The National Immigration Administration of China (NIA) has announced that starting from 6 May, Mainland Chinese visitors joining tours to Macau and Hengqin will be able to make multiple round trips within 7 days. The measure is undoubtedly the most favourable policy to promote cross-border tours between Macau and Hengqin in recent years. However, when interviewed by Plataforma, some members of the industry, while recognising that the policy is undoubtedly beneficial to Macau’s tourism industry, believe that there may still be many shortcomings in reality.
So Hoi, Managing Director of Agência de Viagens e Turismo Macau Lisboa, pointed out to the newspaper that the new multiple-journey endorsement for Macau and Hengqin can only be applied at the mainland’s immigration counter 10 working days in advance, which is undoubtedly “no longer in line with the current practice of mainlanders applying for entry and exit endorsements”.
With the popularity of 24-hour self-service endorsement machines on the mainland, mainland residents only need to apply for an endorsement for Hong Kong and Macau at a self-service machine a few days before departure, and the endorsement will be issued instantly. Therefore, the manual processing of the new group endorsement is enough to “dissuade” many people from applying for the new group endorsement.
In addition, So Hoi thinks that Macau is not well equipped at present: “Macau’s tour buses cannot go to Hengqin at present”, which poses a certain obstacle to the service of travellers in cross-border group tours.
Since the announcement of the policy, the industry has been exploring what opportunities there are for Macau on the existing group tour basis. However, So Hoi said he did not see any opportunities at the moment.
He pointed out that “Hong Kong and Macau tours” were still the mainstream for the national tour audience. “Over the years, I don’t see any new attractions in Hengqin other than Chimelong that can attract overseas travellers”. In other words, from a commercial point of view, the industry believes that the selling point of the “Macau and Hengqin Joint Tour” is insufficient. Therefore, So Hoi believes that the benefits of the relevant policy for Macau tourism are limited.
Disconnected policy support
In December 2020, the Zhuhai formulated the “Regulations on the Practice of Hong Kong and Macau Tourism Practitioners in Hengqin New Area”, which includes the filing conditions, practice procedures, behavioural norms, supervisory measures and legal liabilities of Hong Kong and Macau tourism practitioners practicing in Hengqin.
So far, 374 Macau tour guides have applied for the record, and passed the relevant examination in Hengqin to obtain the qualification to practise in Hengqin. However, Chong Wai Kit, vice president of the Macau Cultural Heritage Tourist Guide Association of Macau, revealed to the newspaper that the qualification of Hong Kong and Macau tourist guides is only valid for one year, and therefore has already “expired for more than two years”. Due to the lack of follow-up and response from Hengqin, it was difficult for the Macau industry to renew the qualification, and the application was ultimately unsuccessful.
As a result, Macau tour guides who have earlier obtained the qualification to practise in Hengqin are currently unable to receive tour groups in Hengqin, which means that Macau tour guides can only wait for tourists at the Macau side of the border in the “Macau and Hengqin Joint Tour” programme that has already been opened, which is very passive.
Gaming concessionaires’ revitalisation zones become attractions
Chong Wai Kit is also a frontline tour guide in Macau. He mentioned that according to the information he has, the current itinerary of the “Macau and Hengqin Joint Tour” will include areas that have been revitalised by gaming concessionaires, such as the Rua da Felicidade in Macau Peninsula, the Taipa Iec Long Firecracker Factory and the Lai Chi Vun Shipyard area in Coloane.
Macau tour guide will receive the tour group who stayed in Hengqin the night before in the morning at the Macau Border. On the first day, a tour of the Macau Peninsula is organised. In the evening, the whole group will return to Hengqin for overnight stay. In the morning of the second day, the tour guide will receive the group again and start the tour to Taipa and Coloane.
According to the details announced by the Administration, members of Hengqin Macau tours are required to travel between Hengqin and Macau through the Hengqin Boundary Control Point on a “tour-in-tour-out” basis after entering Macau.
An analysis report issued by Goldman Sachs earlier pointed out that the relevant policy would be favourable to price-sensitive group tourists as they could flexibly choose to stay in cheaper hotels in Hengqin.
Currently, Hengqin has about 9,000 hotel rooms with an average price of MOP400 to MOP600 per night, while the price of star-rated hotels in Macau is about MOP2,000 to MOP3,000 per night. Therefore, this flexibility will also further alleviate the shortage of hotel rooms in Macau and provide more spending options for group travellers.
Political Significance
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the handover of Macau. In February, the State Council approved the cities of Xi’an and Qingdao as cities under the Individual Visit Scheme. Together with the opening up of the multiple-journey endorsement for group tours, it is generally believed that these relevant policies have further demonstrated the Central Government’s support for Macau’s development.
According to investment bank JP Morgan, the policies “demonstrate the Mainland’s full support for Macau’s economy and tourism and leisure industries” and “contrast sharply with China’s stepped-up scrutiny of cross-border gambling this year”, as earlier Chinese embassies abroad, including those of Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Cambodia had issued warnings to Chinese residents against taking part in gambling.
J.P. Morgan’s interpretation of the policy is that the Chinese government sees Macau as a “relatively preferred gaming destination”, even as the central government intends to ” contain” offshore gaming demand in Macau.
