Inspectors of Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) took action to combat operation of unlicensed tour guides at Border Gate on 9 May and successfully took an official statement against an individual who was working as a tour guide without a local tour guide license. The involved individual was leading a tour group from Guilin, Guangxi Province to visit Macao via the port of entry at Border Gate. The group comprised 46 members and had taken a shuttle bus operated by an entertainment establishment. After tracking the group for some time, MGTO inspectors successfully obtained evidence and verbal reports to take an official statement against the irregularity for the subsequent sanction procedures to ensue. The man who allegedly worked illegally as a tour guide came from Mainland China. MGTO will later report the case to the tourism authorities of the respective municipality.
MGTO has for some time received complaints about the existence of allegedly illegal tour guides at Border Gate. Highly concerned about the complaints, MGTO immediately started carrying out joint actions to tackle the issue with the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) and Public Security Police Force (PSP). Owing to the variety of travel style nowadays,the relatively short stay of visitors and their refusal to providefurther information, it has become rather difficult to gain evidence and crack down on operation of illegal tour guides.
Since the inauguration of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge last October, MGTO inspectors have carried out hundreds of inspections against allegedly illegal tour guides at ports of entry, tourist attractions, hotels and other locationsto collect information and learn more about their style of operation. The Office has also taken into consideration opinions from the Monitoring Committee for the Affairs of Public Administration under the tutelage of the Legislative Assembly and received the support of local tour guide associations which gave an overview of the situation and provided pertinent intelligence.
With continuous adjustments on the strategic deployment, MGTO successfully took an official statement against an individual who was working as a tour guide without holding a local tour guide license this time. MGTO will continue to carry out inspections targeting the issue. Upon discovery that a visitor conducts any activity which does not comply with the conditions required for visitors’ stay in Macao, the Officewill take immediate action to report and wage sanction against the irregularity.
In accordance with the current regulations concerned, a party who works illegally as a tour guide in Macao will be issued a monetary penalty of 20,000 to 30,000 patacas.
