'More flexibility needed to tackle tour group crowds'
The catering sector on Thursday called for a ban on mainland tour groups shopping and dining in the same district on the same day to be eased, saying it's having a detrimental impact on businesses.  The President of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants, Simon Wong, made the comment after a restaurant in To Kwa Wan closed down following the implementation of the ban in May.  The restriction, brought in by the Travel Industry Authority, was aimed at minimising the impact of mainland tour groups on residents in various districts.  But the restaurant –  which primarily served tour groups – claimed the ban had turned many of its customers away, and that business was no longer viable.  Wong told RTHK that authorities should exercise more flexibility in addressing the problem of overcrowding. "They can limit the number of tour groups coming into that area within certain periods of time, and even limit the number of people or tourists going into that area," he said. "This is not impossible because the tourism industry can report the number of groups to the authority or they can regulate themselves so that the number of groups going into that area can be controlled."