He Yicheng is expected to submit a detailed plan for "6+1" moderately diversified development in June this year.
Macau Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng attended the plenary meeting of the Legislative Council at 14 pm today (3th) and answered questions from members of the Legislative Council on issues such as government governance, economy and people's livelihood.Regarding the issue of expanding passenger sources, He Yicheng pointed out that there are still difficulties in picking up airports around the world, resulting in Macau being unable to operate more flights.In addition, Macau only has routes to Southeast Asia, and international tourists can only rely on Hong Kong to travel to Macau.In addition, hotels are currently understaffed, with approximately 4000 hotel rooms closed during the Easter holiday.All walks of life must come together to discuss and solve manpower issues.Regarding the future diversified development of industries in Macao, Ho Yicheng predicts that a detailed plan for the "6+1" moderate diversified development will be submitted in June this year, which will clarify how the industry will plan for the future.
Regarding the progress of the "1+4" moderate development plan, Ho Iat Seng said that the relevant departments of the Macau Department of Economy and Finance had initially completed the detailed plan at the beginning of last year. However, due to the impact of the epidemic last year, there are still many uncertainties. The six gaming companies only submitted relevant plans in mid-March this year, but the detailed planning framework of the "6+3" moderate diversified development has not changed. The plan is expected to be submitted in June. In addition to clarifying the development direction of a certain industry, the content of the Hengqin Shenzhen Cooperation Zone will also be included.
Another member mentioned the unemployment issue. Ho Iat Seng pointed out that the hotel industry is currently short of staff. Australia has nearly 4 hotel rooms, but about 10% of the hotel rooms are on Easter holidays, which means that 4000 rooms are vacant due to lack of staff. Macau is a service-oriented society, and many jobs require human resources. We hope that all sectors can discuss and solve the manpower problem together.
Regarding how to expand international passenger sources, He Yicheng also pointed out that due to the shortage of ground staff at airports around the world, the ability to connect flights has not yet been restored, so it is difficult for Macau flights to land, and it will take time to restore the previous passenger capacity. Hong Kong can send ship tickets and other discounts to Australia. In addition, Macau Airport only has Southeast Asian routes, which is a shortcoming, so it has to rely on Hong Kong's passenger transport. The authorities have carried out publicity at the Hong Kong airport, hoping to attract tourists to Macau.
Regarding the revitalization of historical buildings in the old district, He Yicheng pointed out that the gaming industry hopes to revitalize the old district, including the area in front of the A-Ma Temple and Shangxin Road. The owners have communicated with the gaming companies, but they believe that the gaming companies have actively fulfilled their social responsibilities, and how to introduce funds to the relevant blocks is conducive to diverting tourists.
A legislator asked how to strengthen and expand the high-end tourism market. Ho Iat-cheng believes that all visitors are customers, regardless of their status. Generally, tour groups choose four-star hotel rooms, but most hotels in Macau are super five-star hotels, and hotel prices have always been high. The shortage of three- and four-star hotels is a shortcoming that needs to be addressed. "Most good hotels have casinos, but there are very few hotels without casinos." I hope that Macau's three- and four-star hotels can be well renovated, and I believe it can attract more tourists.
He Yicheng mentioned that from February 2 to March 2, a total of 3 tourist groups visited Macao, with more than 16 tourists.Among them, 1729 groups applied for subsidies, accounting for nearly 5%.The Guangdong group accounts for a quarter, with the remainder coming from Shanghai.He also mentioned that the government issued hotel discounts for a total of 1277 transactions, with a total discount of more than 74 million patacas, an order value of 20.3 million patacas, and a leverage effect of 5,000 times.
As for tourists from Hong Kong, He Yicheng said that from January 1, when Hong Kong and Macau resumed customs clearance, to March 13, there were approximately 3 million tourists entering Hong Kong, which has reached 31% of the pre-epidemic level.The current average daily passenger volume is 151.Mainland tourists are polarized, and the number of mainland tourists dropped significantly on Sunday.As for the current "buy one, get one free" ticket promotion to attract customers, I think it will stop when the number of tourists returns to normal.It is unhealthy to use public funds to give away tickets for a long time. "It is impossible to give out train tickets and boat tickets for a long time."
In addition, due to the heavy workload of printing and issuing checks, this year's cash distribution will not be distributed earlier than July. The relevant administrative regulations have been discussed and are expected to be announced next week.
