Extended weekend pushes daily arrivals above 150,000

The extended weekend, which included the widely celebrated Tung Ng Festival (Dragon Boat Festival), resulted in visitor arrival figures surpassing the daily mark of 150,000, according to preliminary data from the Public Security Police Force (PSP).

Although the public holiday fell this year on a Saturday, most people in the neighboring regions had the holiday observed yesterday, allowing them to extend the weekend over three days.

Figures from the PSP show that on May 31, a total of 151,926 visitors arrived in Macau, a figure matched by Sunday (June 1), when 151,649 entered the region.

Yesterday, the figures returned to normal, with approximately 70,368 entering Macau by 5 p.m. This figure represents a 47.2% drop compared to Sunday.

Highly regarded among Chinese in mainland China, Macau, and Hong Kong, as well as Chinese communities abroad, the Dragon Boat Festival is one of the holidays that several lawmakers, primarily those representing the labor sector, have called on the government to make a statutory public holiday.

Although the call has not yet received any response from the administration led by Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai, lawmakers have been calling for the introduction of more public holidays – particularly mandatory ones – in the local calendar, following a trend seen both in the mainland and in the neighboring region of Hong Kong.

Late last year, lawmaker Lei Chan U called on the new government to take the situation into account and progressively increase the number of statutory holidays, noting, “Macau’s labor standards lag behind those of neighboring regions and are very far behind those set out in the conventions and recommendations of the International Labour Organization. Some of them have not been updated for over 10 years.”

“For annual leave, for example, under the provisions of a law that dates back to 1984, permanent workers are entitled to six days of paid annual leave, a rule that has not been changed for 40 years,” he added.

He also explained that the number of mandatory public holidays has remained at 10 since 1986 – more than 35 years.

He suggested that Macau gradually increase the number of public holidays, as Hong Kong did over eight years, raising the number from 12 to 17, and recommended that the government consider Chinese festive seasons and celebrations when determining public holidays, to reflect the “predominance of Chinese culture in Macau.”