Hong Kong hikers seek clearer release of unused Po Pin Chau slots
Visitors to Hong Kong’s Po Pin Chau geological attraction have asked authorities to provide live information about unused booking spaces under a trial registration scheme. More than half of online registrants failed to attend during the first trial weekend, while visitors said they were unsure when walk-in places would become available.
Hikers visiting Hong Kong’s Po Pin Chau geological attraction have called for real-time information on unused spaces under a new trial registration system. The request came as queues formed at the entrance to the High Island Geo Trail section during the Mid-Autumn Festival weekend. Visitors who had booked online waited alongside others hoping to obtain walk-in places.
Maria Chen, a mainland postgraduate student in Hong Kong, said she had checked the system four days earlier but found all reservations filled. Staff asked her group to wait to see whether on-site spaces became available, but they did not know how long that would take. Chen left for another hiking route at about 9.40am.
Several places opened within minutes, after which staff called on visitors without reservations to register online. She said a live display showing spaces released by people who failed to attend would make the process easier. During the first weekend of the trial, on September 5 and 6, more than half of those who registered online did not show up.
The government said it would review the data after the mainland’s National Day holiday period in October. Another visitor, Alex Lin of Shenzhen, said she did not know how on-site booking worked. She had secured a 1pm reservation but arrived at 8am because she was concerned that the later time would be inconvenient.
No reservations are required before 9am, according to the report. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department introduced the city’s first countryside real-name reservation system earlier this month to manage rising visitor numbers. It limits daily entry to 2,000 people during designated periods on selected weekends and public holidays.
The 120-minute slots allow up to 500 visitors at one time and must be booked through the Klook travel platform. Visitors are required to provide their real names and identity documents. The extended weekend and the October 1-7 National Day holiday are the scheme’s first major tests.
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