The new local “Stay, Dine and See Macao” project, which comprises six itineraries and staycations in local hotels, are open for sign-ups from 10 a.m. today, Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes announced yesterday during a press conference at World Trade Centre Macau.
According to a MGTO statement provided during the press conference, the project will run from this month to the end of the year. The statement pointed out that starting from today residents can sign up at travel agencies under the umbrella of the project for a range of local tours and “local hotel experiences”. The statement noted that permanent and non-permanent residents are entitled to a one-time subsidy for both a local tour subsidy and a hotel staycation. The statement underlined that the project is tailored to support travel industry professionals by creating job opportunities as a form of relief, while joining industry operators to invest resources in launching six local tour itineraries in the first round, aiming to spur the rise of domestic demand and spending in local communities.
6 community tours
According to the statement, the local tours will run between April 25 and December 31. The tours will only be available at weekends and public holidays between April and June and between September and December. The statement also said that the local tours will operate daily in July and August, i.e. during Macau’s school summer holidays.
The statement said that the six tour itineraries feature the following: exploring Ka Ho’s architectural heritage; joining a scientifically guided nature adventure in Cotai Ecological Zone; visiting Macau’s Virtual Reality/Celebrity Wax Museum; visiting the Macau Grand Prix Museum and Handover Gifts Museum; participating in a youth music and cultural appreciation experience, taking part in a helicopter ride experience and yacht check-in tour.
The statement noted that every resident is entitled to a maximum of 280-patacas in subsidies to participate in the six local tours, as well as a 100-pataca dining card (except for the helicopter ride experience and yacht check-in tour). The statement noted that after the subsidy, the tour fees will range between 28 and 518 patacas for the six tour itineraries, pointing out that the fees will also cover sightseeing, the tour guide and insurance coverage. The statement added that the tours will be conducted in Cantonese, Portuguese and English to meet different residents’ needs.
Senna Fernandes said that while planning the project her office had been listening to residents’ feedback. She added she is aware of the fact that the helicopter ride has been very popular and therefore it’s again one of the options for residents to choose from – such as last year.
She also said that she heard comments from previous tours saying that some of the participants in last year’s community tours were more familiar with the areas they visited than the tour guides. Therefore, she pointed out that the itineraries this time cover different aspects such as sports, ecology, and history.
During the question-and-answer period of the press conference, reporters asked why non-residents workers (NRWs) cannot benefit from the tour subsidies. Senna Fernandes replied that even though NRWs will need to pay the full price for the tours the pre-subsidised prices are already discounted from the original ones.
When asked whether she was worried that the helicopter tour would be overbooked, Senna Fernandes said that besides the local tours that the government will offer, two hotels’ packages also include the helicopter-ride experience.
Debut of staycations
According to the statement, in order to stay aligned with the current “staycation” trend, the government is now working with around 70 local hotels and guest houses to offer a short vacation experience. The staycation part of the “Stay, Dine and See Macau” project will be offered to residents daily between April 23 and December 31. The statement pointed out that some hotels that have joined this project will only provide hotel stays but other hotels will also provide a “variety of remarkable staycation experiences” that include partnerships with community businesses. The statement did not elaborate but the tour and staycation project’s websites provides more detailed information on the “remarkable staycation experiences”.
The statement underlined that every resident is granted a 200-patacas subsidy for a hotel staycation, and each hotel room can be subsidised for a maximum of two residents, i.e. 400 patacas.
Senna Fernandes said that the reason for the two person limit was because usually hotel rooms can accommodate two people. She said that families who have one or two children could split their quota into two so that they could enjoy two staycation packages.
There is no minimum age to benefit from the tour and staycation subsidies.
According to Senna Fernandes, so far 161 travel agencies, over 800 travel industry professionals, over 500 tour coaches, more than 500 coach drivers and over 500 tour guides have registered for the project. She said that her office expects 250,000 residents to join the local tours, while 250,000 residents were expected to avail themselves of the staycation package. She urged residents to join the project as more participants mean that more tourism sector workers will be benefit.
The government has budgeted 120 million patacas for the “Stay, Dine and See Macao” project.
A similar tour programme for locals was held by MGTO last year in response to the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the local economy, the tourism sector in particular.
For further details visit https://www.macaotourism.gov.mo/en/article/subsidies/macao-tour-hotel
Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes talks to reporters on the sidelines of yesterday’s press conference. Photo: Prisca Tang
