Record number of visitors, crowd control measures implemented

The Public Security Police (PSP) has revealed that more than 1.72 million people crossed the Macau border checkpoints between February 18 and 22.
Meanwhile, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam, does not think that Macau is capable of accommodating more visitors, and will discuss the possibility of restricting the amount of incoming tourists with mainland authorities.
The authority believes that the border crossing peak period lies between February 21 and 25. However, the total number of passengers who traveled through the region’s borders from February 19 to 22 has already surpassed 1.45 million, a growth of more than 6 percent.
The Border Gate checkpoint was once again the most popular passage for residents and visitors.
A mainland visitor told TDM yesterday that it took her almost two hours to cross the border at Gongbei Port. However, the time required to cross the border on the Macau side was only several minutes. Another mainland visitor said that since they were traveling with an elderly person, they were allowed to use a special passage at Gongbei and were able to cross the checkpoint after only waiting for 20 minutes.
With such a large visitor influx, PSP twice imposed the first-level crowd control measure at San Ma Lo (Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro) in the afternoons of Saturday and yesterday. There were also temporary traffic reroutes implemented in the vicinity of the Border Gate and Praia Grande yesterday.
The crowded conditions have affected the traveling mood of some tourists. A visitor from Guangdong, Ms Yang, said that this is the first time she has traveled to Macau. She was hoping to have a leisurely trip, but found Macau to be “super crowded”. She said that she would not go to San Ma Lo again next time. Another mainland visitor, Mr Ding, said that the crowds in San Ma Lo had been “tiring” for him. He also found the district “boring,” because he could do nothing but shop there.
Moreover, according to the Marine and Water Bureau, in order to cater for the increase in passengers who chose the sea routes to enter or exit Macau, ferry operators expanded their service capacity by 35 percent on Saturday.
The bureau’s director, Wong Soi Man, said that after inspecting the Outer Harbor Ferry Terminal and the Pac On Temporary Ferry Terminal in Taipa, the peak traveling period for the ferry terminals would be between yesterday and February 26.
Ms Wong said that they were concerned about possible delays in upcoming days due to foggy weather. She said that the authorities will monitor the situation closely. There are also rescue vessels stationed at the Inner Harbor and Outer Harbor.
The huge tourist influx into the city has been pointed out by some as having negative impacts on the daily life of local residents. During a New Year event on Thursday, Secretary Alexis Tam thanked mainland visitors for their economic contribution to Macau. However, he does not want the Individual Visit Scheme to affect the locals, and he will discuss with mainland authorities ways that the Scheme could be  improved in the future, including the possibility of placing restrictions on it.
“We have to make a scientific decision [regarding the Individual Visit Scheme]. The core principle is that our residents’ quality of life should not be worsened… There are many possible measures [to be considered], and [restricting the scheme] is one of them,” he said.
Mr Tam added that there are other methods “that are better.” He said that there will be talks between the Macau government and mainland authorities, such as the State Council, the National Tourism Administration, as well as administrations of the provinces to which the scheme applies. He said that the common goal of all parties is to improve the lives of Macau residents, and to allow more mainland visitors see Macau.