In relation to the Mainland tour group incident at Hac Sa Beach on 4 December, immediately upon receipt of notification of the incident, the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) deployed members of staff to check on the situation, and at the same time contacted the Macau Tourist Guide Association as well as the relevant travel agency associations. Appropriate coordination was carried out, and adequate arrangements were made for the affected tourists. Following up on the incident today (5 December), MGTO contacted the related travel agency and tour guides to further investigate details. MGTO enjoys close relations with the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), and reports to the entity on Macau’s tourism industry development through regular meetings. Detailed results of this investigation will be reported to CNTA shortly afterwards. In addition, the Tourism Development Committee also met with the Macau Tourist Guide Association and related tour guides yesterday, to convey its concern to the incident and to further understand the situation. As the administrative licensing entity of Macau, MGTO will thoroughly investigate the incident within its jurisdiction, to determine whether any local travel agency or tour guide has infringed upon related legislation, particularly where it refers to pre-determined contract, tour itinerary, tour guide, transportation commitments, and whether the travel agency has provided all necessary assistance to the tourists in accordance to regulatory requirements. In addition, MGTO will follow up on whether the local travel agency and the Mainland tour operator have complied with related operational terms and conditions. A good tourism environment and quality service are key determinants for the creation of a quality tourism city image. MGTO has all along cooperated closely with other government departments and the tourism industry to strengthen market order, to safeguard the normal functioning of the tourism market. Earlier this year, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Chui Sai On led a delegation comprised of representatives of MGTO, the Tourism Development Committee, Association of Macau Tourist Agents, Macau Travel Agency Association and Travel Industry Council of Macau to Beijing for meetings with CNTA, to exchange views on market regulation and management, advocacy of honest travel practices and other matters. Both parties have reached consensus on combating irregular practices such as “zero-priced tours” and “negative-priced tours”, to safeguard the healthy development of the tourism market. CNTA has expressed its accord and support to the efforts of the Macau tourism industry in pursuing higher quality travel offering. MGTO will actively complement the work of CNTA in promoting honest travel practices, demanding honest operations from enterprises, safeguarding the rights of tourists and advocating intelligent spending. Furthermore, through the private sector representatives of the Tourism Development Committee, communication with tourism industry organizations will be strengthened, in order to jointly provide quality service to visitors, ensuring a quality tourism image for Macau.
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