Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng said yesterday that he expects the resumption of tour groups from Guangdong visiting Macau to get off the ground in a few days.

He also said that if the operations of tour groups from Guangdong visiting Macau run smoothly, the local government would then request the central government to facilitate the restart of tour groups’ travel from three other provinces and one municipality to Macau, namely Fujian, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. 

Ho made the remarks during a Q&A session in the legislature’s hemicycle yesterday afternoon. The chief executive attended the three-hour session, which was held a day after he delivered his 2023 Policy Address, to answer questions from 31 lawmakers in the 33-member Legislative Assembly (AL), which is headed by Kou Hoi In.

Ho first announced during a special press conference on September 24 that the central government had decided to allow mainlanders’ tour groups to visit Macau again and resume mainlanders’ electronic applications for a travel permit to Macau. The resumption of e-applications got off the ground on November 1.

The restart of mainlanders’ tour groups to visit Macau will initially cover tour groups from Guangdong as well as Fujian, Jiangsu, Shanghai and Zhejiang, commonly known in Chinese as “four provinces and one municipality”. Among the five regions, Guangdong will be the first one from where tour groups will be allowed to visit Macau again.

The measure was originally slated to get off the ground early this month.

Ho said during yesterday’s Q&A session in the legislature’s hemicycle that he expects the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in Beijing to formally inform the Macau government “in a few days” that the organisation of tour groups from Guangdong to visit Macau will start first.

Ho noted, however, that Guangdong’s provincial capital of Guangzhou has been hit by COVID-19 local transmissions since last month, pointing out that Guangzhou, as well as the cities of Foshan and Shenzhen, which have also been affected by COVID-19 again, are among the major sources of visitors to Macau from the province.

Due to the predicament, Ho said, for the time being Macau can choose to first organise tour groups from other cities in Guangdong that are currently not affected by COVID-19.

Ho said that after the resumption of tour groups from Guangdong to visit Macau running smoothly, the Macau government will soon ask the central government to resume the organisation of tour groups from the other four places, i.e., Fujian, Jiangsu, Shanghai and Zhejiang, to visit Macau.

Ho also said that since mainlanders’ electronic travel permit applications to visit Macau resumed early this month, each flight from the mainland to Macau has generally been quite full, which, he said, adding this showed that mainlanders were eager to visit Macau.

Ho rules out ‘3+3’

Meanwhile, Ho also said that a possible “3+3” COVID-19 arrangement for arrivals from countries and regions other than the Chinese mainland would be unable to attract foreign visitors to Macau.

Ho made the remarks when replying to a question from veteran directly-elected lawmaker José Maria Pereira Coutinho, who suggested that the Macau government implement the so-called “3+3” measure, which would be a relaxation from the current “5+3” arrangement, which requires arrivals to undergo five days of hotel quarantine plus three days of home isolation.

Ho noted that the Hong Kong government’s current “0+3” arrangement for arrivals had been  unable to increase the number of tourist arrivals, pointing out that certain segments of Hong Kong’s civil society are calling for the so-called “0+0” arrangement. Hong Kong’s current “0+3” measure merely requires arrivals to practise three days of health monitoring without having to undergo hotel quarantine.

Ho reaffirmed that the Macau government will continue to stick to its dynamic zero-COVID policy.

Community psychological support

Meanwhile, Ho also pledged that the government will strengthen the city’s community network providing mental health and psychological support, in the wake of a notable year-on-year increase in suicide cases during the first three quarters.

According to Ho, Macau reported 65 suicide cases during the first nine months of this year, a 71 percent year-on-year increase. Among the 65 cases, Ho said, 59 were local residents.

Ho underlined that the Health Bureau (SSM) has concluded that the suicide cases reported during the first three quarters were due to various kinds of reasons. The chief executive urged residents including young people to “cherish their lives”.

Ho said that mental or psychological issues triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic have occurred in various places in the world. He said that with Macau’s economic recovery in conjunction with the pandemic subsiding, psychological problems in Macau could be expected to lessen. 

Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng answers questions from lawmakers during yesterday’s three-hour Q&A session about his 2023 Policy Address in the Legislative Assembly’s (AL) hemicycle. – Photo: GCS