China to restart outbound tourism in time for Golden Week

The National Immigration Administration of China has set a date for the general resumption of tourist visas for traveling to the Macau SAR. From September 23, any resident of the mainland will be able to apply to visit Macau for tourism purposes.

The timing positions Macau for a recovery bounce during China’s Golden Week in early October, a normally popular time in the Macau gaming calendar.

Before then, all residents of Guangdong Province will be able to apply for a tourism visa to Macau starting from August 26.

The Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) visas, popular with gamblers from the mainland, are included in the resumption.

The announcement comes just one day after Macau’s Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center announced that residents of Zhuhai could once again apply for a tourism visa to travel to Macau. The move is seen as the first stage of a gradual reopening of the tourism trade between Macau and the mainland, after months of near-zero levels of visitation.

Those applying for the IVS will still need to present a negative Covid-19 virus test obtained within the past seven days and a green health code to be granted a visa. Mainland residents traveling from high-risk areas may be excluded from entry, according to official reports.