In view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has suspended any new applications from catering businesses for the 2022 Quality Tourism Services Accreditation Scheme (QTSAS). However, for the city’s 258 existing QTSAS-accredited food and beverage businesses, the QTSAS Assessment Committee has announced it is to conduct two mystery shopping assessments for each company. Merchants who pass the assessments will remain accredited with the Star Merchant Award. In order to introduce the relevant assessment criteria and the working details to all of the merchants already accredited under the scheme, MGTO last month held an Online Assessment Seminar for the Food and Beverage Sector.

In the meantime, in accordance with the Macao SAR’s Law No. 8/2021 on the Operation of Hotel Establishments, which came into effect at the start of this year, MGTO has made a number of corresponding adjustments to QTSAS’ rules of enforcement and the scheme’s award mechanisms when it comes to the city’s catering sector. QTSAS now reclassifies catering businesses into four subcategories, in line with the new law, and a Special Theme Award has been added to the range of QTSAS awards, while some of the existing honours have been renamed (refer here for details). The assessment and presentation of the new award is expected to begin after QTSAS resumes full operation.

Browse the MGTO’s Macao Tourism Industry Net at https://industry.macaotourism.gov.mo/en/page/content.php?page_id=237 for QTSAS’s latest application manual and the scheme’s assessment criteria for the catering sector.