MGTO Send SMS to Tourists for Labour Day Holiday
Real-time alerts for tourists during Labour Day Holiday
Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) initiated a variety of measures to manage the large number of visitors during 'Golden Week' in May, such as recommending via SMS that tourists travel to major attractions in non-peak hours. Other measures included publishing real-time hotel room rates on its website, sending SMS text messages to Mainland tourists to remind them to check room rates when arriving in Macau, and reaching visitors through WeChat mobile app to advise them to arrange accommodation ahead of their trip to Macau. In addition, MGTO had 24-hour standby tourism inspectors to assist tourists at major tourist attractions, the ports and different districts throughout the city.
MGTO also sent letters to the tourism industry to remind them about cleanliness, fire safety, occupational tourist capacity, operational hours, reception tours, hotel and dining tariff filing requirements, hotel check-in requirements and customer information, swimming pool management guidelines plus various considerations. Letters were sent to travel agencies as well to suggest they co-ordinate among themselves regarding the drop-off time of groups at the most visited spots, while recommending via SMS that tourists travel to major attractions in non-peak hours. MGTO continued to work with police to combat illegal accommodation, and reminded tourists to use the Public Security Police's 'Real-time Information System' (www.fsm.gov.mo/psp/pspmonitor), check conditions at the Outer Harbour and the Cotai border station.
For the Labour Day holiday this year, Macau welcomed some 505,255 visitors during the three-day period, a buoyant 16.3 per cent hike when compared to a year ago. Of these visitors, 389,960 were from Mainland (a figure that also comprises non-resident workers and students), representing a year-on-year rise of 13.5 per cent, according to Public Security Police. The average occupancy rate of 3 to 5-star hotels was 90.3 per cent at an average MOP1,621.9, with average occupancy rate on 1st May the highest at 97.8 per cent. The highest rate reached was MOP1,871.8. Meanwhile, the average occupancy rates for 2-star hotels and apartments were 74.7 per cent and 85.1 per cent, respectively, at MOP761.4 and MOP626.8.