How unlicensed mainland Chinese tour groups cash in on Hong Kong campsites

Members of unlicensed hiking tours were among the hundreds of visitors who packed into Hong Kong’s Ham Tin Wan campsite on the second day of mainland China’s Labour Day “golden week” break. The sink at the scenic Sai Kung hotspot’s only public bathroom was left clogged by food scraps after some visitors opted for hotpot. On Saturday evening, a South China Morning Post reporter estimated there were about 500 tents at the campsite. According to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), the site is categorised as “large” – meaning it can hold more than 50 four-person tents. The department does not list an upper limit for the site’s capacity. The reporter also observed large groups of hikers arriving at the beach by late afternoon, including members of an unlicensed tour group whose guides prepared dinner using ingredients brought across the border from Shenzhen. Some members of the 30-member group said their guides had packed sausages, raw meat, vegetables and even a watermelon for dessert. The sink at the Ham Tin public toilet, which was clogged up by hundreds of campers during the Chinese New Year holiday, was once again unusable by evening after visitors used it to dispose of waste from their hotpot. AFCD officers also patrolled the beach, handing out educational brochures and warning tourists not to approach several brown cows lazing at dusk. The reporter, who travelled to the site from Pak Tam Au in Sai Kung, learned that most of the mainland tourists in the area had planned out their own treks, but also met others who had joined MacLehose Trail tours advertised on the social media platform RedNote. In Hong Kong, tour guides must obtain a licence from the Travel Industry Authority. Any visitors to the city caught taking any employment or joining any businesses face a maximum fine of HK$50,000 (US$6,400) and two years in jail. But some mainland tourists who joined the groups said they had no idea that their guides were potentially breaking the law by operating in Hong Kong. A 14-year-old visitor from Shenzhen, who gave his surname as Hu, said he joined the tour by himself and was “surprised” when his guide admitted he was not licensed to work in Hong Kong. Among the roughly 500 tents at the site were two large groups of 20 identical ones. When the SCMP approached one of the tent groups, which were set up on the beach before the campers arrived, the guide arranging the tables and hotpot declined to respond. Asked if his group belonged to a tour company, he insisted that the group of 30 were “just friends”. But tour member and Guangdong traveller Chloe Wang told the SCMP that she had paid 888 yuan (US$130) to a company to sign up for the camping trip. She said the tour advertised itself as an “exquisite small group camping experience”, promising participants that they only needed to show up with a sleeping bag as organisers would take care of other camping gear and meals. The overnight tours also promised a comfortable ride across the border, an easy trek and the chance to fall asleep to the sound of the waves and wake up to a splendid sunrise. When contacted by the SCMP, one organiser said the tour would be led by a “licensed professional” and included travel insurance. But asked if the guide could legally work in Hong Kong, the organiser said the guide held a licence on the mainland and that “there would be no risk”. On Saturday afternoon, another mainland tour guide told the reporter that he would lead such tours to the MacLehose Trail up to five times a week, most of them being day trips from across the border. He added that he had just led another day trip from Shenzhen on Friday and would oversee a two-day overnight tour starting the next day. The guide also admitted to entering the city as a tourist using his exit-entry permit multiple times a week. “But the major operators have been spreading word that Hong Kong authorities are cracking down on these tours,” he said. The guide also said he brought a gas canister from Shenzhen for cooking, as it was much cheaper than in Hong Kong. In response to queries by the SCMP about illegal tour guides, the Immigration Department said it had been closely monitoring crime trends and taking timely enforcement actions to combat illegal labour across various industries to protect workers’ rights. The department said it had patrolled black spots and was monitoring social media. “If individuals are found organising, arranging or encouraging the employment of illegal workers via social platforms or instant messaging apps, the department will take decisive action,” it said. The department also did not rule out undercover operations to combat illicit businesses soliciting online and arranging for illegal workers to enter Hong Kong. “If mainland online platforms were used to arrange illegal labour, the department exchanges intelligence with mainland authorities and urges them to take follow-up actions, such as removing relevant posts,” it said. The AFCD said on Friday that it recorded a total of 1,100 tents on Long Ke, Ham Tin Wan and Sai Wan on Labour Day. “There is an increased number of campers, but from Friday night to Saturday morning, the campsites and public bathrooms are orderly, and the hygiene conditions are fair as estimated,” it wrote in a social media post. The department added that staff would be deployed to patrol around the clock and enforce regulations, in addition to using drones and CCTV systems to assist in monitoring the campsites. The AFCD added that it would strengthen cleaning and waste management efforts around campsites and provide strainers for collecting food residues outside the Ham Tin public toilet. The influx of visitors to the campsite took place on the second day of the mainland’s five-day break. In Hong Kong, only Labour Day on May 1 is a statutory public holiday. Authorities said that more than 602,000 visitors entered the city over the first two days of the holiday, marking a 6 per cent year-on-year rise.

How unlicensed mainland Chinese tour groups cash in on Hong Kong campsites

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Unlicensed guide admits to regularly crossing border as tourist for illegal work, while another insists 30-member group ‘just friends’

Unlicensed guide admits to regularly crossing border as tourist for illegal work, while another insists 30-member group ‘just friends’