LCQ9: Facilitation measures for tour group transportation
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Question:
Regarding facilitation measures for tour group transportation, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) as some members of the tourism industry have relayed that visitor experience is negatively affected by the congestion that often occurs at the Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point (BCP), affecting visitor experience, whether the Government has studied implementing short-term traffic mitigation measures at this BCP before the National Day holidays this year, such as allowing tour coaches carrying outbound tour groups to drop off passengers at the departure level, so as to avoid the occurrence of large crowds and vehicle congestions at the ground-level public transport interchange;
(2) as some members of the tourism industry are of the view that the daily average cross-boundary passenger traffic at the Heung Yuen Wai BCP, which is currently the preferred boundary-crossing for most tour groups, has reached three times its design flow, making it an urgent priority to expedite the redevelopment of the Sha Tau Kok BCP to facilitate boundary crossing and transportation for tour groups, and it is learnt that the redeveloped Sha Tau Kok BCP will be positioned as a passenger-only clearance point, of the specific timetable for the relevant works;
(3) given that this year marks the 80th anniversary of victory in the War of Resistance, and quite a number of members of the tourism industry have relayed that the restrictions on coach access to Luk Keng Road in the vicinity of Sha Tau Kok hinder tour groups from visiting relics of the War of Resistance, whether the authorities will expedite the improvement of the road's infrastructure facilities; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4) as members of the industry have pointed out that the East Dam of High Island Reservoir in Sai Kung is very popular among visitors, but the daily quota of prohibited zone permits issued to coaches with 29 seats or less is limited to only three as the traffic control arrangement, and the application procedures are cumbersome with a very low chance of obtaining an approval on weekends and public holidays when visitor flow is relatively high, making it difficult for the industry to develop tourism products, whether the authorities will further increase the quota for tour coaches entering the East Dam, so as to facilitate the industry in planning tour group itineraries while controlling visitor flow through arrangements by travel agencies to enhance the experience of eco-tourists; and
(5) given the restrictions imposed by the Kai Tak Sports Park (KTSP) during mega events, vehicles holding hire car permits and tour coaches (i.e. non-franchised buses with tour service (A01) endorsement) cannot enter the Main Stadium area, which is not conducive to the development of "mega event + tourism" products by the industry, whether the Government will relax the relevant traffic restrictions and introduce a reservation system to allow these two types of licensed vehicles to park at the coach parking spaces under the Main Stadium or other suitable locations in KTSP, thereby enhancing visitor experience?
Reply:
President,
As the flow of travellers between the Mainland and Hong Kong becomes more frequent, the Government has been closely monitoring the flow of people and vehicles at various land boundary control points (BCPs) and various districts, including tourist hotspots, and coordinating with relevant departments and operators to facilitate crowd control and traffic management arrangements.
In consultation with the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB), Environment and Ecology Bureau, Security Bureau and the Transport Department (TD), our reply to the various parts of the question as raised by the Hon Yiu Pak-leung is as follows.
(1) Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point (HYWBCP) is a BCP designed with the concept of "direct access to people and vehicles". Since the commissioning of passenger clearance services in February 2023, it has been well-received by cross-boundary travellers, with passenger flow continuing to rise. HYWBCP features ancillary facilities including a public transport interchange (PTI), a pick-up/drop-off (PU/DO) area for tourist coaches, a PU/DO area for cross-boundary coaches (CBCs), a private car PU/DO area, and a public car park to accommodate the different travel patterns and transport needs of cross-boundary travellers. Among others, the PU/DO area includes nine stopping places designated for domestic non-franchised buses (DNFB) (including tourist coaches).
The TD has been monitoring the usage of the DNFB PU/DO area at the HYWBCP and conducting regular on-site inspections. Located on the ground floor of the HYWBCP, the current arrangement for coaches in using the PU/DO area meets the needs of relevant passengers based on the TD's observations. We note that tourist coaches transporting Mainland tour groups to the HYWBCP for departure primarily use the PU/DO area during afternoon and evening hours. During these periods, the flow of people and vehicles at the PU/DO area is generally smooth with no congestion. Moreover, there are sufficient spare stopping places at the PU/DO area for use by tourist coaches, which were also adequate to meet demand during the Chinese New Year and Golden Week in May this year. Regarding the suggestion in the question to further consider allowing local tourist coaches to use the CBC PU/DO area (located in the departure section on the first floor of the HYWBCP), the road design at that location only permits CBCs to proceed directly to the vehicle inspection booths for departure clearance procedures after dropping off passengers. There are no facilities for vehicles to turn around, making it unsuitable for use by tourist coaches.
As always, the TD will closely monitor the overall traffic flow at the HYWBCP and the operation of the PU/DO area of tourist coaches during the National Day holiday period in collaboration with the port law enforcement agencies. Where necessary, measures to manage passenger flow will be strengthened and flexible arrangements for picking up/ dropping off activities of tourist coaches will be implemented to ensure smooth overall operations.
(2) To enhance clearance efficiency and promote the development of the Sha Tau Kok (STK) area, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and the Shenzhen Municipal Government reached a consensus in 2024 on adopting a cross-river construction approach in the redevelopment of STK Control Point. Accordingly, the two sides will concurrently construct the passenger clearance building straddling the STK River and will take the centre line of the river as the boundary line to set up their respective passenger clearance channels immediately adjacent to each other. The redeveloped STK Control Point will become a passenger clearance-only control point, with the cargo clearance function being cancelled, in order to facilitate the implementation of the "East in East out, West in West out" planning strategy for cross-boundary goods traffic, i.e. cross-boundary goods vehicles will have to use the Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai Control Point in the east and the Shenzhen Bay Port in the west, while other land boundary control points will mainly handle passenger traffic. The redeveloped STK Control Point will also implement the collaborative inspection and joint clearance mode to enhance passenger clearance experience and efficiency.
The engineering feasibility study for the STK Control Point redevelopment project is being undertaken by a consultancy firm engaged by the HKSAR Government and is expected to be completed within 2025. The scope of the study includes such matters as area of land involved for the redevelopment of STK Control Point, road infrastructure, traffic impact assessment, environmental assessment and heritage conservation.
We understand Shenzhen side is in parallel actively preparing the design tendering and the related feasibility study for the STK Port redevelopment project. The HKSAR Government will continue to closely collaborate with the Shenzhen Municipal Government to actively take forward the redevelopment project.
(3) The Luk Keng Road contains many turns and is narrow. Owing to site constraints and traffic safety considerations, the Luk Keng Road is currently designated as a prohibited zone for vehicles with gross weight over 5.5 tonnes, buses, tourist coaches and public light buses (except for scheduled services). Notwithstanding the above, in view of travel needs associated with tourism development in the area, the TD may issue Prohibited Zone Permits, subject to traffic conditions, allowing tourist coaches with 29 seats or less to travel along Luk Keng Road during off-peak hours, with a view to meeting the needs of general visitors and tour groups. To facilitate the tourism industry to understand the traffic arrangements on Luk Keng Road, the TD has disseminated relevant information, including the application procedures of Prohibited Zone Permits, to the industry via the website of Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong.
According to the TD's assessment, currently the capacity of Luk Keng Road is sufficient to meet the overall traffic demand, including the demand from vehicles to apply for Prohibited Zone Permits. The TD will continue to closely monitor the traffic conditions in the nearby area and make appropriate arrangements.
(4) The Sai Kung Man Yee Road leading to the High Island Reservoir East Dam is a maintenance access road managed by the Water Supplies Department (WSD), primarily used for daily operations and maintenance by the WSD and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD). Most sections of the road are single-lane with two-way traffic, which is not fit for access by a large number of vehicles. Currently, members of the public and visitors can access the East Dam by taxis, the Green Minibus Route No. 9A, or tourist coaches that have obtained prior permission from the AFCD.
At present, the number of tourist coaches permitted to access East Dam on weekends or public holidays is subject to a quota of three coaches per day for application by licensed travel agencies and school groups. From February to August 2025, the WSD and the AFCD received a total of 14 quota applications. Except for two applications that have been rejected due to the applicants' failure to provide necessary information, all other applications were approved in full, showing that the relevant quota has not been fully utilised yet.
To ensure sustainable development of green tourism and high-quality visitor experience in country parks, the Government is exploring various feasible measures to enhance the management of Sai Kung East Country Park and traffic arrangements for High Island Reservoir East Dam. The Government will review the quota for tourist coaches for access to East Dam having regard to the utilisation rate of such permits.
(5) Since its official commissioning on March 1 this year, Kai Tak Sports Park (KTSP) has quickly become a new hub for mega sports and entertainment events. Over the past six months, various arrangements including admission of spectators, crowd dispersal and transportation. have been well-received by members of the public and visitors. The Kai Tak Sports Park Limited (the Operator) has all along been in close collaboration with the Government (including the CSTB, the TD, and the Hong Kong Police Force) and public transport operators. They encourage spectators traveling to the park to use public transport as much as possible and avoid driving or taking private cars. At the same time, they continuously optimise the transport arrangements, such as the recent launch of the pre-booking services for some of the parking spaces at the Kai Tak Stadium (KTS) and the Kai Tak Arena as well as the new designated drop-off point for private car users at the Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground.
There are approximately 80 coach parking spaces and pick-up /drop-off points in total at the KTS. The Operator has continued fine-tuning their arrangements since the opening of the KTSP. At present, the Operator has allocated them for three types of uses, with the primary use being for pre-arranged cross-boundary coaches. Besides, the Operator will facilitate the travel products for individual events offered by event organisers, ticketing platforms and the hotel industry by arranging pre-registered coach services to pick up passengers (for both cross-boundary and non-cross boundary passengers). Thirdly, the Operator will also collaborate closely with the Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners to provide coach parking spaces for shuttle buses connecting hotels and the KTS before major events, allowing passengers to drop off at KTS upon prior registration to meet the needs of hotel guests. The above arrangements have been running smoothly and in an orderly manner. Relevant Government departments will continue to work with the Operator to review the operation of the above arrangements and explore the possibility of expanding the scope to cover other non-franchised bus services to further enhance visitors' experience provided that there will be no adverse impact on event arrangements and the traffic in the vicinity.
Ends/Thursday, September 25, 2025
Issued at HKT 12:28
Issued at HKT 12:28
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