• The amended Law on “Prohibition of Providing Illegal Accommodation” effective on 1st April

    The Macao SAR Government first enforced the Law on “Prohibition of Providing Illegal Accommodation” in 2010 to crack down on illegal accommodation in residential buildings. Riding on changes in the social environment, illegal hostels became more shrouded and posed hidden threat to community safety, arousing concern in different circles of the society. To strengthen legal mechanisms against such illicit operations, the Government formulated the Law No. 3/2022 as Amendments to the Law No. 3/2010 on “Prohibition of Providing Illegal Accommodation”. Effective from from 1st April, the amended law is grounded on thorough consideration of opinions from different sectors of the city.

    Redefinition of illegal accommodation

    The Law No. 3/2022 as Amendments to the Law No. 3/2010 on “Prohibition of Providing Illegal Accommodation” stipulates that non-residents of Macao (except holders of special authorization to stay) who are granted permission to stay for no longer than 90 days upon entering Macao are allowed only to stay in legally-operated hotel establishments in principle, including hotels, apartment hotels and economical accommodation establishments. Any individual or entity accommodating aforementioned non-residents in premises or individual apartments that are not classified to function as hotel establishments, such as residential and commercial properties as well as industrial buildings, without a hotel business license is regarded as an illegal accommodation provider.

    Exceptional circumstances

    The new law stipulates that an act is not regarded as provision of illegal accommodation if it is performed under any of the following circumstances: 1) religious organizations, non-profit legal persons or organizations and higher education institutions offering accommodation because of religious, charitable, sport, cultural or academic activities. For instance, higher education institutions receiving guests at their dormitories; 2) lodging providers acquainted with lodgers before their stay through their kinship, work, academic or other private relationships, because of which lodgers are also accommodated for free, e.g. offering hospitality for relatives.

    More rigorous regulation

    The new law imposes stricter regulation upon accommodation booking businesses and real estate intermediaries and agents.

    The amended law mandates specific cooperation obligations of accommodation booking businesses such as online platforms for hotel reservation, for example, to provide pertinent documents and remove informative online posts about accommodation at the premises or flats. Other amendments include a new penalty upon real estate intermediaries and agents for facilitating another party’s establishment of a legal act that constitutes provision of illegal accommodation, for instance, establishment of real estate lease contracts. The person convicted of the above offence is liable to a fine from MOP20,000 up to MOP100,000.

    Encourage active supervision and report of property owners

    According to the newly revised law in force, if property owners report activities of illegal accommodation to Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) before investigations are initiated into the irregularity, and are not involved in the act of providing illegal accommodation, MGTO may not impose sanctions such as to seal the property and cut water and electricity supply, or may shorten the effective period of these sanctions.

    Welcome to report alleged cases and view promotional videos

    Upon encounter with any suspected cases, residents can file reports via MGTO’s 24-hour Tourism Hotline: (853) 2833 3000. Please visit the themed website: www.dsaj.gov.mo/other/ppia to learn more about the newly-amended Law on "Prohibition of Providing Illegal Accommodation".

    Key amendments to the Law on "Prohibition of Providing illegal Accommodation" effective on 1<sup>st</sup> April
  • “Stay, Dine and See Macao” rolls out new itineraries and elements

    As the “Stay, Dine and See Macao” project carries on this year, local tours are regularly enhanced and woven with fresh elements. New itineraries and greater discounts unfold from April onwards. Macao residents are encouraged to explore and spend in the local community, where local tours lead to more robust growth in economic activities.

    New itinerary for flash skywalk experience

    A new itinerary comes available in April to offer skywalk experience in a flash at Macau Tower. After lunch buffet at the 360° Café, participants can enjoy breathtaking skywalk and selfie moments from a height of 233 metres. The tour also covers Sino-Portuguese maritime culture and visit to relevant attractions.

    One itinerary, two dining options

    Revolving around Macao’s World Heritage sites, another tour takes participants to visit A-Ma Temple and Moorish Barracks, as well as the Maritime Museum for a glimpse of traditional fish boats and fishing methods in Macao. Participants can choose either of the dining alternatives: enjoy lunch buffet at the 360° Café of Macau Tower, or freely choose where to enjoy meal in the community with the MOP100 dining card.

    The local tours to Macao Science Center and Lin Zexu Memorial Museum of Macao have been adjusted in terms of itinerary and fee, letting participants explore scientific wonders and life of legendary figures at a great price.

    Limited itineraries between April and June

    A variety of tour itineraries will be rolled out successively in symphony with the calendar of events and activities between April and June, promising a myriad of wonderful travel experiences for residents to enjoy while staying in the city.

    Project continues until end of August

    The “Stay, Dine and See Macao” project is extended this year, Macao residents who enjoyed the special offers in 2021 can once again participate in the project between 29th January and 31st August 2022 to enjoy local tours and hotel staycations with subsidies. Every Macao resident is entitled to a maximum of MOP280 subsidy for local tour participation, which includes a MOP100 dining card (except certain itineraries). Every Macao resident is also granted one MOP200 subsidy for hotel staycation. The cost of each hotel room can be subsidized for a maximal quota of two residents, i.e. MOP400.

    For details about signing up for local tours and hotel staycations, please visit the website: https://www.macaotourism.gov.mo/en/article/subsidies/macao-tour-hotel

    Arraial na Ervanários renewed for another three months

    The Arraial na Ervanários AR Interactive event has been extended to 24th June. Four AR interactive installations have also been added, as well as 15 participating merchants. The initiative is co-organised by the Economic and Technological Development Bureau, the Industry and Commerce Federation of Macau Central and Southern District, and the Macau Historical Districts Developments Promotion Association.

    The new AR interactive installations include Calling Mak Mak, in which participants can interact and take photos with Macao’s tourism mascot, Mak Mak. There is also a Time and Space Window that takes a look at past scenes of Rua dos Ervanários, a Chôn Sau Haircut, in which participants get an AR haircut that can also be photographed, and a Souvenir Giveaway AR interaction which gives a souvenir. In addition, the event has been extended to Rua da Tercena, brining now to 30 the total of merchants offering discounts and event prizes to participants.

    Since its launch in November 2021 to 23rd March 2022, the Arraial na Ervanários event has attracted nearly 26,000 people to participate in AR interactions and issued more than 35,000 merchant coupons. In a recent questionnaire, about 80% of the respondents agreed that it had had a positive effect on promoting businesses in the community.
    “Stay, Dine and See Macao” newly offers flash skywalk experience
    The Arraial na Ervanários AR interactive event has attracted visitors to Macao’s older areas (Photo courtesy of the Economic and Technological Development Bureau)
  • Macanese-cuisine video series second episode launches on 8th April

    To reinforce Macao’s dedication to preserving its gastronomic culture as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy and in line with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) is launching a total of four videos about Macanese cuisine on the Macao gastronomy website - Video Gallery” (www.gastronomy.gov.mo/#video-gallery) until June. The first video “Conservation and Revival of the Macanese Cuisine” was released last month. The second “Preserving Macanese Cuisine” is released on 8th April. All videos are conducted in Cantonese with Chinese subtitles and sign language.  

    The series of videos are produced by MTGO, in collaboration with the Macao Institute for Tourism Studies (IFTM) and the International Institute of Macau. IFTM Executive Chef Chon Kin Kei, and IFTM Chef Milene Lau do Rosário, were invited to conduct the culinary presentations, all from the Macanese Cuisine Database, including stewed pork with tamarind and shrimp paste and fig and winter melon jam. Also, IFTM Vice-President Diamantina Rosário Coimbra introduced the story and history behind the dishes. In addition, Coimbra also highlighted IFTM’s designation as a protection unit of Macanese gastronomy, a representative item of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of China, as well as the work that has gone into preserving and promoting Macanese cuisine.

    The first video in the Macanese-cuisine series

    Macanese gastronomy and its unique culinary skills were included on the List of Macao’s Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2012. In 2021, Macanese gastronomy was added to the National List of Representative Items of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of China. For more information on the culinary skills of the Macanese gastronomy, please visit the Macao gastronomy website at www.gastronomy.gov.mo/#macanese-cuisine-database.

    MGTO launches videos to showcase the cultural heritage of Macanese cuisine
    IFTM Vice-President Diamantina Rosário Coimbra shares stories and history behind the Macanese cuisine dishes presented in the videos
  • LRT service will be resumed from 3rd April

    With the completion of the replacement of high voltage cables of the Macao Light Rail Transit (LRT) Taipa Line and after passing various tests, the service will be resumed on 3rd April.

    The timetable of Taipa Line is from 6:30am to 11:15pm at 10 to 15 minutes intervals.

    The 9.3km-long LRT Taipa Line has 11 stations that include the Macau International Airport, the Taipa Ferry Terminal, Cotai area, Taipa old village and more.

    Currently it is the only Macao LRT line available, as works are in progress to expand the network of the rapid transit system to other areas in Macao and to Hengqin.

    LRT Taipa Line service runs from 6:30am to 11:15pm
  • Macao is in the top five safest cities in the world for solo female travellers, survey finds

    UK travel insurance company InsureMyTrip has released a survey of “The Best Cities for Solo Female Travellers”, ranking 65 global cities based on data points relating to safety, tourism, equality and cost. According to the survey, Macao ranked fifth in the safety category after Medina, Chiang Mai, Dubai, and Kyoto as one of the safest cities in the world for solo female travelers.

    Two criteria make up the final safety score: “feeling safe despite gender” and “feeling safe walking alone at night”. Macao ranked third for the former and sixth for the latter. However, in the overall ranking of the survey that also included tourism, equality and cost categories, the city ranked 33rd.

    The top 10 cities in the overall ranking were Madrid, Munich, Lisbon, Vancouver, Prague, Krakow, Barcelona, Dubai, Vienna, and Singapore, according to the survey.

    For the full survey report, please visit the InsureMyTrip website at www.insuremytrip.com/travel-advice/travel-inspiration/best-cities-solo-female-travel.

    Macao ranked fifth in the survey in terms of safety
  • Treasure Island Resort World Hotel expected to open at the end of 2022

    Managed by YOHO Group, the Treasure Island Resort World Hotel is scheduled for its soft opening in October and is expected to officially open in December. The hotel is located near Praça de Ferreira do Amaral and covers an area of 8,100 square metres with a height of 70 metres. It has 600 hotel rooms, as well as a shopping mall, an outdoor swimming pool, a hot spring, a fitness room, a playground, restaurants, a cinema and an art-themed park.

    The schedule of the opening and details of the Treasure Island Resort World Hotel were unveiled last month in Macao. At the occasion, cooperation agreements were signed with the retailer of fashion apparel of the international brands Forward Fashion (International) Holdings Company Limited (“Forward Fashion”) and the Bona Film Group, introducing a number of international brands and cinema facilities in the new luxury shopping and entertainment centre of the hotel.

    Facing Nam Van Lake, the hotel also has a five-storey shopping mall, including internationally renowned French premium department store Galeries Lafayette, which is expected to open in the fourth quarter of this year - marking its first branch in Macao and fourth in Greater China. It will occupy approximately 45,000 square feet. The other major brands are the world’s top high-end fitness centre UFC Gym, and trendy toy store POP MART, as well as leading global sports brand Under Armour, large-scale comprehensive game centre Beebeeland, and world-renowned burger brand Five Guys. In addition, Bona Film Group plans to open a cinema with seven halls.

    The Treasure Island Resort World Hotel is expected to open its door at the end of this year (Photo courtesy of the Forward Fashion (International) Holdings Company Limited)
  • Wing Lei Palace is in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list for the fourth consecutive year

    Wynn Macau was one of the hosts of the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 awards ceremony in-person and online events held at the end of last month simultaneously in Macao, Bangkok and Tokyo. The ceremonies revealed the 1-50 list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022. Wing Lei Palace, the Cantonese restaurant at Wynn Palace, is the only restaurant in Macao to appear on the list, now ranking 47th, up three places from last year. It has been in the list for four consecutive years.

    In addition, three Macao restaurants were also included on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 51-100 list revealed earlier: Golden Flower (ranking 84th), Jade Dragon (ranking 89th) and The Eight (ranking 97th).

    The top three in this year’s list were Den in Tokyo, Sorn in Bangkok and French restaurant Florilèg in Tokyo. For the full list, please visit www.theworlds50best.com/asia/en/list/1-50.

    Cantonese cuisine Wing Lei Palace is the only Macao restaurant to rank on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 list (Photo courtesy of the Wynn Macau Ltd.)
  • Macao Arts Festival opens at the end of April

    The 32nd Macao Arts Festival (MAF) will be held between 29th April and 2nd June. Themed “Invigorate”, the event organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau features a range of 18 programmes and 27 outreach programmes. In total, there will be more than 200 activities, covering theatre, dance, music and visual arts.

    Amid the global pandemic, this edition of the MAF will continue to focus on programmes from Macao and Mainland China. Top international productions will be presented, however, through various means including screenings of stage performances.

    This edition of the MAF kicks off with contemporary dance theatre production Free Man from the South by renowned choreographer Willy Tsao. Famous Hong Kong artist Liza Wang will also join hands with the Macao Chinese Orchestra to present the closing performance with a repertoire of classic songs. This year’s MAF also features Shanghai-style Peking opera New Dragon Inn, which is produced by Shi Yihong, an accomplished qingyi actress of the Mei school from the Shanghai Jingju Theatre Company, The Carlos I by local art group Step Out and multimedia soundscape theatre performance Nine Soundscapes by Macau Experimental Theatre, among many other local and Mainland China productions.

    This year’s 27 outreach programmes during the festival include art performances and food home deliveries, talks, workshops, “Meet-the-Artist” sessions, backstage tours, community tours and screenings of international stage performances. For the first time this year, the outreach programmes include Selected Screenings of International Stage Performances, which will present four works that will be shown on the big screen in Macao: The Lehman Trilogy by National Theatre Live, Monte Cristo: The Musical by the Moscow Operetta Theatre, A Swan Lake by the Norwegian National Ballet and Akhenaten by the New York Metropolitan Opera.

    Tickets for the programmes and outreach activities are available at Macau Ticketing Network outlets as well as via telephone and online booking from 10:00am on 3rd April. In order to comply with the epidemic prevention measures and reduce crowd gatherings at the ticketing outlets, the public is advised to purchase tickets online or by phone.

    For more information about the MAF, please visit the website at www.icm.gov.mo/fam and the Facebook page (search for “Macao Arts Festival”).

    Amagao Gallery launched with Color Lusofonia exhibition

    Amagao Gallery opened last month at the Artyzen Grand Lapa Macau. With its mission to promote the arts and culture of the Portuguese-speaking world, the gallery is planning to host quarterly exhibitions and art events with specially invited artists. Amagao Gallery has unveiled its debut art exhibition Color Lusofonia, which features the renowned Portuguese artist Raquel Gralheiro, as well as a varied gamut by works of some 50 artists from the Portuguese-speaking countries. The art pieces will be exhibited until 22nd May.
    Sands Gallery has opened in Macao

    Sands Gallery, a permanent art space unveiled by Sands China in February, is located on the 6th floor of the Grand Suites at Four Seasons, aiming to invite renowned local and international artists to exhibit various types of art and to host cultural exhibitions, providing an opportunity for residents and tourists to explore an ever-changing variety of artistic experiences. Through the gallery, Sands China aims to assist Macao in its positioning as a multi-cultural exchange and co-operation base with an emphasis on Chinese culture.
    The operatic performance of New Dragon Inn kicks off the 32<sup>nd</sup> Macao Arts Festival (Photo by LI Xiao-ping)
    The Selected Screenings of International Stage Performances programme features four large-scale international productions, including A Swan Lake by the Norwegian National Ballet (Photo by ErikBerg)
  • Revitalisation of the Iec Long Firecracker Factory and the Mong-Ha Villas underway

    Since the takeover of the former Iec Long Firecracker Factory in December 2020, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) has carried out a revitalisation plan under the premise of preserving its main elements, such as its construction, layout and ecology, and is aiming to open some parts of the industrial heritage site for the public during the current year.

    The parts to be open for visit include a pedestrian walkway that will be built around the entire factory site in a safe range and three adjacent buildings that are being recovered will serve as spaces for a tourist information centre, a gift shop for the cultural and a creative industries, a cafeteria and exhibition and workshops areas.

    In addition, the Cultural Development Fund will launch the “Partnership Programme for the Revitalisation of Historic Buildings”. In the Programme, the government provides historic spaces with conditions for revitalisation, through the participation of companies or associations, allowing the cultural heritage of Macao to become an important force in supporting the diversified development of the city’s industries. Ten of the Mong-Ha Villas - which are former dormitories for civil servants - will be the first pilot projects in the Programme. Three of the buildings will be designated as spaces for arts and cultural performances or family activities, while the rest will be used for catering and sales. The new tourist routes will be developed based on tourism resources in this surrounding areas.

    The concept plan of the pedestrian walkway at the Iec Long Firecracker Factory (Photo courtesy of the Cultural Affairs Bureau)
    The Cultural Affairs Bureau will revitalise ten of the Mong-Ha Villas
  • IFTM partners again with UNWTO to offer tourism-related postgraduate courses

    The Macao Institute for Tourism Studies (IFTM) is collaborating with the UNWTO Academy - the education arm of the World Tourism Organisation - for a second consecutive year to offer a series of tourism-related postgraduate courses in Macao. The courses are open to the public, in particular professionals linked to the tourism and hospitality sector with minimum bachelor’s degree, and IFTM postgraduate students who are enrolled in selected programmes.

    The first course “Destination and Attractions Management” was conducted between 15th February and 21st March. The second course “Trends and Issues in Tourism and Leisure” began on 22nd March and is running until 27th April. The last course “Sustainable Tourism Planning and Development” will be conducted between 28th June and 2nd August.

    The courses are taught by the IFTM faculty members and the UNWTO experts. Applicants are required to be highly proficient in spoken and written English. Anyone who successfully completes any of the three courses will be entitled to a joint certificate issued by the UNWTO Academy and the IFTM. Credit exemption is open to apply if they seek afterwards to apply for any of the IFTM’s relevant postgraduate programmes.

    The first course titled “Destination and Attractions Management” finished on 21<sup>st</sup> March (Photo courtesy of IFTM)
  • Macao turns off non-essential lights in response to Earth Hour

    For the 14th year, the Macao SAR Government participated in the Earth Hour movement that was organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The Environmental Protection Bureau coordinated different sectors of the community to turn off non-essential lights from 8:30pm to 9:30pm on 26th March in support of this meaningful event. (Photo: Government Portal of Macao SAR)

    Large industrial and commercial businesses, government buildings, landmark buildings, three cross-sea bridges, six integrated hotels and entertainment enterprises took part in Earth Hour. Macao’s Cotai Strip looked completely different before the lights went out compared to during the big energy-saving event. (Photo courtesy of the Sands China Ltd.)

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