Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Wallis O Lam said yesterday that the government will roll out a monthly rental for those in the arts performance sector to use its Macau Open-Air Performance Venue in Cotai, with the aim of providing more flexible arrangements for them to use the facility, a change from the current practice in which the fees for using the venue are charged on a daily basis.
O made the remarks when replying to oral interpellations by lawmakers during a plenary session in the legislature’s hemicycle.
O said that the new measure will start “in the near future”, adding that the new measure would help companies or organisations hosting large-scale shows control or reduce their cost.
The Macau Open-Air Performance Venue, set up on a large plot in south-east Cotai covering 94,000 square metres, is located east of the Lisboeta Macau resort and south of the Grand Lisboa Palace Resort Macau complex.
Moreover, O said, the government will also modify the facility so that the site could be used as 3x3 basketball courts and other sports facilities when no performances are being hosted there, adding that the sports facilities will be open to the public. She underlined that this measure aims to enhance the flexibility and effectiveness of the venue’s use.
O also said that the government expects to launch a public tender at around the middle of this year for the private sector’s operation of the open-air performance venue, adding that the government aims to choose and commission the winning bidder at the end of this year, which will start operating the facility next year.
The open-air venue can accommodate up to 50,000 spectators.
Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Wallis O Lam addresses yesterday’s plenary session in the legislature’s hemicycle. – Photo: GCS
