Full Breakdown
Po Pin Chau Trail Fully Booked as Holiday Visitor Surge Tests New Booking System
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
The High Island Geo Trail’s Po Pin Chau section in Sai Kung has run out of available time slots for the Mid-Autumn Festival and the upcoming National Day “golden week.” The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) announced on Facebook that no slots remain for Friday and Saturday of the Mid-Autumn break, and that the advance-booking requirement will continue through October 7.
Background: Real-Name Reservation System
In response to growing crowds at East Dam and Po Pin Chau, the AFCD introduced Hong Kong’s first countryside real-name reservation system earlier this month. The scheme, scheduled to launch on September 5, requires visitors to book free slots through the travel platform Klook using their real names and identity documents. Bookings apply from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on selected weekends and holidays, including the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival period beginning September 25 and the National Day holiday beginning October 1.
Visitor Numbers and Booking Capacity
The AFCD caps daily entries at 2,000 people, divided into four two-hour slots of 500 visitors each. On the morning of the Mid-Autumn Festival, more than 1,000 hikers were already on the trail, testing the system’s first major holiday. Hong Kong’s Immigration Department projects around 1.29 million mainland Chinese arrivals over the National Day week, averaging about 184,286 visitors per day—approximately five percent more than the previous year.
Official Statements & Responses
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said in his policy address that the government will assess the trial before formulating a longer-term strategy for country-park management, while confirming that the reservation arrangement will remain in place throughout the National Day golden week. The AFCD urged hikers who could not secure a Po Pin Chau slot to visit the nearby Biu Tsim Kok viewing point, which does not require advance booking.
Verbatim Quotes
- “It was relatively easy to make a reservation,” — Tang — Tang, 33, Sichuan visitor
The fully booked status and the extension of the International Lantern Spectacular in Victoria Park through October 4 illustrate the city’s broader effort to balance tourism demand with environmental protection during a period of record mainland visitor numbers.