can reduce habitat quality, weaken ecosystem resilience, and undermine the long-term sustainability of Hong Kong’s country parks and surrounding natural landscapes.
This problem is not unique to the HKSAR. In recent years, the tension between overtourism and environmental sustainability has attracted growing global attention. Popular destinations — including Venice, Amsterdam, Bali, and Dubrovnik — have experienced negative environmental impacts driven by large, poorly managed visitor flows. In response, their governments are increasingly introducing measures such as daily visitor quotas, tourist taxes, and efforts to spread demand to lesser-known attractions. Many also encourage off-season travel and use digital monitoring tools to assess carrying capacity and manage pressure on fragile sites.
Hong Kong’s efforts can support the wider national effort to guide citizens in fulfilling their responsibilities for ecological and environmental protection
The city has also been actively responding to the hazards posed by overtourism. During the Labor Day holiday period, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) conducts joint patrols with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department to remind visitors not to litter. It also coordinates sea patrols with the Marine Department and the police to maintain public order. In addition, the AFCD promotes environmental awareness, for example, by collaborating with WWF-Hong Kong to set up public education booths that highlight the importance of marine conservation and provide guidance for appreciating nature responsibly.
These efforts represent a promising start, but they remain insufficient. If Hong Kong wants to reduce tourism-driven tensions in the long run, it needs a durable mechanism to promote sustainable tourism practices rather than relying solely on moral reminders during peak travel seasons. To achieve this goal, Hong Kong should launch a sustainable tourism initiative that offers clear, practical guidance before tourist arrival and at key locations.
For example, the city could use multilingual “Sustainable Hong Kong” messages linked to a simple, user-friendly QR-accessible guide. This would be reinforced by trained “sustainable hosts” stationed at priority trailheads and visitor hot spots. The hosts could help tourists quickly locate bins and facilities, understand and follow core rules (such as staying on designated paths), avoid harming plants and wildlife, and learn how to behave responsibly in country parks. The program should also be formally evaluated after each peak period to identify what works, address gaps, and prevent repeat tensions. In addition, Hong Kong should introduce a clear, proportionate sanctions system. Visitors who violate relevant regulations should face meaningful penalties — fines for minor breaches and higher penalties, including imprisonment and a ban on entry, for more serious or repeat offenders.
The Labor Day Golden Week provides a concrete context — and a valuable “stress test” — for implementing sustainable tourism initiatives. Because the holiday period is fixed, visitor numbers, arrival patterns, and common travel routes become more predictable than on ordinary days. This predictability should enable Hong Kong to plan staffing, crowd-management measures, and environmental messaging more effectively. In addition, the repeated presence of staff and the consistent placement of newly oriented signage at key trailheads, viewpoints, and coastal access points could create multiple touchpoints to guide visitors in practicing responsible behavior. If Hong Kong can deliver a reliable, well-coordinated, sustainable tourism experience during this peak period — by preventing avoidable negative impacts, responding promptly to public concerns, and maintaining clear on-site guidance — it will build operational capacity and public trust, helping the city sustain environmental quality — not only in the short term but throughout the wider tourism season.
Hong Kong does not need to frame its sustainable tourism initiative as a local “restriction” of behavior. Instead, it can present these measures as part of the Ten Behavioral Norms for Citizens’ Ecological Environment, as published by the nation’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment. Positioning the initiative in this broader national context can help align the HKSAR government’s first five-year plan with the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), reinforcing shared goals for green and low-carbon development, the harmonious coexistence of humankind and nature, and the advancement of ecological civilization. Ultimately, Hong Kong’s efforts can support the wider national effort to guide citizens in fulfilling their responsibilities for ecological and environmental protection.
Li Chen is an assistant professor, and Naubahar Sharif is a professor and head of the Department of Social Sciences and Policy Studies at the Education University of Hong Kong.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
