Northern District Community Service Consultative Council Committee member Staty Chan (陳智榮) suggested yesterday that Macau’s municipal wet markets could be turned into tourist attractions by changing the traditional business model.
Chan, deputy executive director of the Macau New Chinese Youth Association, made the suggestion during a press conference after yesterday’s closed-door meeting of the Northern District Community Service Consultative Council.
The government-appointed council held a regular meeting with Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) officials to discuss the situation following the new law on the regulation of Macau’s wet markets, enacted this year, which aims to improve the quality of their services and achieve their sustainable development.
Chan suggested a flexible mix of market stalls, designating a small category of new products, such as mother and baby products and cultural and creative products, as well as snacks preferred by young people, such as pearl milk tea, to break the perception of the city’s wet markets as being mono-functional, and using social media as a promotional platform to attract not just locals but also tourists.
Chan also suggested that young people open startups in the municipal markets, referencing the experiences of Singapore, Barcelona and Sydney as ways to increase the markets’ foot traffic and make them more attractive for tourists. Chan also proposed to give young people short-term leases at the wet market as a business incentive.
Chen quoted IAM officials as saying that 90 percent of the current wet market stall owners said they were willing to renew their leases, while 10 percent did not want to renew them for various reasons, such as old age.
Chan said the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) was planning to consolidate smaller stall areas in order to widen the aisles.
Chan said that the IAM official who attended yesterday’s meeting promised that they will continue to improve the quality of the wet markets’ services, and they also said that they would encourage vendors to extend the opening hours of their stalls.
According to the bureau, there are nine municipal wet markets in Macau, three of which include foodcourts. Apart from the nine markets, the bureau has also set up 14 designated areas for vendors across the city.
Hong Wai Tong, deputy convener of the government-appointed Northern District Community Service Consultative Council (left), and committee member Staty Chan pose during yesterdays’ press briefing after the council’s closed-door meeting with Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) officials at the Macau Government Service Centre in Areia Preta district yesterday. Photo: Ginnie Liang
