Leading up to the weekend, it is not uncommon to hear about plans to go for a quick trip outside of Macau. Whether it’s Zhuhai or elsewhere nearby, people have different reasons, and the Post was keen to understand what they might be through street interviews yesterday.
‘A natural escape’
Chan likes to go to the mainland twice a month for a haircut and to watch a movie at a cinema, likening those moments to an escape from her busy work life in Macau. “It’s a different experience”, said the 28-year-old, adding that the activities offered there are not the same as in Macau, while Zhuhai offers a bigger and more “dynamic” space.
A different scene was particularly highlighted by Chan, pointing out: “Macau’s activities are also nice, even with haircuts, there’s no big difference, but it gives us a different landscape at the weekend because we work in Macau every day and it’s so crowded”, noting that it is not always the most ideal place to live in for that reason.
“It’s a natural escape, I would say. As human beings, we cannot be in the same place looking at the same landscape [all the time]”, noted Chan, who works in the F&B industry.
In terms of how this could affect local spending, Chan said she has observed that there has been “a recycling of F&B ideas”, such as cake and coffee shops, over the last two years. “Everything has been strung in this dynamic”. But in another two to three years, the inclination for something new and finding other inspirations will pop up, she said. It will be up to the local shops to find a new way to bring something different and stimulate local interest, Chan said, adding that she was optimistic that the F&B industry will eventually discover a way to capture that.
Expanding options
Che, 35, said she likes to go to Zhuhai’s Gongbei border town around two to three times a month, with the area having comparatively many more shops and dining options, offering a place to walk around to buy things and hang out with friends.
When it comes to Macau, Che, who works in the education sector, said that local people only have a few options when it comes to going out. And in terms of shopping, there are many things that can already be bought online. “For me, I think there are not many places to go” in Macau, she added, noting that although there are the integrated resorts to visit in Cotai that have many shops, “everything is so expensive, I’m not so eager to spend”.
Without people staying, shops might face difficulties
For 50-year-old Chan, a businessowner, the dining options on offer is a big reason he goes to the mainland at weekends. “There are more things to eat. The selection, particularly in terms of food, is a lot more compared to Macau. The environment and service are also better”. Pricewise, he said it is also much cheaper.
Chan did note he thinks this is a situation that could affect local consumption in Macau, adding that on Friday nights, locals start leaving, greatly affecting Macau during weekends. He added he believes that this could affect small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) a lot as without Macau people staying to spend here shops may find it difficult, Chan said.
Understanding why some choose to spend elsewhere
Another business owner, a woman surnamed Si, said that she does not go to Zhuhai too often, at most once or twice a month to eat and walk around, among other things. Most of the time, however, she prefers to stay and spend in Macau.
The 29-year-old thinks that other people probably go there to relax, and as long as people aren’t leaving to spend elsewhere as frequently, then Macau’s consumer landscape may not be affected as badly as some locals might fear. She said that as a shop owner, her business is neither influenced too much or too little by the situation, but she stressed that she understood why some locals choose to spend outside Macau as prices can be quite high here.
Pedestrians walk past shops in the city centre yesterday. – Photo: Rui Pastorin
