The deputy director of the Government Tourism Office in Macau, Cheng Wai Tong, has predicted a minimum of 20,000 and up to 25,000 people will be attending the upcoming National Day Golden Week celebrations. The event will kickstart on Saturday, October 1 and it will end on Friday, October 7.
What Will the National Day Golden Week Celebrate?
The ceremonies will commemorate the official establishment of the People’s Republic of China. The celebrations will include the fireworks gala on the starting day of the event, the reveal of several fresh museum exhibits at the Macau Grand Prix Museum, and a series of promotional campaigns for Macau’s leisure and hospitality industries, among others. October 1 will also be the starting date for the yearly “Golden Week”. The “Golden Week” used to gather a huge number of visitors every year. However, restrictions during the pandemic combined with China’s crackdown led to the same celebrations being put on hold in the past years.
While the 25,000 figure is considered an optimistic one, Tong has high hopes that Macau would at least go over 20,000 visitors a day during the Golden Week. When looking at last Friday’s visitor account that reached the 26,000 mark, it is safe to say that Macau has recorded the highest number since June 18, the official date when the Covid-19 outbreak was announced. Tong expressed his belief that the numbers will keep growing gradually. Nonetheless, even if the projected 25,000 figure would be reached, the number would still represent a significant drop compared to the numbers recorded prior to the pandemic. Then, Macau used to usher in over 100,000 daily visitors.
Temperature Checks and Negative Covid019 Tests
Anticipating a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases and an additional strain on Macau’s health protocols in relation to the deadly virus, officials represented by the Government Information Bureau announced a series of proactive measures. Among them, we can mention the need for inbound travelers to have their body temperature checked while having a negative Covid-19 test result on them.
The same bureau has announced that it would place a larger number of employees at all border checkpoints. Also, travelers coming back from their trips are advised to ask for medical advice and fully disclose their entire travel history provided they start developing specific Covid-19 symptoms. Chinese health representatives also issued a warning against people traveling between provinces. Last year, Macau registered a 37% gross gaming revenue drop in the week after the Golden Week. In July, the SAR government imposed a strict one-week lockdown in Macau.