Spanning a whole week during October 1 – 7, the October 1st Golden Week will begin on October 1 officially. Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) has adopted a range of measures to actively prepare for the peak period as follow: sending out reminders and mobile text messages to industry partners and visitors respectively about things to be aware of, inter-departmental information sharing, more scrupulous inspections, food guide publication, staging activities in different districts as well as setting up stations to answer enquiries. Through a series of measures, MGTO is dedicated not only to catering for the needs of local residents and visitors but also to optimizing tourism service quality and tourism environment in Macau. Regular communication and information sharing By sending out letters, MGTO specifically suggests local travel agency associations should communicate with and advise tour operators to adjust their schedules of tour group visits to major attractions. On the other hand, through mobile text messages, the Tourist Office advises visitors to visit popular sightseeing districts during off-peak hours. Such tactics are adopted to divert visitors from crowding areas and to keep traffic and neighborhoods near tourist sites from being least affected, so as to maintain a positive destination image of Macau. MGTO also regularly communicates and exchanges information with other governmental entities including Consumer Council, Public Security Police Force, Macau Customs Service, Marine and Water Bureau as well as Transport Bureau. From the “Real-Time Information Platform of Border Ports” operated by Public Security Police Force, visitors can check the real-time border-crossing images at the arrival & departure halls and traffic lanes of Border Gate, Outer Harbour and Cotai Frontier Post by visiting the platform webpage: www.fsm.gov.mo/psp/pspmonitor on phone or computer. Visitors can hence choose a suitable timing to leave or arrive in Macau more flexibly. MGTO’s website has offered a direct link to Public Security Police Force’s webpage “Real-Time Information Platform of Border Ports”. Reminder to trade and more scrupulous inspections In order to safeguard visitor rights and tourism quality, MGTO already sent out letters to travel trade operators to raise their awareness about hygiene, fire safety, guest capacity, opening hours, occupational guidelines of hosting tour groups, requirement for hotels and catering establishments to declare their price lists as well as for hotels to keep a record of hotel guest information upon check-in, hotel swimming-pool management guideline and so forth. At the same time, the Office continues to join hands with police authorities to keep combating illegal accommodation. MGTO will carry out more scrupulous inspections at various tourist attractions, ports and districts in Macau whilst increasing the manpower at Tourist Information counters. MGTO’s Tourism Hotline 2833 3000 will maintain its 24-hour operator service as usual whereas MGTO inspectors will stand by round the clock. Posting visitor arrival numbers online Because of the upcoming October 1st Golden Week, MGTO will post every previous day’s visitor arrival numbers online for the public’s information during the period between 27 September and 8 October. MGTO regularly publishes the room rates of different room categories reported by hotels and guest houses in Macau on its website. The Office will also send mobile text messages to Mainland visitors upon their arrival to Macau, informing them that they can check room rates on MGTO's website and obtain printed travel materials at MGTO's Tourist Information counters for free, so that they can have more travel tips and practical information in hand. In addition, via MGTO’s WeChat account, the Office will suggest visitors to make room reservation and prepare their itinerary in advance. Event and festival Highlights on App During the National Day holidays, there will be a range of festivals, events, performances, exhibitions and activities in Macau, including MACAU X LEGO® Exhibition and Macau International Fireworks Display Contest. On the National Day, fireworks teams from Australia and Mainland China will dazzle the night sky with a myriad of fireworks. Residents and visitors can easily obtain travel tips from MGTO’s "What's On, Macau" Mobile App, which provides information about the latest tourist attractions, events and festivals, performances, exhibitions and activities. Smartphone users can download the App in advance and check out Macau's splendid events offline. Its content is available in three versions - English, Traditional and Simplified Chinese. The App is available for downloading from App Store or Google Play. Visitors can also download "Step out, Macau" Mobile App or "Experience Macau" Mobile App to get more travel information about Macau. Macau Food Guide and Star Merchants For local dining, MGTO has published the “Macau Food Guide for October 1st Vacation” (Chinese version only) together with The United Association of Food and Beverage Merchants of Macau, The Industry and Commerce Association of Macau Northern District, General Union of the Macau Neighborhood Association as well as The Industry and Commerce Federation of Islands of Macau. Offering a contact list of restaurants and eateries which will be open during the October 1st Golden Week, the handy food guide can familiarize locals and visitors with the restaurants’ operation information. On the other hand, MGTO launched the Quality Tourism Services Accreditation Scheme (QTSAS) last year. Visitors can search for award-winning restaurants and eateries listed in the “Star Merchant Award" – Restaurants and Eateries Guide. “Step Out, Experience Macau’s Communities” To enrich the festive experience, MGTO will again arrange a variety of artistic performances with the hue of Chinese and Portuguese traditions at different tourist attractions and along the “Step Out, Experience Macau’s Communities” walking tour routes in Macau. Visitors can enjoy these performances for free. There will also be staff stationed at different tourist locations to answer visitors' enquiries and introduce them to various tourist spots. They will also distribute the brochure "Step Out, Experience Macau's Communities Walking Tour Routes", encouraging locals and visitors to explore the routes. Locals and visitors can also join the “Step Out, Experience Macau's Communities” Bus Highlight Tour and “Take Selfies to Win Prizes”, a fun activity to share their joyful moments in their Macau trip. The “Star Merchant Award" – Restaurants and Eateries Guide and the“Step Out, Experience Macau's Communities Walking Tour Routes” Brochure can be downloaded from MGTO's website: http://www.macautourism.gov.mo or acquired at MGTO’s Tourist Information counters. The “Macau Food Guide for October 1st Vacation” is available in both hard and soft copies, by distribution and online respectively during the October 1st Golden Week, or can be viewed on MGTO’s WeChat account.
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