Authorities need to shift ecotourism management strategies to avoid it becoming part of the problem it was meant to solve
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenKitty TamandCharlie YipPublished: 9:30am, 3 May 2026For decades, Hong Kong’s tourism success rested on a clear formula: shopping, dining and urban experiences. That model is losing momentum. Overnight visitor spending has fallen from around HK$193 billion (US$24.6 billion) in 2015 to HK$128 billion last year. Shopping has declined sharply as spending shifts to sightseeing and experiences. Travellers are no longer coming only to consume – they seek a connection to nature, culture and place.
This creates a contradiction. If ecotourism is meant to protect nature, why are some of our most visited eco-destinations under increasing pressure?
The issue is implementation. In Hong Kong, the framework for ecotourism is fragmented. Policy references are often conceptual, guidelines are largely non-binding and responsibilities are distributed across multiple actors: government departments, site managers and community groups – without a clear mechanism to align incentives or enforce outcomes.
