Tourism authority buckles up for May 1 holiday

Due to the expected influx of 600,000 tourists during the Labor Day holiday period, as anticipated by the Public Security Police Force (PSP), the Macao Government Tourist Office (MGTO) has made plans to cope with several possible situations.

The Labor Day holiday spans several days in mainland China. This year it ranges across four days, from May 1 to 4, which signals the likelihood of a high number of tourists coming to Macau. The MGTO says it is utilizing technology to streamline experiences for both locals and tourists.

The Office recommends the use of their official mobile apps, namely the “smart application for visitor flows” app, and the “Step Out, Macao” app. The former provides live updates on human flows at various tourist attractions, and the latter has walking tour routes that may interest tourists. Extra staff will also be taken on to take care of enquiries and provide assistance.

The “smart application for visitor flows” app offers predictive data on the density of visitor flows at 20 major tourists attractions for a period of time between the next four hours to a week. Density is presented as “comfortable”, “moderate”, “lightly congested”, “congested”, and “heavily congested”.

Promotions for the use of these smart tools will be distributed by mobile text messages.

In addition, with help from public broadcaster TDM, the MGTO is broadcasting indications on the forecast level of visitor flows at various attractions on the station’s Information Channel from 9 p.m. on April 30 to 11:59 p.m. on May 5.

The PSP’s effort in helping tourists make plans on their tours is the “Real-Time Information Platform of Border Ports”, accessible on PSP’s website. The platform was created to provide live images on the various border checkpoints for users to get an indication on the various conditions and decide the best time to cross the border. The MGTO is putting the link to the platform on their website.

The Office will also allocate personnel to handle enquiries and assist in visitor flow diversion at various locations, distribute food guides, support entities to organize festive and holiday activities, carry out more rigorous inspections and give reminders to industry operators, among other measures.

With regard to suspicions about illegal tour guides, the MGTO, along with the PSP and the Labor Affairs Bureau (DSAL), is taking special measures during the coming holiday period including conducting joint inspections targeting different spots, placing undercover inspectors on patrol and enhancing supervision at ports of entry and tourist attractions.