Our Desk | A journey in the city

Catarina Pinto

A boat cruises through the Mekong River as seen from the Lao province of Khammouane, a picture caption published by the Bangkok Post reads. The setting sun’s rays rest gently over the waters, as the boat sails the river, introduces a news article about a significant surge in the number of Chinese tourists traveling to Laos.
The article says Laos, but it could easily be any other country in Asia. It’s no news that China has become the largest outbound tourism market.
As the Chinese New Year fast approaches, many of us living in Macau turn to the websites of different airlines in the hope that a short and reasonably-priced flight might takes us on yet another travel adventure, seeing as one desperately needs to escape the hustle and bustle of the city once in a while. Others are certainly counting days off the calendar to meet their loved ones back home.
There are those to whom Macau is home, and the Chinese New Year is spent here between family gatherings and the hope of a bit of rest. For us expats who are unwilling or unable to travel somewhere over the Lunar New Year, the promise of a holiday to enjoy good food and quality time with friends is daring enough.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of tourists are planning to head to our tiny Las Vegas of the East as we speak. Reading over the article published by Bangkok Post, and looking at the Mekong River picture, I couldn’t help but think about how all that calmness contrasts with what Macau will look like this week.
In a touristic city as tiny as Macau, it would be difficult not to set foot outside without stumbling upon huge crowds over the Chinese New Year holiday period. It’s obviously debatable as to whether Macau has the capacity to welcome so many tourists, but it’s really because of them that many of us were afforded the opportunity to work and live in Macau. So I can’t really complain.
Residents who were born here, and those for whom Macau is home, certainly can. Last year, local media or neighboring SAR media outlets, such as the South China Morning Post, reported on “a sense of frustration” that usually prevails among Macau residents who are brave enough to walk through the central district streets during the holidays.
Macau authorities are expecting an increase in the number of tourist arrivals, and police forces have already revealed a series of crowd-control measures, as MDT reported last week.
The sense of frustration among residents who spend Chinese New Year in the city is bound to prevail though, and those living around the San Ma Lo area can expect to add a few more minutes to their usual walking time. According to the PSP, people may even be barred from entering  Senado Square as part of Chinese New Year crowd management plans, as there are several levels of crowd control that may be applied depending on the gravity of the situation.
It’s never enough to stress how crowd-control measures are key. We should all be reminded of the Shanghai stampede not too long ago, and how the lack of measures, along with the miscalculations of how many people would join the New Year celebrations, led to the death of over 30 people.
As the number of tourists traveling to Macau surges every year, streets will not grow any larger – after all, the lack of space is one of the city’s chronic problems.
That’s why crowd control is crucial here. And planning ahead, including how to manage and coordinate urgent responses in case of any incident or stampede, should be taken very seriously. Meanwhile, there should be a joint effort between different Macau authorities in finding a balance between “the world tourism and leisure city” and a city that is also “tailor made” to be inhabited by its own citizens. After all, residents should never have to feel compelled to avoid the streets of their own cities.