MGTO: Tourism fund not to be used to subsidize tour guides

The local government has no plan to use the city’s tourism fund as means to subsidize tour guides’ income, according to Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director of Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO).
Yesterday, the tourism boss told local media that the tourism fund is mainly being used to rent quarantine hotels, to arrange special transportation between Hong Kong and Macau, and to transport people from ports to medical examination centers. The local government is using the majority of the fund to cover expenses related to Covid-19 operations at different stages, including preparation for the tourism industry’s recovery post Covid-19.
Yesterday morning, a group of tour guides submitted a petition of suggestion to the government headquarters urging the local government to distribute cash support for five months, in addition to their paid training programs. They say the money should come from the recently announced government’s economic relief fund of 10 billion patacas.
The group claimed that Macau has over 6,000 tour guides, of whom nearly 1,000 are “frontline tour guides”. The group is complaining about having “barely any income” since mid-2019.
The representatives hope that the local government can provide temporary jobs for tour guides, such as arranging for them to work inside quarantine hotels. The association accuses the local government’s existing financial support of not including tour guides.
The tourism director expressed her understanding of the work situation and revealed that the local government has invited tour guides to work in quarantine hotels, with more than ten of them accepting the invitation.
However, highlighting the tourism fund, Fernandes stated that she believes there are alternative support programs available for the group’s income. She hopes that, when the pandemic is over, the city’s tourism can relate more to healthcare. JZ