The Chief Executive, Mr Ho Iat Seng, today said the resumption of a facilitated individual travel scheme for mainland tourists to visit Macao would help support the city’s economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Chief Executive stated that the perseverance displayed by the general public in Macao regarding compliance with epidemic-control measures would help boost tourist confidence in the city’s strategy for disease containment and to provide a safe environment for all.
The Chief Executive made the remarks this morning at Macau International Airport, before leaving Macao for a six-day visit to Beijing.
Visa issuance for mainland residents to travel to Macao under the facilitated individual travel scheme was set to resume nationwide on 23 September, as Macao was able to maintain a stable epidemiological situation with no new COVID-19 cases recorded locally, said Mr Ho.
The Chief Executive said he was confident on Macao being able to attract mainland visitors, as the city was a popular tourist destination and offered a safe environment. These features made Macao an appealing destination, particularly as tourism flows between the mainland and most countries and places around the world had not yet been resumed due to COVID-19.
In his comments to reporters, Mr Ho thanked members of the public in Macao for their cooperation with the Government regarding epidemic-control work. Following the easing of restrictions on mainland-Macao cross-boundary movements and the resumption of the facilitated individual travel scheme, Macao was expected to welcome large flows of visitors, he said. The Chief Executive called on the public to continue complying with disease-control measures, including using a protective face mask in public spaces and following recommended social distancing guidelines.
In other remarks, Mr Ho said the Government kept its forecast for Macao’s economic outlook unchanged, expecting the economy to continue trending downward, notwithstanding the potential positive impact from the resumption of the facilitated individual travel scheme. Macao’s gross domestic product declined in year-on-year terms by, respectively, 58.2 percent in the first quarter of 2020 and 67.8 percent in the second quarter, according to the Chief Executive.
Regarding travel restrictions to Macao, Mr Ho noted there were only a few countries or places able to achieve a COVID-19 track record similar to Macao’s, i.e. zero new local cases for more than 130 consecutive days. The Government continued to monitor COVID-19 developments abroad but had no plans at this stage to lift Macao’s existing entry ban on foreigners, and on non-residents workers who are not Chinese residents. The mainland China and Hong Kong had implemented similar measures, Mr Ho noted.
The Chief Executive is on a six-day visit to Beijing and will return to Macao on 17 August. While in the capital, he will discuss – with officials representing relevant departments and committees of the Central Government – the development of the Guangdong-Macao Intensive Cooperation Zone planned for the island of Hengqin, and exchange views on works related to the prevention and control of COVID-19.
