One Hong Kong hiker has died, and another one survived after being rescued from a Japanese mountain, according to media reports. Japanese TV Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting (CBC) reported on Tuesday afternoon that two men, believed to be Chinese nationals, were stranded on Mount Okuhotaka, Japan’s third-highest peak, resulting in one fatality. Gendarme, a rocky ridge in…
Japanese police have dispatched a rescue team to the country’s Northern Alps to search for two missing climbers, including a 30-year-old man from Hong Kong, after they were stranded on treacherous slopes. Gifu Prefecture police on Tuesday confirmed that a team of four rescuers, comprising police officers and civilian experts, set out from the mountain…
Hong Kong should adopt a top-down, comprehensive ecotourism policy to safeguard the city’s natural attractions, with a designated authority taking the lead, experts have urged, after a surge in Labour Day “Golden Week” visitors overwhelmed ecologically sensitive spots. The call on Monday came after a viral video showed a Mandarin-speaking tourist smoking a cigarette in…
Hong Kong recorded a 4.8 per cent increase in mainland Chinese visitors in the first three days of their Labour Day “golden week” holiday, but industry players warned that uneven spending and more flexible travel patterns could weigh on business despite hotel occupancy rates potentially reaching 90 per cent. Immigration Department data showed mainland Chinese…
Mainland Chinese tourists may have come for the tombolo but left with a deeper understanding of Hong Kong’s coral reefs and marine life after the government stepped up promotion and protection efforts on Sharp Island in Sai Kung. That was the view of visitors touring the island on Friday morning, Labour Day – a Hong…
Hong Kong authorities will cordon off parts of the shoreline of Sharp Island in Sai Kung to protect corals, with 1,000 visitors expected in the area each day during the coming Labour Day “golden week” holiday. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department also said on Monday that 11 officers would patrol the island daily during…
The number of inbound trips to Hong Kong by mainland Chinese visitors is expected to reach 980,000 for the coming Labour Day “golden week” holiday across the border, a 7 per cent increase from last year, with city authorities saying they will enforce environmental regulations around the clock at popular camping spots. The estimate from…
Twenty Hong Kong couples have each received baby bonuses totalling HK$60,000 (US$7,700) for having three children in about 2½ years. Yet less than 60 per cent of the HK$2.28 billion earmarked for the three-year government scheme has been disbursed as of February, with just over six months to go before it ends in October. Government…
Hong Kong police have arrested five people accused of stealing more than 445 items of clothing worth HK$113,000 (US$14,400) from multiple outlets of Japanese retail chain Muji. Officers from Yau Tsim police district said they had received a string of shoplifting reports since earlier this year that involved large quantities of apparel taken from a…
Hong Kong’s director of immigration will have his service extended beyond the retirement age until June next year, authorities have announced. The announcement to extend the term of Benson Kwok Joon-fung was made on Wednesday, a day before he reached the retirement age of 57. “The purpose of granting director Kwok’s service extension is to…