The director of the Tourist Office, Maria Fernandes, believes that the death of a mainland Chinese tourist that was linked to forced shopping in Hong Kong early this week might also tarnish the local reputation to some extent.
It has been announced that the official will discuss efforts with mainland Chinese and Hong Kong authorities soon in order to redeem Macau’s possibly diminished reputation. The 54-year-old Hellongjiang tourist was beaten unconscious on Monday morning and was pronounced dead in hospital less than 24 hours later.
The man’s death has immediately prompted calls on the mainland for the boycotting of travel to the former British colony.
Fernandes told media representatives on the sidelines of the 20th MIF that the scandal would likely have a “psychological impact” on potential tourists to Macau coming from the mainland, yet she expressed her desire that the follow-up works could minimize the repercussions.
“We’d approach related departments to learn about the situation after their investigation into the case ended. Meanwhile, we’d contact the mainland agencies to see what works need to be done against the possible adverse impacts on Macau,” she said.
However, she also noted that, instead of intimidation for shopping, disputes between tourists and their tour guides here in Macau are usually centered on miscommunications between tourists and their tour agencies or guides. These disputes usually result in tourists becoming increasingly angered at having to pay extra on the trip for their guides.
Fernandes said that the office has constantly been in contact with local tourist agencies as to how to avoid the plight. In recent days, some group tours were caught running without an assigned leader from the mainland side, which she said was against regulations imposed by the travel authorities there.
“Even though they didn’t breach local laws, we would report it to the mainland authorities for their reference.” AU
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