Yagi disrupts travel and tourism in Macau

Typhoon Yagi has disrupted tourism and various non-gaming services at Macau’s casino resorts, the Times and other media have reported since last Friday.

The disruption began several hours before Typhoon Signal No. 8 was hoisted at 10 p.m. Thursday, affecting air and sea transportation.

Even after the alert was lowered to Signal No. 3 at 2 p.m. Friday, air services continued to face issues.

All casino resorts in Cotai district and on the peninsula announced some form of suspension to their non-gaming services, including restaurants, shops and outdoor facilities, when Signal No. 8 was in place.

One outlet of the Mocha Clubs Macau chain in the Inner Harbour district was also closed as a precautionary measure.

Hong Kong, which is the second-largest source of tourists for Macau, raised the No. 8 Signal as early as 6:20 p.m. Thursday.

This effectively disrupted transport between the two places during the storm.

Macau International Airport saw 41 flights canceled Thursday and another 156 flights canceled Friday.

Ferry services between Macau and Shenzhen, as well as between Macau and Hong Kong’s Sheung Wan ferry terminal, were suspended during the storm.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, a cross-border road link, was closed 9 p.m. Thursday and reopened 2 p.m. Friday.

Despite the disruptions, Macau managed to avoid significant damage after Typhoon Yagi passed about 300 kilometers west of the territory Thursday.

Preparations and the region’s civil protection framework helped minimize the impacts.

“If Yagi had taken a more northerly path and hit Macau directly, it is believed that the impact on Macau would be quite severe,” said Wong Sio Chak, the Secretary for Security.

“Yagi ultimately took a more westerly path 300 kilometers away from Macau, and the typhoon had no direct impact on Macau.”

During Signal No. 8, the Civil Protection Operations Centre recorded only three incidents related to the clearing of falling objects, and the Health Bureau and Kiang Wu Hospital reported three injury cases.

Additionally, 10 individuals used the four opened emergency shelters.

Cleanup efforts are now underway at local beaches, where typhoon-driven waves left piles of vegetation and garbage on the shoreline.

The Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA) has extra staff monitoring the situation and expects the work to take several days.

Visitors are advised to check official sources online for the latest conditions at beaches before visiting in the coming weeks.

While Macau International Airport reported around 200 flights were affected, at least 30 were expected to operate on the same day, with the rest returning to normal by the weekend. Victoria Chan