As the Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday approaches, crowds of visitors from the mainland and elsewhere can again be found across Macau.
Visitors swarm hotspots like Rua do Cunha (官也街) in Taipa and the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ruins of St. Paul’s, while queues can be seen outside restaurants and eateries, as well as at taxi ranks and bus stops. Buses heading to places like Cotai, another area busy with visitors, are jam-packed. Some local businesses shared their optimism for the coming holiday period with the Post during interviews near or around the city centre yesterday.
Paula, a 44-year-old staff member of a relatively new shop that sells Portuguese culinary delights, said that business has been good. Leading up to the CNY, she said that many are already on holiday, with youngsters and families from the mainland and Hong Kong choosing to sample the shop’s offerings. As she serves more customers before the holiday even starts, Paula hopes for a 60 percent increase in patrons the following week, expecting to see crowds similar to those during the Labour Day “Golden Week” period.
The optimism for the coming holiday was shared by local business owner Chan, whose shop selling branded vintage and second-hand clothing, accessories and handmade local products sees around 70 percent of its customers coming from the mainland. “Our main customers are from [mainland] China, so that’s why during the Chinese New Year, quite a lot of them come to our shop”, said the 36-year-old. She added that normally, teenagers receiving red “lai see” envelopes may also choose to spend money in her shop, while tourists are more willing to spend during the period, so she experiences comparatively higher sales at that time.
Meanwhile, for a souvenir shop near the Ruins of St. Paul, business may vary on normal days, but for the past two weeks, it has been consistently busy, according to Tim, a local part-timer. And in the following week, the 20-year-old said he expects to see more people buying souvenirs as more of them visit the city during the CNY holiday period.
A nearby shop and gallery that sells postcards and souvenirs, among other things, also expects to see an increase in business over the holiday period, especially with more pedestrians visiting the Ruins of St. Paul’s neighbourhood, said part owner Fong, expecting business to increase by “at least 70 percent”. The 32-year-old added that his business already does very well at weekends, but with some mainlanders already having started their holidays, business has been better than usual. “As you can see, today is a weekday, but it is better than usual, a little similar to the weekends”.
Sharing the same sentiment were Ana, a 70-year-old restaurant owner, and Jackie, her staff member aged 40. In general, Ana said that her business’ situation is better than before and has been able to survive. Though her restaurant is closed during CNY due to being unable to get fresh ingredients from the market, which will also be closed, Jackie pointed out that they get more customers than usual just before the start of the actual holiday period, especially due to word spreading about their business on social media. “Tourists are very, very, very important for Macau and everywhere”, stressed Ana.
However, Tam, a staff member of another vintage clothing shop near the city centre, did not share the same enthusiasm. Tourists make up a small percentage of the shop’s customers, with 90 percent being locals and repeat customers, though tourists do walk in given its location.
Sales have been down for different reasons, he said, but was quick to add that he expects business to be just sufficient during CNY. However, he also noted that currently they have more customers compared to other days.
Crowds of tourists walk in both directions on the path leading to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ruins of St. Paul’s yesterday afternoon. – Photo: Rui Pastorin
