As Macao will usher in the Mainland's National Day holiday on 1 October, it is expected that the number of visitors to Macao will increase during the seven-day holiday in the Mainland.
Representatives from the Public Security Police Force, the Customs and Excise Department of Macao, the Macao Government Tourism Office, the Transport Bureau and the Consumer Council briefed the media on the arrangements and measures for immigration control, border control, tourism promotion, traffic arrangements and consumer rights at the Border Gate Building this morning (26 October).
According to the representative of the Public Security Police Force, it is expected that there will be an increase in visitors to Macao during the National Day holiday, and the bureau has made various police arrangements to arrange sufficient police force to maintain law and order in the market, ensure good customs clearance order at all ports, and smooth road traffic. The Police expect that from 1 to 7 October, the average daily number of arrivals and departures will exceed 600,000, and the number of visitors to Macao will exceed 100,000 per day. Among them, October 5 may be the peak of entry and exit. In view of the possible inbound and outbound crowds, the Public Security Police Force will strengthen early warning linkage with the mainland border inspection authorities to ensure smooth and orderly customs clearance, and will coordinate with relevant departments to implement crowd control measures when necessary. The Police appealed to the Immigration Clearance Officers to check real-time clearance information through the "Real-time Information Platform of the Immigration Bureau" in advance and travel off-peak. In addition, the 32nd Macao International Fireworks Display Contest will be held on the evenings of 1 and 6 October, and the Police will step up police deployment to divert the flow of people and vehicles at popular locations for watching fireworks.
The Customs representative said that it would deploy manpower according to the actual situation, send additional customs officers to the control points and other frontline units to perform duties, and had formulated response plans in response to different types of emergencies to effectively ensure the order of customs clearance at various control points. As for the Macao Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, we have worked with relevant departments to formulate a contingency plan to coordinate the addition of lanes during peak hours of inbound and outbound traffic, and the deployment of additional customs officers and technical personnel to enhance the efficiency of vehicle clearance. In addition, Customs will step up the arrangements for customs inspection at all entry and exit points, and conduct surveillance and patrol work on combating sea passengers, maritime control points, maritime and coastal security, etc., so as to deal more effectively with various emergencies and combat illegal activities. In particular, in order to prevent criminals from taking advantage of the preferential measures taken by the Central Government to increase the duty-free quota for Mainland residents and tourists to solicit tourists to carry out smuggling activities, the Customs will continue to strengthen the supervision of all Zhuhai-Macao ports, especially the areas near the border gates.
The representative of MGTO pointed out that MGTO has strengthened coordination and communication with relevant departments and the industry, and spared no effort to ensure the quality of tourism services, with a view to creating a good travel experience for visitors. The authorities have done a number of things to enhance the visitor experience, smart visitor flow, inspection and supervision, etc., including issuing a letter reminding the trade to prepare for welcoming visitors in advance, producing "Visit Macao with Confidence" photo packs for visitors to obtain, arranging fireworks displays and community activities during the National Day holiday, launching a special marketing campaign "Celebrating Macao with Joy" to boost the city's consumption atmosphere, and the Macao Grand Prix Museum will be open to the public free of charge on the National Day day, with limited activities to encourage visitors to use the "Smart Visitor Flow App" to check the crowd flow of 114 scenic spots. to help staggered travel, etc. In addition, the tourist information counters will increase the manpower according to the situation, and the tourism hotline (853) 28333000 will remain open 24 hours a day.
According to the representative of the Transport Bureau, in order to meet the travel needs of residents and tourists, the authorities have coordinated with various parties to deploy traffic arrangements and emergency plans, including: temporary expansion of hotel and casino shuttle bus queuing areas at various ports, temporary conversion of hotel and casino shuttle buses at the Macao Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to provide services in a point-to-point direct mode, operation of a number of seasonal routes during designated hours, and reference to the diversion plan of Avenida Nova and surrounding areas during previous holidays. In addition, in order to tie in with the establishment of a temporary pedestrian zone in Taipa Village during the National Day holiday, temporary traffic control will be implemented in Taipa Village from 1 to 7 October. A number of bus routes have also been temporarily adjusted, please visit the website of the Bureau (https://www.dsat.gov.mo/dsat/news_detail.aspx?a_id=D0CE92C8E12F8A25F46B017B89064043) and the website of the two buses (OBBA: http://www.tcm.com.mo, New benefits: http://www.transmac.com.mo).
The representative of the Consumer Council said that the Council will set up a special holiday service on 1 and 2 October, and residents and visitors can contact the Council through channels such as "Consumer Protection" if they have any enquiries and complaints about consumer matters.
In anticipation of a large number of visitors coming to Macao for tourism and spending, the Council will send a booklet entitled "Certified Shops Guide (2024)" to inbound visitors at various control points, and have promoted the Council's holiday services, introduced the "Certified Shops Scheme", Macao's honest and quality consumption environment, and the tips and notes on spending in Macao through various channels before the holiday. At the same time, the Council, together with relevant departments, continued to inspect and monitor the shopping spots of tour groups, urging businesses to operate in accordance with the law.