Hikers Urge Live Updates For Po Pin Chau Trail Booking Slots

Hikers are urging live updates on free quota spots after visitors faced uncertainty under the new booking arrangements for the Po Pin Chau section of the High Island Geo Trail.

Trial scheme faces holiday pressure

The trial scheme for the section of the High Island Geo Trail is set to undergo its first real test amid the Mid-Autumn Festival weekend and National Day golden week.

A day after a large influx of visitors, the Po Pin Chau section continued to draw lines of visitors on Saturday morning, the second day of an extended weekend in mainland China.

The pressure matters because the registration system is being tested at a time when the trail is attracting both visitors with bookings and others hoping to secure access on site.

Queues and walk-in uncertainty

Hikers who had pre-booked a slot under the newly introduced trial registration system were seen queuing at the entrance in the hot sun.

Other visitors were also at the site hoping to try their luck for walk-in slots.

Among them was Maria Chen, a mainland postgraduate student studying in Hong Kong, who said she had checked for reservations four days in advance but found them fully booked.

“The staff asked us to wait 10 minutes or more to see if any on-site slots would open up, but we do not know how long we have to wait, so we are going to head to Long Ke to continue our hike,” she said.

Her account points to the specific confusion behind the call for live updates: visitors who miss advance reservations may still not know whether on-site slots will become available, or how long they should wait.

Source: South China Morning Post