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estate. “To me, the most disturbing
thing is when visitors ask me for di-
rections. But I think this is also a good
way for tourists to learn about public
housing estates in Hong Kong,” says
Lee.
The internet fame of the 56-year-
old public housing estate also comes
along with public nuisance and pri-
vacy concerns. “The court is always
packed with visitors on weekends and
there is no space for residents to play
basketball. A basketball player once
broke a tourist’s camera and conflict
just erupted,” says Wu Chi-kin, a dis-
trict councillor of Wong Tai Sin.
Wu says the use of drones equipped
with aerial cameras make residents
feel worried, as bathrooms are near As tourists swarm into the neighborhood, some Choi Hung Estate residents raise
the balcony side. In view of this, the concern on privacy intrusion
Housing Authority pro-
vides a guideline to
prohibit the use of
drones. But Wu The Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong set up a coordination group
believes the effect in March and proposed new measures responding to overcrowding and
is minimal and disturbances caused by tourists in To Kwa Wan. The group proposed
diverting at most 6,400 tourists to Hung Hom Ferry Pier in Whampoa,
stresses the author- a neighborhood of 38,000 residents, every day. But the proposal was
ity has no right to strongly opposed by the residents and later put on hold.
forbid tourists from
Wu Chi-kin
visiting the estate.
“We want to respect their freedom of
photo-shooting, but they should also
avoid causing disturbances to the resi-
dents,” says Wu.
Wu says all he could do is to ask
security guards to remind visitors to
behave during peak hours. He hopes
online media will stop promoting the
estate as a tourist spot.
Edited by Daphne Li