Thousands of visitors have flocked to Hong Kong’s East Dam to view its rare volcanic rock columns at the start of the five-day Labour Day “golden week” holiday, prompting a lawmaker to suggest charging an entrance fee to maintain the Unesco global geopark.

Drawn by the city’s natural scenery and well-established hiking trails heavily promoted on mainland Chinese social media, many tourists are increasingly trading traditional shopping sprees for ecotourism at East Dam of the High Island Reservoir in Sai Kung on Friday.

By 2pm, authorities reported that visitor traffic at the East Dam had already reached the “very busy” level. Citywide, the government anticipates about 980,000 mainland visitors during the holiday period, a 7 per cent year-on-year increase.

The East Dam attracted a diverse crowd of mainland tourists, foreigners and local residents – including domestic helpers – who arrived in groups to rest and dine around the pavilions.

Visitors showed they were mindful of environmental protection, and many praised police and government officers for maintaining order. Many also found the mobile network acceptable and came prepared with their own supplies, opting to wander leisurely without setting shopping budgets.

Zoe Jiang, a 32-year-old medical worker from Shenzhen, visited with two friends from Chengdu after discovering the site on the mainland social media platform Xiaohongshu, or RedNote.