The resumption of electronic visas for mainland travelers to Macau will commence November 1, a move that has long been awaited by the tourism sector since electronic visas were halted in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The issuance of group package tours to Macau and eVisas under the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) is shaping up to be a massive boost for the SAR’s gaming and tourism operators, which have been negatively affected since the pandemic began in early 2020.
In an announcement made by the National Immigration Administration (NIA), from today, mainland residents can apply for a group travel endorsement and an individual travel endorsement to Macau without the need to submit applications in person.
Persons from medium and high-risk areas of the pandemic and those with a history of living in medium and high-risk areas are not allowed to use the e-visa system.
The NIA has said the public is “requested to pay close attention to the [pandemic] situation in the mainland and Macau and the management measures for epidemic prevention and control.”
In a press conference held Sunday, local government said it remains optimistic on the resumption of mainland group tours to Macau amid the discovery of Covid-19 cases during the weekend until yesterday.
The new clusters have led to a mass testing today from 7 a.m. until November 2, 11 a.m.
Health Bureau (SSM) director and pulmonologist Alvis Lo has said the forecast on resuming group travel should still be bright, judging from the effects of control measures as well as the scale, source and transmission route of infections.
As part of the resumption of group travel, SSM has limited the number of people participating in each tour. In addition, tour guides must take Covid-19 nucleic acid tests (NATs) once every seven days and both staff and participants must complete a 10-day travel history declaration.
Some travel agencies in China have unveiled Macau’s travel packages in advance. These show the earliest departure date is November 13.
Until November 5, both Macau and Zhuhai require a negative NAT result obtained within 24 hours before entry.
‘Great boon’ to return to normalcy
Beijing’s official announcement that mainland travel visas and e-visas to Macau will resume is considered a great boon for the city’s gaming sector, which has been in great turmoil since the start of the pandemic.
In a note, JP Morgan has suggested the issuance of visas will resume for 49 eligible cities, as opposed to what was initially announced – the resumption of visas will only roll out in four mainland cities.
Analyst DS Kim said, “This will be a great boon for Macau’s return to normalcy.”
“In a nutshell, we think the resumption greatly alleviates the frictions for a Macau trip (no need to pre-book an application slot, no need to get interviewed, no need to wait seven plus days to get a visa approved) and could signal to many that it’s okay to come to Macau now.”
However, there are no expectations regarding the rise to the city’s gross gaming revenue.
The announcement was acknowledged to be a “significant step” towards the city’s normalization, and the JP Morgan is “sanguine about the gradual yet meaningful recovery from December,” which could lead to positive EBITDA.
Stocks rally as China eases tourist visa rules
Macau gaming stocks rallied yesterday as Beijing has now announced a date for the resumption of eVisas, which are expected to boost visitor numbers to the city.
Sands China Ltd led the climb with growth of 4.42%, followed by Melco with a 3.53% rise.
Wynn Macau, Galaxy, MGM China and SJM Holdings rose 2.62%, 1.85%, 1.61%, and 1.23% respectively.
MGM China is in lockdown, with staff and guests ordered to stay inside until today as one of its croupiers tested positive on Sunday, being the first case in the Hac Sa Wan Covid-19 cluster.
Visa resumption ‘great boon’ to return to normalcy
