The Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) has reached a consensus with related departments to further simplify the licence application process for the hospitality and entertainment sectors, which include hotels, restaurants, bars, clubs, massage and sauna establishments, and karaoke venues. The Office will implement the second phase of the simplification of internal measures to substantially reduce time, most notably by sidestepping repetitive procedures with various departments, without compromising the threshold of licence approval. MGTO and the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau will jointly launch guidelines for restaurants to apply for licences and changes in construction in what is seen as a timely and practical boost to tourism development, giving SMEs and corporations alike a reduced amount of bureaucracy to negotiate.

The procedure-simplification policy can profoundly reduce the number of applicants' visits and documents required for their submission. It can also avoid repetitive work among related departments and save more room for departmental storage.

The administrative-procedure simplification policy will be launched on 1^st July, with interested parties able to obtain the renewed application forms and formal guidelines from MGTO direct or by browsing the related information on Macau Tourism Industry Net: http://industry.macautourism.gov.mo/en/license/content.php?page_id=21

MGTO said that it is 'committed to making opportune progress and steadily improving the administrative procedures in order to create an optimal business environment for the travel industry and keep pace with sustainable tourism development.'