HK nears approval of ‘group in, group out’ access to Chung Ying Street

A "group in, group out" arrangement for guided tours to enter Chung Ying Street in Sha Tau Kok is in the final stages of consideration by Hong Kong authorities, the district’s rural committee chairman has revealed.

Lee Koon-hung, Chairman of the Sha Tau Kok District Rural Committee, said on Thursday that the government is in advanced discussions about permitting tourist groups to access the historically significant border area.

"The Security Bureau and the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Bureau are actively studying the final details for allowing tourists to enter Chung Ying Street under a 'group in, group out' arrangement," Lee said.

"The direction is very positive, and I understand this measure is expected to be implemented in the very near future."

He also pointed out that while the border area was opened to visitors early last year – attracting an average of 300 to 400 daily visitors – tourism potential remains underutilized, particularly for outlying islands such as Lai Chi Wo and Kat O.

"Currently, most tourists come mainly to visit spots within the town center, take photos, enjoy some local food, and stroll around. Not many take boats to our outlying islands. Efforts should be made to strengthen access and promotion of these outer islands," he added.

The potential policy change comes as Sha Tau Kok continues to develop its tourism infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the Security Bureau has made significant improvements to the electronic Closed Area Permit application system, reducing processing time to just two working days upon receipt of all required documents.

The bureau is also considering further increasing tourist permit quotas and studying the feasibility of opening additional restricted border areas.

Since the second phase of opening of the Sha Tau Kok Frontier Closed Area in January 2024, approximately 230,000 people have applied for permits to enter Sha Tau Kok as tourists.

The bureau has introduced facial recognition technology at the renovated Chung Ying Street Control Point, allowing preregistered visitors to use contactless channels to access the area. The channels’ usage has increased from 46 percent early this year to the current 64 percent, with recognition accuracy improving to 99.5 percent, the bureau added.

(Marco Lam)