Briefs | Mainland tourists find Macau border crossings ‘troublesome’

Last weekend, the first weekend since applications for travel endorsements to Macau resumed across Guangdong province, tourist attractions which were usually packed with people before the epidemic were not crowded at all. Even with a valid travel endorsement, mainland residents still need to obtain a recognized negative Covid-19 test result and convert their Guangdong Health Code into a Macau Health Code for border crossings. “Some tourists find the requirements bothersome but necessary,” said local Chinese newspaper Macao Daily News. Despite this, certain mainland residents are now finding it worthwhile to visit Macau as “there are fewer people and greater discounts.”

Slight rise in hotel occupancy rate recorded in July

The hotel and inn occupancy rate in July was 12%, rising less than 1 percentage point compared to June and representing a fall of 81 percentage points when compared with same period last year. Local hotels are now being supported by Macau residents and non-resident workers, with many staying in local hotels for different reasons. They have mainly been focused on high-end hotels, pushing their occupancy rate up to nearly 15%. Despite the drop in tourist numbers, the average stay duration has risen to 1.7 nights per stay.

DSPA confident about banning disposable Styrofoam

The head of the Environmental Protection Bureau, Raymond Tam Vai Man, has expressed his confidence that the bureau would be able to ban the import of single-use Styrofoam meal boxes next year, as the government announced earlier this year. Tam said that the industries involved have reacted positively to the proposal. The public and private sectors have made contingency plans regarding the proposed ban. The bureau head also explained that the proposal is the second phase of the plan to discourage the use of disposable materials, following the introduction of charges for plastic bag use.