Sands China President Wilfred Wong Ying-Wai told reporters yesterday he hopes that more mainland tourists can come to Macau during the summer in July and August as the COVID-19 pandemic situation in various mainland cities and provinces is stabilising
Wong made the remarks after a press conference for the upcoming Sands Shopping Carnival at The Venetian Macao in Cotai yesterday.
While commenting on Sands’ hotel and retail business situation, Wong said that people from Beijing and Shanghai were not visiting Macau right now, with “most of our tourists coming from [the] Guangdong region”. Wong also pointed out that this was the reason for occupancy peaking at the weekends when compared to the past where visitors from different parts of the mainland would come during the week. Weekdays have a lower occupancy now, Wong noted.
Moreover, reporters asked Wong about Sands’ expectations for visitors for this month. He replied that he thought “a lot depends on the current situation” in the mainland. If the situation improves, Wong added, the company expects more people to come during the summer as “there’s a lot of demand for holidays”. He noted that a lot would also depend on how “restrictive” the mainland authorities would remain on travel.
Meanwhile, in response to a question about non-resident workers’ (NRW) contracts not being renewed in order to accommodate unemployed local residents, Wong remarked that “the government always keeps that under review and we’ve so far have let go some employers with foreign passports”, adding he thought that it was “probably the right thing to do because the employment situation has deteriorated in Macau”.
However, Wong was quick to add that there are “still jobs that local people probably wouldn’t want to do and [are] not interested [in], so there’s always a need for expatriates or foreign workers”, noting that the situation will be reviewed regularly with the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL). He said that DSAL officials have been “very reasonable” and that his company has been assisting them in organising job fairs to recruit more local people.
4-day Shopping Carnival in July
Meanwhile, the four-day 2022 Sands Shopping Carnival is slated to take place at the Venetian’s Cotai Expo, marking its third year since it debuted in 2020.
There will be free-admission for the public from July 22-24, while a special invitation-only session will be held on July 21.
The carnival will feature over 580 booths and serves as a free business platform for local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and Sands retailers to help them amid the pandemic. According to a Sands statement yesterday, the carnival has attracted over 210,000 visits over the past two years.
The statement noted that exhibitors can register for a free booth at: https://1ticks.com/event/ssc2022-SME-application?lang=en. Registration can be done until 6 p.m. on June 4. Enquiries can be made by calling 2855 5000 or emailing info@macexpo.com.mo.
Sands China President Wilfred Wong Ying-Wai speaks with reporters after yesterday’s press conference about the resort operator’s upcoming shopping carnival. Photo: Rui Pastorin
