The tourism industry is psychologically prepared and does not rule out the possibility that the local tour campaign will only return in September.
The local tour campaign is officially known as “Stay, Dine and See Macao.”
A number of tour groups have been organized, with tours planned to start during the summer holiday. However, current pandemic control measures have put them on hold due to the need for people to avoid gatherings and interactions.
Wong Fai, executive director of the Travel Industry Council of Macau, told local Chinese newspaper Macao Daily News that pandemic control measures have suspended tours for about half of the month.
Daily tour departures had been planned prior to August, involving several hundred local tourists.
He stressed that industry practitioners were taking the suspension in stride as they understand the need for disease control. They are also actively complying with the government’s disease control measures.
Wong added that the developments in the pandemic are closely connected to the tourism industry. Promotional campaigns can only be based on a safe and healthy environment, he said. Therefore, there is no other way but to follow the government’s guidelines and policies.
Where hotel accommodation packages are concerned, local buyers have tended to postpone their stays because facilities such as swimming pool and spas in hotels have suspended operations, and also because buyers are concerned for their own health.
Wong explained that bringing the Covid-19 outbreak in the city under control is critical to the resumption of the local tour campaign, in addition to boosting local residents’ confidence in returning to the tours.
He noted that the all-negative results from the recent city-wide Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction testing should inject greater confidence into the community. AL
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