Hong Kong should adopt a top-down, comprehensive ecotourism policy to safeguard the city’s natural attractions, with a designated authority taking the lead, experts have urged, after a surge in Labour Day “Golden Week” visitors overwhelmed ecologically sensitive spots.

The call on Monday came after a viral video showed a Mandarin-speaking tourist smoking a cigarette in front of the press and claiming he had confirmed with law enforcement officers that smoking was allowed at the beach of Ham Tin Wan in Sai Kung, in a defiant response to a fine imposed on a mainland Chinese visitor for littering at the same site.

When asked about visitors’ responsibility to take away their trash, the tourist said on Sunday: “I find it laughable. I will just pay the fine, won’t I? Does he have the right not to take the trash away [after he was fined]?”

The video clip sparked outrage on social media in Hong Kong, with many saying the large influx of mainland visitors to the city’s natural landmarks was putting them at risk.

Former chairman of the Hong Kong Countryside Foundation Lam Chiu-ying said that ecotourism was fundamentally incompatible with mass tourism, asserting that protecting ecosystems and biodiversity must remain the absolute priority.

He argued that a comprehensive, centralised policy was the only way to prevent a repeat of the recent crowds.