The once bustling Ruins of St. Paul’s area was still rather quiet yesterday but shops in the area were already preparing for the mainland’s “Golden Week” holiday.
The issuing of Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) travel permits for all mainlanders resumed on September 23, and today is the first day of the mainland’s eight-day “Golden Week” holiday. This year, the holiday is a “double happiness” occasion as it comprises today’s National Day and the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival (informally also known in Macau as Mooncake Festival).
With new stores opening around the Ruins of St. Paul’s and new products moving into the shops, more people are expected to appear in the area.
This time last year, a photo taken in front of the Ruins of Saint Paul’s were filled with people in the background. However, yesterday, with the Mid-Autumn Festival bunny installations on the side of the staircase, one could still take a photo in front of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed landmark with no risk of other people “photo-bombing”.
A female tourist from Guangzhou, surnamed Peng, told The Macau Post Daily yesterday in Largo do Senado (“Senate Square”) that she arrived a day before the “Golden Week” to avoid the crowds. She said that she noticed a lot of shops were having sales yet there were not a lot of people. She pointed out that she went to the Venetian’s shopping mall at about noon and there were only a few people strolling around. Peng also said that even though she enjoyed the streets being “not as crowded as before”, she still felt bad for the shops.
When asked if Peng would come to Macau more often since the travel permit issuance had resumed, she pointed out that the Guangdong authorities have restricted the number of times she could come to Macau.
A chestnut stall owner in Largo do Senado told The Macau Post Daily yesterday that even before the novel coronavirus pandemic the sales were not as good as before. He said that a lot of factors affect sales, such as the weather, the people and now the pandemic.
The owner said that yesterday was their first day to reopen, adding that he hoped he could make some sales during the “Golden Week”.
“I would be really satisfied if I could make 40 percent of what we used to over the Golden Week,” the owner said.
During the “Golden Week” this year, as mainlanders can only travel within their own country without having to undergo lengthy quarantine procedures, will the staircase in front of the Ruins of St. Paul’s be filled with people again? Food festivals, a firework display, and a shopping expo are all happening over the weekend, will the streets be as busy as they used to be? We shall see.
A few people are walking up the staircase to the St. Paul’s Ruins. Photos: Prisca Tang and Monica Leong
Pedestrians are purchasing chestnuts from a stall in Largo do Senado.
Two workers are moving boxes into an empty shop near the Ruins of St. Paul in anticipation of the arrival of tourists from the mainland.
