Northern district businesses struggle despite increased holiday visitors

Macau welcomed 409,000 visitors during mainland China’s three-day Ching Ming Festival holiday, a 14.7% year-on-year increase, yet small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the northern district still faced sluggish business despite the support from the two ongoing “Flora Fête with Sanrio Characters” and the “2025 Community Consumption Grand Prize” campaigns.

Reviving the community economy has been a key focus for the government in recent years, particularly in local neighborhoods like the northern district, where weekend patronage has been notably low. To address this, the government has coordinated with local trade associations, including the Industry and Commerce Association of Macau Northern District, to organize various campaigns, including last year’s 20-week “Weekend Consumer Rewards in Northern District” and the ongoing “Flora Fête with Sanrio Characters” events. These initiatives aim to encourage residents and visitors alike to explore the district more thoroughly and stimulate spending.

The Sanrio Characters Fantasy Garden was launched late last month, featuring six beloved characters – Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll, Kuromi, Hangyodon, My Sweet Piano, and Gudetama – installed at Iao Hon Market Park and Praça dos Lótus in Ilha Verde. Running until October 13, the event features a variety of activities, including game booths, flash mobs, and dance performances, aimed at boosting the community economy in the northern district.

‘Pitifully small’

Despite expectations that the northern district would benefit from the event, businesses told the Times yesterday that the number of tourists remained the same as before, which they described as “pitifully small,” even while tourist areas experienced thriving business over the past three days.

Long, who owns a hand-shaken drink shop near Iao Hon Market Park, commented that the event’s impact was “minimal,” admitting that the area is not a tourist hotspot, and even during peak seasons like the Ching Ming Festival, “there isn’t a significant increase in foot traffic.”

For him, according to Long, “it’s common for few tourists to visit” the district. Regarding his business, he said that “there hasn’t been much change,” emphasizing that his recent growth relied primarily on the consumer promotion campaign organized by the local community, adding that local residents now tend to spend their weekends in the area, contributing to his business’s success.

‘I donít really know what they are’

“I think they [the large-scale installations] have been up for about a week or so, but I don’t really know what they are,” admitted Pun, a pharmacy owner. He emphasized that there was not enough publicity for the event, which diminished its effectiveness, and he hasn’t felt any benefits thus far.

Pun’s pharmacy mainly relies on neighborhood business. Although the “Flora Fête with Sanrio Characters” event hasn’t significantly helped his sales, he noted that the consumer promotion campaign has “positively impacted,” increasing his business by about 10%. He expressed hope that the consumer promotion campaign would continue.

Pun stated that attracting tourists to the northern district would be beneficial for businesses there, but the government needs to come up with effective methods to draw in visitors. Yuki Lei