Policy Address | Social Affairs and Culture – Alexis Tam: Number of mainland visitors reduced to 21m per year

Alexis Tam (center)

The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam, announced yesterday that the Tap Seac neighborhood will be transformed into a cultural hub, with the decrepit Hotel Estoril being revamped as a youth center for arts education.
“To build a happier house for the local residents is a big challenge for me and my team. (…) We will transform Macau into a happy city,” he said yesterday at the policy address presentation, using metaphoric language to summarize his broad supervisory role.
Alexis Tam revealed that he has been granted the responsibility of revamping an area that includes the still-operating Estoril swimming pool and the adjacent hotel. “We are planning to build a complex for the arts and the cultural industries there,” he said, explaining that several art schools, like the conservatory, will be based there, as well as auditoriums for live performances. “It will be a center for arts education. The installations will be wonderful, because inside the [Hotel Estoril] building one can see the Tap Seac Square,” he said.
Yesterday’s debate at the Legislative Assembly was centered on the issues of tourism capacity and education, with issues regarding healthcare receding into the background. However, an important announcement came when Alexis Tam revealed that the Conde de São Januário Central Hospital will have a new director, with Kuok Cheong U replacing Chan Wai Sin (see page 3).
Commenting on the overflow of tourists during festive seasons, Alexis Tam noted that a large majority of the visitors came from mainland China (over 90 percent), partially due to the improvements in Guangdong province’s transport infrastructure – such as the TGV, which shortens the trip between Zhuhai’s Gongbei district and Guangzhou to one hour.

The decrepit Hotel Estoril

“The Chinese market is important to Macau and has led to the development of several sectors as well as overall GDP growth. But now we should find a balance point. It is probably too easy for mainland tourists to enter Macau, which inconveniences Macau residents’ quality of life,” said Alexis Tam.
The secretary detailed the problems created by the large influx of tourists during the recent CNY season, when an average 147,000 tourists per day visited the region. That is, he said, much more than Macau’s presented capacity, which he approximated to be 90,000 per day, according to a study released recently by the Institute for Tourism Studies. “If this situation continues, I’m sure that the locals will experience a decrease in their quality of life. It’s a fact that some commentators believe that the more visitors the better, because tourism is good for businesses. But if the current situation continues, the consequences will be serious for our population,” Alexis Tam added.
Regarding the above-mentioned “balance point,” the secretary said that the region has the capacity to receive 21 million tourists from mainland China per year. That will leave some space to achieve the goal of receiving more tourists from international markets. He also said that the 21 million mark is not rigid and depends on local infrastructure. Once infrastructure is improved, that number can be increased.
Some lawmakers agree. Lei Cheng I said that “Macau is reaching a saturation point and some things are unacceptable. Prices are increasing and there is no space for locals to spend leisure time. Coloane is becoming very small.” The lawmaker added that “leisure spaces should be preserved for the use of residents.” Her comments probably indicate that the region continues to lag behind the “happy city” envisaged by Alexis Tam.

A decade after Unesco recognition

Ten years after UNESCO classified the historical center of Macau as a World Heritage location in 2005, the region is preparing celebrations to commemorate the recognition. Activities to raise awareness about the heritage sites and of the “history of Macau as an intersection point between East and West” will be organized in 2015, said Alexis Tam.

Love for the motherland

National education was a topic addressed several times by the secretary and the lawmakers. Alexis Tam stressed that the local community needs to “strengthen love for the motherland and Macau among students.” The government intends to do so by promoting activities and field trips that are directed at the younger population.
Mr Tam said that the local youth lack knowledge about China, and made some remarks about the country’s recent history, noting that “China is changing for the better.”
“We will launch several national education programs and that will allow the youth to have a broader view. The purpose of national education is not only so that students might know the country or the region. The most important concern is that our youth may know the world,” he said, adding that the concept of “ love for the motherland” should be extended to the whole population.
Besides national education, the debate regarding the educational sector  centered around the lack of places in nurseries and kindergartens, with Alexis Tam stating that there should be over 10,000 available places in kindergartens by 2016.