Fireworks contest to return in September

The annual International Fireworks Display Contest will return in September after three years of suspension, head of the local tourism board confirmed yesterday.

Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, director of the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), revealed on the sidelines of a tourism event that the contest – one of the major annual showcases – will return with an international line-up.

In the past three years, with Covid-19 restrictions, it was virtually impossible for teams to visit Macau for the contest.

Senna Fernandes disclosed that so far, invitations have been extended to 10 teams, including Portugal, Japan and mainland China. For the time being, the tourism official expects there will be five show nights spanning September and October.

Traditionally, show nights fall on Saturdays as well as Oct. 1 (a Sunday), which is the National Day of the People’s Republic of China.

Senna Fernandes made a special note on the absence of a fireworks show in the evening of the Mid-autumn Festival. She explained that because the Festival and the National Day will be close together this year, the bureau decided to skip the festival evening and stage a show on National Day.

Meanwhile, at the same event, deputy director Cheng Wai Tong of the MGTO disclosed that earlier he had visited three islands in Zhuhai, being Wailingding Island, Guishan Island and Dongao Island, all of which are relatively well-established in tourism.

Among them, Guishan Island already has sufficient boundary-crossing facilities. It also has ferry services running to and from Hong Kong. If similar services between Guishan Island and Macau can be established, island-hopping travel opportunities can be explored.

The tourism industry of Macau has expressed interest in offering related services. For the time being, further work with relevant departments in Zhuhai is needed to develop these routes, Cheng added.