LettersManage tourist flow to Sharp Island for a better travel experience

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While the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department’s proposal for a Sharp Island marine park aims to protect natural resources, it falls short of safeguarding the local ecology against immediate damage.

Simply designating a marine park without addressing a long-standing manpower shortage cannot curb non-compliant visitor behaviour like collecting marine life, trampling corals and littering. To improve enforcement, resources must match visitor volumes, with more patrols deployed during peak hours when the tombolo is exposed.

While the government proposes establishing a marine park due to overcrowding around the island, it simultaneously and actively promotes “Four Peaks” tourism, with the Sharp Island Country Trail as one of the four featured locations. There is a contradiction here between conservation and tourism policies.

To alleviate overtourism, we must address the root cause of the problem: visitor flow. On May 1, around 3,000 people landed on the island. Currently, about 50 kaito ferry services run routes between Sai Kung and Kiu Tsui or Hap Mun Bay. While these demand-driven services offer operational flexibility, is unlimited kaito frequency or passenger capacity still appropriate today and do the services contribute to sustainable development of the island?