The temporary pedestrianisation of Taipa Village will be implemented during the upcoming five-day Labour Day holiday in the mainland as the local government expects a relatively large number of tourists to visit the area during the holiday period, the Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) announced yesterday.
This year, the mainland’s Labour Day holiday period will be between May 1 and 5.
Labour Day is a public holiday in Macau next Thursday.
The bureau made the announcements during a press conference at its headquarters in Nam Van yesterday.
Addressing yesterday’s press conference, DSEDT Deputy Director Cheang Hio Man noted that the temporary pedestrianisation of Taipa Village was previously implemented thrice, namely the mainland’s Chinese New Year Golden Week holiday period and National Day Golden Week holiday period last year, and this year’s Chinese New Year Golden Week holiday period, pointing out that the upcoming temporary pedestrianisation of Taipa Village will be the first one to be implemented during the mainland’s Labour Day holiday period.
The Taipa Village area has become one of Macau’s most popular tourist attractions over recent years, including Rua do Cunha located at its central part, a pedestrianised street featuring restaurants and shops selling local snacks and souvenirs.
As previously, this time most sections of the main one-way vehicular street running throughout the Taipa Village area will be pedestrianised.
Initiated by the Economic and Technological Development Bureau, the temporary pedestrianisation of Taipa Village is implemented by the bureau in collaboration with five other public entities, namely the Transport Bureau (DSAT), the Public Security Police (PSP), the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO), the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), and the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM), as well as the Macau General Union of Neighbourhood Associations (known as Kai Fong in Cantonese), and several business and community associations in the neighbourhood, aiming to create a safe and comfortable walking environment for residents and visitors alike in the Taipa Village area during festive periods expected to attract a large number of visitor arrivals.
As previously, the temporary pedestrianisation of Taipa Village during the upcoming five-day Labour Day holiday will be implemented between noon and 7 p.m.
Cheang underlined during yesterday’s press conference that the pedestrianisation of Taipa Village during festive periods aims to create a safe and comfortable walking environment for residents and visitors alike while boosting the business performances of the neighbourhood’s small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) during festive periods.
Cheang also stressed that the pedestrianisation project’s results have been widely recognised by residents since its launch.
Cheang said that the modus operandi of the pedestrianisation of Taipa Village to be implemented during the upcoming five-day Labour Day holiday will be similar to the one carried out during this year’s Chinese New Year Golden Week holiday period.
When asked during yesterday’s press conference whether the government will regularly implement the pedestrianisation of Taipa Village in the future, i.e., to implement it every time during festive periods when a large number of visitors are expected, Cheang said that the government’s cross-departmental working group overseeing the pedestrianisation project led by her bureau will continue to gather and study opinions raised by different segments of civil society with the aim of further evaluating the feasibility of implementing the pedestrianisation of Taipa Village on a regular basis during festive periods in the future while striking the right balance between the development of the city’s tourism industry and the daily life of the neighbourhood’s residents.
Cheang also said that thanks to the central government’s new policies of issuing “one-trip-per-week” travel permits for Zhuhai residents and “multiple-entry” travel permits for Hengqin residents to visit Macau, over 230,000 people visited the pedestrianised Taipa Village during this year’s Chinese New Year Golden Week holiday period, equivalent to a daily average of 33,000, an increase from the average daily of 31,000 recorded during last year’s Chinese New Year Golden Week holiday period and 22,000 recorded during last year’s National Day Golden Week holiday period.
The pedestrianisation of Taipa Village was implemented for seven days during this year’s eight-day Chinese New Year Golden Week holiday period.
Since New Year’s Day this year, permanent residents of Zhuhai City have been able to apply for a “one-trip-per-week” travel permit to Macau, enabling them to visit Macau once per calendar week, with a maximum stay of seven days per trip, within a one-year validity period, while permanent residents or residence permit holders in the Guangdong-Macau In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin can apply for a multi-entry travel permit to Macau, granting them unlimited visits to Macau within a one-year period, with a maximum stay of seven days per trip.
Cheang also noted that the number of visitor arrivals to Macau during this year’s mainland three-day Ching Ming Festival holiday early this month increased 14.7 percent from last year’s corresponding period.
Cheang said that the government expects 130,000 to 150,000 people to visit the temporarily pedestrianised Taipa Village during the upcoming five-day Labour Day holiday.
Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) Deputy Director Cheang Hio Man (centre) speaks during yesterday’s press conference, flanked by Transport Bureau (DSAT) official Chan Hou Ip (from left to right), Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) official Au Chan Weng, Macau General Union of Neighbourhood Associations President John Chan Ka Leong, Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) official Liz Lam Tong Hou, Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) official Ho Cheok Fong, and Public Security Police (PSP) senior officer Chan Kuok Lok. – Photo: Tony Wong
