The mainland’s National Day Golden Week will take place between Tuesday and October 7, and Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes said on Wednesday she expects an daily average of 100,000 visitor arrivals during the holiday period, while Public Security Police (PSP) spokesman Lei Tak Fai said yesterday that over 600,000 entries and exits at local border checkpoints are expected over the seven-day period, with October 5 (next Saturday) to be the peak day, via the Barrier Gate checkpoint in particular.
Macau’s population stood at 687,000 at the end of June, according to the latest available demographics.
Lei, who heads the PSP Public Relations Division, said: “We estimate that the peak day for exits and entries will be on Saturday, October 5, which will be more crowded with tourists and residents; in addition, we estimate that the average number of exits and entries during the National Day holiday will be over 600,000, and the number of visitors entering Macau is forecast to be more than 100,000 per day on average. In terms of border checkpoints, the Barrier Gate checkpoint has always been the busiest entry and exit point for residents and tourists alike, but we have also noticed a huge pedestrian and vehicular traffic flow at the Qingmao, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) and Hengqin checkpoints during the holiday period,” urging all residents and visitors to pay close attention to the PSP Real-Time Information Platform for Border Checkpoints in advance to avoid crossing the respective border checkpoints during peak hours.
An inter-departmental press briefing was held yesterday morning at the Barrier Gate checkpoint, during which senior officers and officials from the Public Security Police and Macau Customs Service (SA), as well as of the Macau Government Tourism Office, Transport Bureau (DSAT), and the Macau Consumer Council (CC) briefed the media about their respective measures to be implemented during the mainland’s weeklong holiday. Lei made the remarks during the press briefing.
U Chin Keong, a senior officer from the Macau Customs Service, said during the press briefing that peak-hour vehicular traffic was expected between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the HZMB checkpoint two days ahead of the National Day holiday, with an average of about 500 vehicles per hour: “We estimate that the peak traffic flow will be between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., with an average of 500 vehicles per hour. This is mainly due to the fact that apart from the 2,000 daily advance bookings for Macau cars going northward, and in addition to the dual-plate private cars and other vehicles under the cross-border vehicle management between Hong Kong and Macau, the peak-hour traffic will start two days before the National Day holiday”. He added that the Macau Customs Service has drawn up a plan in conjunction with the Public Security Police and other relevant entities to coordinate the provision of additional lanes during peak periods of cross-border vehicular traffic and the arrangement of additional customs officers and other checkpoint staff members to enhance the efficiency of vehicular clearance.
Liz Lam Tong Hou, who heads the MGTO Public Relations Division, said she believed that there will be an increase in visitor arrivals and the hotel occupancy rate during the National Day Golden Week, thanks to a raft of various celebratory events to be hosted by various government agencies, the tourism sector and community groups, urging visitors to make good use of the MGTO Smart Application for Visitor Flows to check the crowd conditions of Macau’s 114 tourist attractions so as to make appropriate arrangements for their trips.
MGTO has held meetings with relevant public entities and the travel trade to remind them to ensure an enjoyable experience to Macau’s visitors with friendly service quality, according to Lam, who told the media that MGTO has so far not received any complaints or reports involving non-compliance by tour groups, pledging that MGTO would make every effort to improve its work and safeguard the quality of Macau’s tourism services.
Lau Nga Hong, who heads the DSAT Transport Management Division, once again reminded members of the public that some public bus routes will have their temporary stops changed between October 1-7, with special bus routes to be operated at designated time slots.
Firework displays Oct 1 & 6
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on October 1 and the 25th anniversary of Macau’s return to the motherland on December 20, and as part of the “double happiness” events, the 32nd Macau International Fireworks Display Contest will be held close to Macau Tower next Tuesday, coinciding with National Day, and on Sunday, October 6, with two firework displays at 9 p.m. and 9:40 p.m. per night by pyrotechnic companies from mainland China and Italy, as well as from Japan and Portugal respectively, lasting about 18 minutes each, according to Lam. She noted that the “Fireworks Carnival”, which combines street food, performances and games, will be held on the waterfront of the Macau Science Centre in Nape from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on each day of the pyrotechnic contest, with the aim of boosting Macau’s night economy.
Lei underlined that police officers will be stationed at the main vantage points to watch the firework displays to divert both the foot and vehicular traffic there.
‘Macao Bridge’s operation schedule to be announced in due course’: DSAT
Meanwhile, according to the Chinese-language media Macau Daily News and public broadcaster TDM, the local government has recently issued an invitation letter to representatives from various sectors of the community, announcing that the “Inauguration Ceremony of the Macao Bridge” will be held at 11 a.m. on October 1 at the open space next to the PSP headquarters in Pac On.
The city’s 4th Macau-Taipa bridge, the construction project of which started early in 2020, is Macau’s first two-way, eight-lane cross-sea bridge, with a total length of 3.085 kilometres and a main span of 280 metres. The main structure of the bridge is made of high-performance bridge steel, which provides a tight structural integrity, short force transmission paths, high structural efficiency, is lightweight, and has a structural design service life of 100 years, aiming to serve as an important link between the HZMB, the Zone A land reclamation area and Taipa, the Public Works Bureau (DSOP) said during a ceremony celebrating the joining of the two sections of the Macao Bridge in March this year.
When asked by the media yesterday, Lau said that the bridge was now in the process of commissioning, final inspection and project handover, adding that the bridge operation schedule will be announced in due course, while Lei said that the police have already carried out safety drills on the bridge and are confident that vehicular traffic access to the bridge will be smooth.
According to a media invitation by the Transport Bureau yesterday evening, a press conference on the arrangements for the commissioning of the Macao Bridge will be held at 4 p.m. today.
Officers and officials from several public entities including Lei Tak Fai (centre) from the Public Security Police (PSP), U Chin Keong (second from left) from the Macau Customs Service (SA), Liz Lam Tong Hou (second from right) from the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO), and Lau Nga Hong (left) from the Transport Bureau (DSAT) pose during yesterday’s press briefing at the Barrier Gate checkpoint about the respective measures to tackle the expected huge increase in entries and exits during the National Day Golden Week which begins on Tuesday. – Photos: Yuki Lei
This photo taken yesterday shows border crossers queueing for immigration clearance.
