Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai said yesterday the government is looking for locations suitable for its two long-term projects to set up an international integrated tourism and cultural zone, and a science and technology research and development industrial park in Macau.
Sam stressed that it is aiming to propose possible locations for the two projects in the second half of this year when it will ask members of the public to express their views on the matter.
Sam made the remarks during a Q&A session in the legislature’s hemicycle yesterday afternoon. The chief executive attended the four-hour session, which was held a day after he had delivered his two-hour 2025 Policy Address on Monday, to answer questions from 31 lawmakers in the 33-member Legislative Assembly (AL) headed by Kou Hoi In.
Sam’s remarks yesterday came after he said in his 2025 Policy Address on Monday that his government is planning several important and large-scale projects aiming to inject new impetus into Macau’s development for the long term, including the projected Macau International Integrated Tourism and Cultural Zone, and Macau Science and Technology Research and Development Industrial Park.
Sam said in his policy address that with the aim of consolidating Macau’s role as a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure and advancing the city’s development into an exchange and cooperation base with Chinese culture as its mainstream and co-existence of different cultures, his government is planning to set up an international integrated tourism and cultural zone in Macau where various “iconic and high-standard” cultural facilities with international influence will be constructed.
Sam said that the future cultural complexes in the zone will include the projected Macau National Cultural Museum, the Macau International Performing Arts Centre, and the International Contemporary Art Museum.
Sam also said in his policy address that his government is planning to set up a science and technology research and development industrial park in Macau where facilities will be constructed suitable for the development of Macau’s high-tech industry, adding that the future industrial park aims to become a base for high-quality tech enterprises from the mainland seeking to expand foreign markets as well as a service hub for cutting-edge foreign technology projects.
Sam said that the government will hire a consultancy to carry out a research study about its projected science and technology research and development industrial park in terms of various aspects.
During yesterday’s Q&A session, Sam noted that the local government currently has a relatively large amount of land resources after the completion of a number of land reclamation projects as well as its repossession of undeveloped plots and illegally occupied plots over recent years.
Sam said that the new situation has enabled the government to plan large-scale projects requiring larger areas of land, including its planned international integrated tourism and cultural zone as well as science and technology research and development industrial park.
Sam said that the government has come up with possible choices for the location for its planned science and technology research and development industrial park, such as the site where the now-defunct Macau Jockey Club horse-racing track in Taipa is located, the plot off Taipa’s northern coast initially earmarked for an “Ocean World” theme park, and a plot at the bottom of Big Taipa Hill near the airport previously earmarked for a sandwich-class housing project.
Sam also said that the government is studying the possibility of creating its international integrated tourism and cultural zone by developing waterfront areas in southern peninsula and northern Taipa. Sam noted that the southern area of the Zone A land reclamation area is earmarked for cultural facilities, adding that together with the current Macau Science Centre and Macau Cultural Centre as well as new facilities to be constructed in an area near Macau Tower, the zone’s peninsula side will take shape.
For the international integrated tourism and cultural zone’s Taipa side, Sam said, the government is studying the possibility of using the current Zone C land reclamation area and the future Zone D land reclamation area off Taipa’s northern coast.
Sam underlined that the government will come up with final proposals for the two projects’ locations in the second half of this year when it will consult the public about the matter.
Expenditure set to reach 115 billion patacas
Meanwhile, Sam also noted during yesterday’s Q&A session that the government expects its expenditure this year to amount to around 115 billion patacas, based on which, he said that if Macau’s average monthly gross gaming revenue (GGR) later this year dropped to only 15 billion patacas, the government would incur a deficit.
Sam acknowledged the government’s heavy reliance on a “unbalanced” source of its revenues, namely direct tax from GGR.
Sam also said that the government expects around 15,000 children to benefit from its new childcare allowance for local residents this year.
According to his 2025 Policy Address delivered on Monday, the newly launched childcare allowance will be issued to parents of children under the age of three years every month. During the period, they will receive an allowance of 1,500 patacas a month, equivalent to 18,000 patacas a year.
Legislators attend yesterday afternoon’s Q&A session about Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai’s first policy address.
Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai answers questions from lawmakers during yesterday’s Q&A session about his 2025 Policy Address in the Legislative Assembly’s (AL) hemicycle. – Photos: GCS
