Real-name booking planned for Hong Kong geopark trail to curb scalping, no-shows
Plan follows surge in visitors during Labour Day ‘golden week’ that pushed Po Pin Chau to capacity and caused trail wear
Visiting the popular Po Pin Chau trail in Hong Kong’s geopark will require real-name reservations under a pilot scheme aimed at preventing scalping and no-shows, officials have told lawmakers concerned about its effectiveness.
Undersecretary for Environment and Ecology Diane Wong Shuk-han told the Legislative Council subcommittee on ecology and tourism on Monday that authorities would not use a first-come-first-served model and were studying a ballot mechanism to prevent scalping.
“We will consider real-name registration,” Wong said. “If someone makes a reservation but does not show up, when they make a reservation again in the future, we will know through real-name registration who has previously failed to turn up, and we will handle it appropriately.”