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Eric Jiang

Leopold Chen

Hong Kong has launched its first countryside real-name reservation system, capping daily visitors to a popular trail in Sai Kung at 2,000 on select dates, with a lawmaker and a district councillor saying the move could gather data to help shape formal arrangements.
The trial reservation system for visits to the Po Pin Chau trail in Sai Kung East Country Park went live at 11am on Monday, offering the first batch of slots for September 5 and 6 via Klook’s website, app and WeChat mini-programme.
A check by a South China Morning Post reporter on Monday afternoon found that slots for all four time slots – 9am, 11am, 1pm and 3pm – for both dates were still available, with each permitting a maximum of 500 people.
To complete the booking, users need to submit all participants’ names, telephone numbers and identity documents, including passports, exit-entry permits for Macau and Hong Kong, or identity cards for mainland Chinese and local residents.
Contact information will also be required, and an e-voucher will be sent via email or can be viewed in Klook’s app or mini-programme after registration.


According to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department’s website, the reservation system covers weekends between September 5 and 20, the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival weekend starting on September 25, and the mainland’s National Day “golden week” from October 1 to 7.
Lawmaker Chris Ip Ngo-tung, who represents the southeast New Territories, welcomed the move and praised it for managing overcrowding at the site while safeguarding visitors.
“An overcrowded tourist spot will not only bring inconvenience and unpleasantness to visitors, but also danger,” he told a radio show, noting that several fatal accidents had previously happened in the area.
More than 3,000 people per day visited Po Pin Chau during the Easter holiday, with the influx concentrated over a short period, Ip said, adding that the new arrangement was the result of careful analysis.

Ip said he expected the government would use the trial period to collect data and develop a formal arrangement, factoring in actual footfall and the area’s ecological capacity.
“If there are a lot of no-shows resulting in the waste of quotas, we can consider introducing a charging or deposit system,” he said.
Sai Kung district councillor Chris Cheung Mei-hung said on the same show that the quota system capping daily footfall at 2,000 was a good starting point for managing the site.
Cheung noted that most visitors to the spot were mainland tourists, and called on authorities to “fine-tune” the system after the trial period by reserving some quotas for local residents.
He also urged setting aside some on-site walk-in quotas.
“Some people may not be familiar with mobile apps or online registrations, for example, the elderly, so there should be some walk-in quotas,” he said.
Cheung added that authorities should also step up publicity of the system on mainland social media platforms to make tourists aware of the new regulation.
Tourists also support the change on social media, with many posting photos taken at the site in comments.
“With fewer people, the experience is better too,” a RedNote user said.
Another user shared an experience from her visit to the site in November, when she saw someone dropping rubbish on the road, saying that she supported the shake-up.


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Visitors flock to East Dam and Po Pin Chau in Sai Kung on the first day of mainland China’s “golden week” Labour Day holiday. Photo: Dickson Lee

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Visitors at the Po Pin Chau section of the High Island Geo Trail during the Labour Day holiday this year. Photo: Dickson Lee

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Visitors can make bookings for Po Pin Chau section of High Island Geo Trail on Klook’s website, app and WeChat mini-programme


Visitors can make bookings for Po Pin Chau section of High Island Geo Trail on Klook’s website, app and WeChat mini-programme.


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Hong Kong launches real-name booking system for popular Sai Kung coastal trail

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Visitors can make bookings for Po Pin Chau section of High Island Geo Trail on Klook’s website, app and WeChat mini-programme

Visitors can make bookings for Po Pin Chau section of High Island Geo Trail on Klook’s website, app and WeChat mini-programme