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Unlicensed photo stalls and aggressive cruise touts have drawn mounting complaints along the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, with tourists saying public walkways are being obstructed and visitors pressured into paying for unwanted services.
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On-site observations by reporters from Sing Tao Headline, a sister publication of The Standard, found the problems were most evident along the roughly 600-meter promenade between the Hong Kong Film Awards statue on the Avenue of Stars and the Star Ferry Pier, where photo stalls and cruise touts occupy sections of the public walkway.
Despite banners posted by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre warning that no photography vendors are authorized to operate there, photo stalls continue to operate openly. One stall was found operating directly in front of one such banner, charging HK$20 for a small print and HK$50 for a larger 4-by-6-inch photo.
Similar stalls under the Star Ferry Pier canopy continue to narrow the public walkway, particularly during recent rainy weather.
Mainland tourists have complained online of being told a photo would be free if they did not like it, only to be pressured into paying once it had been printed without their consent.
One visitor recounted an operator invoking Hong Kong's status as a rule-of-law society to demand at least HK$40 for a photo she did not want.
Barrister Albert Luk Wai-hung said the walkway is public space and that repeated evidence of stalls obstructing it could justify enforcement action if operators ignore official warnings.
The LCSD said it scrapped its photography concession scheme at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in 2023 and has since stepped up patrols.
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department noted that the legal definition of a "hawker" does not cover photographers, leaving the practice in a regulatory grey area.
Further along the same stretch, more than 10 cruise touts — mostly Mandarin-speaking women — were seen intercepting tourists to sell Victoria Harbor cruise tickets.
One mainland visitor said she was followed by a cruise tout even after declining the offer and was later offered a buy-one-get-one deal, which she also rejected. She added that the number of sightseeing boats moored along the harbor spoiled the view for taking photos.
The Marine Department said all sightseeing vessels it inspected in the area held valid permits. It has also posted banners with QR codes linking to its list of approved vessels.
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