Ferry services will resume Jan. 8, the same day the city will welcome tourists of all nationalities, with hopes of ending a nearly three-year foreign tourist drought.
Both ferry operators have announced the resumption of ferry services for the city routes between the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal (Sheung Wan) and the Macau Taipa Ferry Terminal starting Sunday.
The government has optimized epidemic prevention measures and further relaxed entry restrictions from Hong Kong to Macau, ending the nucleic acid test (NAT) requirement for arrivals from the neighbouring region and Taiwan.
The Cotai Water Jet will provide six services daily, while TurboJET will operate 16 sailings between the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal (Sheung Wan) and the Macau Taipa Ferry Terminal when it resumes services.
Nearly three years ago, at midnight on February 4, 2020, ferry services between Macau and Hong Kong were suspended due to the pandemic-induced fall in tourism.
The resumption of the Cotai Water Jet and TurboJet implies the companies have received government approval to operate again. The latter group told the Times earlier this week that they have been fully prepared to resume services.
Cotai Water Jet has launched its service schedule, departing Hong Kong at 9:30 a.m., while the first ferry leaves the city at 11 a.m.
This is followed by services at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. from the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal, and 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. from the Macau Taipa Ferry Terminal.
For TurboJET, the first trip to Macau leaves earlier at 7:30 a.m, while the first trip from the region departs at 9 a.m.
TurboJET resumed its ferry transfer service Dec. 30 between the SkyPier at the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) and Macau and has been operating limited services.
For the meantime, the peninsula ferry terminal will remain close.
Back in 2020, there was a labor dispute between TurboJet and its employees over wage reduction. The measures come as ferry operators have struggled to adapt to a new reality in the Pearl River Delta, brought about by the operation of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, causing heavy losses to the group.
