Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Tam Chon Weng, meets the press.
The Government will introduce flexible working hours in all public departments for the first time, in an effort to ease traffic pressure during the 62nd Macau Grand Prix next week. The announcement on flexible working hours for public servants was made by the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Tam Chon Weng, when he made an on-site inspection of the race circuit on 11 November. Mr Tam is also the Chairman of the Macau Grand Prix Committee. Public servants would be allowed to start work at any time between 8am and 10am on Thursday and Friday next week, he said. As the Grand Prix is a street race, major traffic diversions are required during practice and race days. Mr Tam told reporters that the Grand Prix is one of the important elements in helping Macao to become a world centre of tourism and leisure. He noted that tourists from neighbouring regions, Europe and the Americas gather in Macao for this annual event. Macao needed to expand its own tourism resources and develop more tourist products, Mr Tam stated. The Government would make more effort to popularise further the Grand Prix’s Guia Circuit and the whole event, he added. Mr Tam noted that there were similar races in neighbouring cities that were also aimed at boosting local tourism. The Secretary expressed his gratitude to local residents for their support of the event over the years. He said that without such support, the Grand Prix might not have achieved the success it has. Macao has completed preparations for the four-day race meeting from 19 to 22 November, said the Coordinator of the Grand Prix Committee, Mr João Manuel Costa Antunes, speaking at the on-site visit. Mr Costa Antunes said ticket sales this year were up 30 percent compared to the same time last year, having grossed 7 million patacas. Sponsorship for the event had risen 8 percent year-on-year, he added.