MGTO to provide extra information to incoming Indian tourists

Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) head, Helena de Senna Fernandes, stated on Sunday that the complaints made by several Indian tourists when trying to enter Macau, reported first hand by the Times last week, have affected the region’s tourism image.
Fernandes explained that, in response to the issue, the bureau will provide supplementary information to visitors from India regarding what documents should be provided at the region’s immigration counters.
In our report published last week, representatives from the Indian community as well as several tourists complained that they faced discrimination when entering the region.
Other Indian visitors confirmed they were required to stand in a separate line, had to wait for a long time, or were asked to procure documents such as return tickets and cash. Such probes appear to happen more often to tourists who travel alone.
The Immigration Bureau’s spokesperson stressed that there is no discrimination, as such measures are simply a part of the bureau’s working guidelines for a number of nationals visiting Macau.
The MGTO director claimed that the procedures at the border are not discriminatory.
However, she stated that providing more information on the documents needed to enter Macau would minimize any inconvenience caused and dispel the doubts of Indian visitors.
Lawmaker Pereira Coutinho believes that the way Indian nationals are being treated when entering Macau is creating a negative image about the region’s reception of such tourists.
According to the latest figures, there were 104,586 visitor arrivals from India between January and July 2016, a 3.2 percent increase compared to the same period last year. From this figure, 87,946 stayed overnight in local hotels, while 16,640 were day-trippers.