The Hong Kong government’s expression of interest process for developing ecotourism in Tsim Bei Tsui and Pak Nai closed on July 2, marking a crucial milestone in the city’s push to become a regional leader in sustainable tourism.
These two sites, spanning 120 hectares bordering Deep Bay and including ecologically sensitive coastal wetlands, represent far more than just another development opportunity; they’re a test case for how Hong Kong can balance economic growth with environmental stewardship.
Over the past two decades, I’ve been fortunate to work on two extraordinary ecotourism projects that put environmental regeneration at the forefront of design and planning. From the cooled conservatories at Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay, where visitors now marvel at thriving biodiversity alongside stunning architecture, to the ongoing planning for the 500-hectare island of Sentosa, these projects illustrate how thoughtful governance can turn sustainability into a captivating visitor experience.
While Hong Kong might hesitate to reference a rival, Gardens by the Bay – which has welcomed more than 100 million tourists since it opened in 2012 – serves an essential educational purpose, not least of which is that ecotourism projects succeed when they solve real environmental problems.
The conservatories are not just architectural showpieces; they are low-carbon structures that show how tourism infrastructure can contribute to sustainability goals. The project’s success comes from integrating environmental function into every design decision, not treating conservation as an afterthought.
At Sentosa, this idea is taken even further. With a goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 while maintaining its position as a premier tourism destination, the island shows that environmental leadership and commercial success are not mutually exclusive. But achieving these two outcomes requires a different approach to governance – one that puts ecological outcomes at the centre of decision-making rather than as an afterthought.