Gov’t considers tighter controls on paid photography at tourist sites

[Photo: Lynzy Valles]

Paid photography services at Macau’s tourist attractions would face registration deadlines and other restrictions under a proposal in the government’s consultation paper on regulating specific businesses, with the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) indicating that practitioners would be required to wear identification badges.

The bureau has responded to widespread concerns voiced during its first public consultation over the proposed regulation of “travel photography” services, application procedures and renewal mechanisms. It stated that the consultation document initially contemplates restrictions on permitted sites, operator numbers and business hours, alongside a mandatory identification badge system for practitioners.

The bureau emphasized that both the registration timeline and specific operator quotas would be determined with due consideration to social development trends and public feedback.

Speaking on public broadcaster TDM’s radio program yesterday, IAM president Chao Wai Ieng said: “If on-site registrants cannot obtain their vests and identification badges, they will not have the legitimacy to be recognized by tourists as authorized operators.” She reaffirmed that the registration timeframe was designed “to promote greater service provider mobility and guarantee equal opportunities for all participants.”

Highlighting that the regulatory framework would impose controls on three key dimensions –permitted locations, operator quotas and trading hours – Chao recommended that practitioners be required to register in advance, with caps tailored to the characteristics of each tourist site. She cautioned that allowing on-the-spot registration would make it difficult to regulate the concentration of operators at popular attractions, which could in turn cause inconvenience to visitors.

Chao emphasized that the bureau is committed to striking an equitable balance between providing operational space for the industry and safeguarding the quality of the tourism experience.

The proposed regulatory framework, as highlighted, is specifically targeted at on-site photography services provided at tourist attractions – an emerging business segment – and is intended to create additional operational opportunities for the industry, offer tourists and residents a wider array of service options, enhance the overall tourism experience, and prevent potential public disturbances.

The preliminary approach centers on popular tourist precincts, including the Ruins of St. Paul’s and Largo do Senado.

The bureau further clarified that existing pre-booked outdoor shoots by bridal photography companies or studios – where dates and locations are arranged in advance – will not be subject to the new registration requirement. As such, current operational practices of bridal and photography businesses conducting shoots at locations including the Ruins of St. Paul’s and the Taipa Houses will remain entirely unaffected.