The new immigration law will not have significant impact on tourist arrivals in the city, but will bring the SAR into line with other highly visited countries, according to industry experts.
From November 15, under a new Legal Regime for Immigration Control, Permanence and Residence Permits coming into force, all visitors arriving in Macau will have to provide evidence that they have financial reserves of at least MOP5,000 for each week of their stay.
The minimum required is less than the average daily spend of visitors to the city.
Data from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) show that the average daily spend of visitors in 2019 was MOP1,626, while for those from mainland China, the sum was MOP1,834.
Based on these data, director of the IFTM Tourism Research Centre, Leonardo Dioko noted that a stay of three days comes to MOP4,878, meaning the MOP5,000 requirement “reasonably reflects the ongoing behavior of visitors.”
Speaking to the Times, Dioko revealed that according to the center’s Visitor Profile Surveys (VPS), the figures for 2019 (Q2) show that overall spending by visitors to Macau was MOP5,417 (for mainland Chinese visitors it was MOP6,312).
“So again, there is not much departure from the actual behavior of visitors,” the professor said.
“The new law is not [much] different from other countries that impose visa requirements or other minimum conditions to ensure that visitors do not burden the host destination. So I think the new law just brings Macau into line with accepted border control practices of other highly visited destinations around the world,” Dioko commented.
Under the new law, for the first seven days of stay, visitors must prove by way of cash held or via electronic bank statements that they have at least MOP5,000, which increases to MOP10,000 for intended stays ranging between seven and 14 days.
However, the director of the IFTM research center warned that this measure should be well publicized to ensure that visitors arriving at the border should not be greatly inconvenienced.
“Being smart, efficient, and [wide reaching] in the communication of the policy as well as being smooth in the administration of such policies will avoid hiccups in the experiences of arriving visitors to Macau,” said Dioko.
Echoing the same sentiments, Andy Wu, chairman of the Travel Industry Council of Macau, rejects the idea that the new immigration law is unwelcoming to budget travelers.
“This updated requirement simply [brings clarity to] the matter,” he said.
“What matters is that the government gives sufficient notice about the updated rules so that tourists clearly understand the requirement prior to their trip. It’s a big problem if they’re not aware and arrive in Macau without sufficient funds – that’s trouble,” Wu added.
Meanwhile, on the rationale for the requirement, Wu thinks the government is using it as a tool to tackle “those who arrive in Macau as tourists but have other intentions, such as illegal work.” It has long been commonplace for some individuals entering Macau as tourists to overstay and work in Macau.
In response to concerns about whether Macau will only see big spenders and gamblers but not culture-oriented travelers, he said that he does not see the requirement as a deterrent.
“Breaking the number down, we’re talking about MOP700 per day for those staying [up to] seven days,” he explained. “Let’s say having two meals in Macau can easily cost MOP200, and with transportation and accommodation, the threshold isn’t too high for general tourists.”
In addition, he raised the fact that only about 1,000 visitors had been barred from entering Macau when the city saw 40 million visitor arrivals at its peak. Lynzy Valles & Anthony Lam
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