Landscape of Hong Kong: Ecotourism in local context

Abstract

Tourism industry has long been regarded as one of the pillars of Hong Kong’s economy. In recent years, Hong Kong Tourism Board has attempted various strategies in order to enhance the city’s tourism appeal, in addition to the conventional tourist attractions. One of these strategies is to develop ecotourism, as Hong Kong boasts a unique green landscape of country parks and marine parks which cover up to 65% of the whole territory even though the city is well-know as one of the most densely populated urban centres in the world. In light of this, this paper will assess a couple of ecotourism practices in Hong Kong, particularly regarding the extent to which the practices have or have not met the international criteria of ecotourism. In the process, ecotourism is first defined in the local context and, secondly; brief introductions will be given to the specific cases in point. Finally, the results of the assessments will be discussed. In conclusion, findings on whether these practices are consistent with ecotourism principles are summarized, with regard to how ecotourism should be sustainably operated in the specific local context of Hong Kong.