Lawmakers push gov’t to offer aid for travel trade & SMEs

Several lawmakers called on the government to bring forward some sort of economic stimulus for the city’s travel industry and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) — considered the industries hardest-hit by the Covid-19 pandemic — to ease their financial hardship during the Covid-19 resurgence.
Last week, lawmakers Lei Cheng I and Leong Sun Iok convened a meeting with several local travel industry leaders to assess the extent to which the resurgence in early August has undermined the travel industry.
Following the emergence of four Delta cases in Macau, the government suspended the domestic travel initiative “Stay, Dine and See Macao.” The program was intended to offer job opportunities and stipends — albeit temporarily — to financially strapped tour guides who had been unemployed since the outbreak last year.
However, industry leaders agreed that the ongoing suspension results in local tour guides being forced to endure the grueling status of joblessness once again.
Chairman of the Macau Tourist Guide Association, Wu Wai Fong, was one of the representatives who attended the meeting. They suggested the Macau government learn from other governments to create some temporary positions for unemployed tourist guides to carry them through the current situation.
They also suggested ramping up the scope of the “Stay, Dine, and See Macao,” and increasing tour frequencies, once the pandemic is stabilized locally, to help generate more income for the travel trade.
Lawmakers Lei and Leong said that this Covid-19 wave has dealt a blow to the already beleaguered tourism industry. Due to the unpredictability of the pandemic, the duo anticipated that it would take some more time for tourist arrivals to rebound again.
Given this, they both suggest the government to emulate other governments by providing pandemic-related positions for tourist guides, such as temporary jobs at Covid-19 testing sites or vaccination centers, etc.
While the pandemic is being brought back under control, the government should foster the development of the tourism industry and focus on job-matching endeavors to ensure tour guides find jobs best suited to their expertise, the two lawmakers urged.
In addition, Lei and Leong urged the government to formulate a plan in advance to reduce the financial burden on residents if the pandemic persists.
Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) suspended local tours under the “Stay, Dine and See Macao” program from August 4. The suspension was originally scheduled to last until August 17. However, the program will remain suspended until further notice.

Support for SME suggested
Another lawmaker Ho Ion Sang filed a written query to the government, urging it to launch some sort of economic stimulus targeted to throw a lifeline to local SMEs suffering from this wave of the pandemic.
Incumbent lawmaker Agnes Lam also stated that she received complaints from SMEs near the red and yellow zone areas which had been cordoned off for 14 consecutive days. They lamented that the resurgence led to reduced visitation to their stores, resulting in a decline in business.
Besides, people residing in red and yellow zones had no choice but to take unpaid leave as well.
Lam urges the government to tend to these concerned groups of people, and launch a special financial relief to assist affected individuals.