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In recent days, social media platforms have been flooded with images that should serve as a wake-up call for even the most complacent among us. The numerous tents blanketing Ham Tin Wan Beach like a shantytown, the snack wrappers and cigarette butts strewn along trails and shorelines once considered pristine … Sadly, these are no longer anomalies.

While no one has the foresight to predict every shift in tourism trend, it is clear that the natural solitude that for decades characterised Hong Kong’s country parks as a sanctuary for the city’s diverse ecosystems is now under threat (“‘Golden week’ crush shows Hong Kong needs top-down ecotourism policy, experts say”, May 5).

The seismic shift in visitor profiles we are witnessing is altering Hong Kong’s natural jewels. What began, in a twist of irony, as a local rediscovery during the Covid-19 pandemic, has now morphed into a full-blown international and cross-border phenomenon, and it is unsustainable.

City authorities dazzled by the optics of a post-pandemic recovery must not turn a blind eye to the ecological and social erosion spreading through our hills. To a certain degree, it is understandable that after years of paralysis, any government would be eager to celebrate an expanding economy. But if we deliberately choose to neglect the effects of overtourism on the environment, we will be doing a disservice to future generations.

Everyone deserves to enjoy Hong Kong’s natural jewels. If this visitor influx is left unchecked and we continue to wipe the slate clean after each holiday peak, irresponsible operators and tourists will feel empowered to treat Hong Kong’s back garden as a disposable playground.