Hundreds of Hong Kong residents and visitors braved the heat on Saturday morning to visit a popular Sai Kung trail overlooking hexagonal rock columns, as a trial reservation system requiring real-name registration came into force, with some calling for the restrictions to be eased.
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department announced the arrangement last month, capping visitor numbers at 2,000 per designated day between 9am and 5pm for the Po Pin Chau section of the High Island Geo Trail.
The measure is Hong Kong’s first countryside real-name reservation system of its kind.
Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department director Mickey Lai Kin-ming said that, as of 10.10am, about 140 visitors had arrived at Po Pin Chau — a figure similar to that on previous weekends.
He added that the verification process had gone smoothly and that about 50 unused slots had been released to walk-in visitors.
Among the first visitors to Po Pin Chau under the registration system was Doreen Sun, a tourist from Beijing who had not previously visited the trail.