The “Light up Macao 2022” event themed “Dazzling Winter”, organised by the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO), will take place across the peninsula, Taipa, Cotai and Coloane with “light installations, interactive games, projection mapping shows and light decorations” from December 3 to January 1 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., according to an MGTO statement yesterday.
The statement quoted MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes as saying that the event, which has been running for the past seven years, is being launched under its new name “Light up Macao 2022” this year, aiming to enrich the offer of a “holistic travel experience”, extend visitors’ length of stay and expand the range of visitors, all together promoting Macau’s “appropriate economic diversification”. Senna Fernandes added that for the first time the city’s six gaming operators have been invited to participate in this year’s event to provide a further expansion of the venues, with local communities, as usual, being the “major backdrop” of the event.
The statement noted that a total of 28 areas will be set up for the event in eight districts comprising the northern district, the city centre, Praia do Manduco, Nam Van, Nape, Taipa, Cotai and Coloane, where several light installations will be set up at the six gaming operators’ facilities.
The statement pointed out that four different themed projection mapping shows by performance teams from Shanghai, Portugal, Hengqin and Macau will be presented from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. every day, with the last show starting at 9:50 p.m. at the Macau Science Centre, Taipa, and the Chapel of St. Francis Xavier in Coloane Village.
In accordance with the Health Bureau’s (SSM) pandemic prevention and control measures, crowd management measures will be implemented at each event area, requiring participants to wear a facemask, present a valid green Macau Health Code, undergo temperature checks and maintain at least one-metre social distancing, the statement underlined.
Moreover, Senna Fernandes told reporters yesterday during an open-air press conference in Feira do Carmo in Taipa about the event that this year’s light show will not be held at the St. Paul’s Ruins as many activities were already being held there by other government entities, adding she hoped to attract more festival-goers to other areas.
Senna Fernandes also said that drone shows and firework shows will not be arranged during the light show in December as a raft of other activities will be held by different government entities. However, Senna Fernandes added, three pyrotechnic shows “were actively being scheduled” for Chinese New Year in January.
Concerning the impact by light installations on residential areas, such as the northern district, Senna Fernandes acknowledged that MGTO had considered the possible impact of light and sound on residential buildings in past preparations of the event, while listening to the suggestions, such as adjusting the brightness of lights in nearby residential buildings and reducing the sound of the mapping shows, provided by the Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA).
Meanwhile, due to the severe COVID-19 pandemic outbreaks in various areas in the mainland, people entering Macau from the mainland are currently required to undergo a nucleic acid test (NAT) on the second day after their arrival. Senna Fernandes pointed out that the measures were aimed at ensuring that Macau remains safe and suitable for tourists to visit so that activities in boosting the local community’s economic development can continue to be held. So far, according to Senna Fernandes, the measures have not seen any adverse effect on the desire of mainland tourists to travel be Macau, adding that the number of searches for booking Macau hotels and air tickets on online platforms has increased recently.
MGTO will extend discounts for the city’s hotel room bookings to people from overseas who live in the mainland and wish to visit Macau, in order to expand the local tourism sector’s customer base, Senna Fernandes said.
Creation Advertising Company Limited Managing Director Tony Lam Chong In (left) and Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes answer media questions during yesterday’s press conference’s Q&A session about the upcoming “Light up Macao 2022” event, in Feira do Carmo in Taipa.
– Photo: Yuki Lei
