She told lawmakers on Wednesday that in the past week, the number of visitors to East Dam at High Island Reservoir was just over 3,000 a day at its peak, compared to some 4,300 recorded in late March.
The secretary for culture, sports and tourism said the government doesn’t think the dam can withstand such a large number of visitors on a long-term basis, pointing out that the countryside’s capacity must be considered as part of any eco-tourism developmental effort.
“In the long run, we hope to divert the tourists visiting Hong Kong for hiking activities to different routes for a better visiting experience and to minimise the impact of visitors’ activities on individual hiking trails and countryside nature,” Law said in response to a lawmaker’s question in the Legislative Council.
Lawmakers proposed imposing traffic controls on the area during weekends and public holidays, such as by banning taxis.
Law replied restricting access to public areas is hard and complicated but that authorities could study the possibility of having a public transport quota, such as requiring users of shuttle services from Pak Tam Chung to book in advance.
Law said that would be among things on the agenda in a review by officials.
She also said an idea from the Liberal Party’s Peter Shiu – that officials provide real-time information on how crowded particular tourism spots are – is a good one.
Officials, she said, will study whether an electronic platform containing such data should be introduced.
