Attending a blessing ritual for Hong Chan Kuan’s (aka Hong Gong) birthday, which is commemorated on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, as well as the 163rd anniversary of the temple yesterday in the Inner Harbour area, The United Association of Food and Beverage Merchants of Macao (UAFBMM) Vice President Fong Kin Fu told the media on the sidelines of the event that with the expectation of an increasing number of visitor arrivals in the second half of this year, the catering sector was optimistic about their business.
Fong said: “The launching of several large-scale events later this year, such as firework displays in October and the food festival in November, will help attract more tourists to Macau.”
Although the purchasing power of tourists in Macau, in general, has dropped due to the impact of the economic environment, the increase in the number of tourists during the summer holiday has driven up the overall turnover of the catering sector, Fong said, adding that restaurants in areas popular with tourists have been satisfied with their business volume so far this year, which has exceeded their expectations, with revenue of some restaurants even exceeding that of 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic started in January 2020.
Thanks to the growing number of visitor arrivals, which, Fong said, has gradually returned to the pre-COVID-19 pandemic level and is still rising, restaurants in tourist areas such as, in particular, Taipa’s Rua do Cunha neighbourhood, have all almost been full during the current summer holiday, with some restaurants that are trending online seeing long queues throughout the day. He pointed out, speaking on behalf of the catering sector, that the revenues they received from tourists were beyond their expectations.
Fong said he found that there have been changes in the composition of visitor arrivals in Macau, pointing out that “there are more young people” among the tourists.
Considering a decrease in revenue of food and beverage shops in some local neighbourhoods in the wake of the local government’s “Northbound Travel for Macau Vehicles” policy, according to which residents are allowed to travel to cities in Guangdong province, Fong urged the government to organise more activities in Macau’s old quarters to attract more tourists to visit them, while also urging merchants to give discounts to local customers, in addition to strengthening their range of products or services.
Meanwhile, yesterday’s ritual, held by the Hong-Chan-Kuan-Mio Charity Association (康真君廟慈善會), aimed to promote Chinese religious culture and protect and carry forward intangible cultural heritage through the event.
Hong Chan Kuan is a Taoist deity.
Yesterday’s ritual included traditional activities such as the ritual of the ribbon cutting, incense burning and lion dances, and the so-called “Choy Cheng” (“plucking the greens”) performances.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) listed the Hong Chan Kuan Celebrations as a part of Macau’s intangible cultural heritage in 2020.
Believing in Hong Chan Kuan’s powers to extinguish fires, according to the Cultural Heritage of Macao website, the divinity is worshipped by local residents, fisherfolks in particular.
A lion dance performance takes place during yesterday’s ritual celebrating the temple’s 163rd anniversary and commemorating Hong Chan Kuan Celebrations, in front of Hong Chan Kuan Temple. – Photos: Yuki Lei
The United Association of Food and Beverage Merchants of Macao (UAFBMM) Vice President Fong Kin Fu talks to reporters on the sidelines of yesterday’s Hong Chan Kuan Celebrations outside Hong Chan Kuan Temple in Inner Harbour area.
