Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak says that Macau’s public security during this year’s Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday earlier this month was better than the corresponding period in pre-pandemic year 2019.
Wong made the remarks while speaking to reporters at The Plaza Restaurant in Zape on Friday after attending a reception hosted by the Macau Women’s General Association (commonly known as Fu Luen) to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8.
This year, the mainland’s eight-day Spring Festival “Golden Week” holiday began on February 10, the first day of the Year of the Dragon (“Lóng Nián” in Putonghua).
Macau recorded a daily average of 169,725 visitor arrivals during this year’s eight-day Spring Festival Golden Week holiday, returning to 98.8 percent of the level recorded during the CNY holiday in pre-pandemic 2019.
Macau confirmed its first COVID-19 case in January 2020. The economic impact of the pandemic severely affected the local tourism industry until December 2022.
In 2019, Macau recorded a daily average of 171,702 visitor arrivals during the Spring Festival Golden Week holiday, which lasted seven days.
During last year’s Spring Festival Golden Week holiday, which lasted seven days, Macau recorded around 451,000 visitor arrivals, representing a daily average of about 64,400.
According to official data, Macau recorded a total of 1,357,803 visitor arrivals during this year’s Spring Festival Golden Week holiday between February 10 and 17.
Wong said on Friday that during this year’s CNY holiday period the number of crime cases reported to the Judiciary Police (PJ) was less than the number recorded during 2019’s corresponding period.
Wong went on to say that the number of cases reported during this year’s CNY holiday period, which saw a significant increase in visitor arrivals from 2023’s corresponding period, was even less than last year’s CNY holiday period.
Wong underlined the situation showed that the large increase in visitor arrivals during the Chinese New Year holiday period did not adversely affect Macau’s public security.
Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak talks to reporters at The Plaza Restaurant in Zape on Friday.
– Photo courtesy of TDM
