Mainland tourists’ photo with dismantled hiking sign fuels Golden Week resentments

A mainland tourist is facing online backlash for allegedly vandalizing a hiking sign along the MacLehose Trail, pouring fresh fuel on growing public outrage over the misconduct of holidaymakers during the Labour Day Golden Week.

The original post on Xiaohongshu showed the tourist holding the detached trail sign, while another picture indicated that the sign had been placed on the ground next to its post.

After the pictures sparked anger across social media platforms, the tourist clarified that the sign was already detached when she arrived.

"We just picked it up to take a picture," she replied to commenters under her post, stressing that there was "absolutely no vandalism" involved. 

However, her explanation failed to appease skeptical local netizens. Photos taken by a Hong Kong resident showing the same signpost intact in mid-April soon surfaced, raising questions about the authenticity of her claims.

As of Tuesday (May 5) morning, the individual's Xiaohongshu and Douyin accounts had been set to private. 

The incident comes amid a wider backlash against overtourism, as Hong Kong welcomed over 710,000 mainland visitors during the first three days of the Labour Day Golden Week, an influx equivalent to nearly 10 percent of the city's total population.

Beyond causing inconvenience to residents' daily lives, the actions of certain visitors have drawn public ire. Other notable incidents include tourists harvesting dozens of sea urchins while snorkeling in Sai Kung.

Additionally, a mainland camper at Ham Tin Wan was fined HK$3,000 for illegally dumping food waste. When questioned about the incident, a traveling companion argued that simply paying the penalty should be enough and arrogantly asserted their supposed right to "not take the rubbish away.”

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