Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) has rolled out the “Step Out, Experience Macau’s Communities” Bus Highlight Tour around three circular routes through a local travel agency this summer. Starting from 19 October, the Tourist Office will transform the three Bus Highlight Tour routes into two optimized routes so that the Bus Tour can more effectively connect points across the eight walking tour routes themed as “Step Out, Experience Macau’s Communities”. To further optimize this product, the new Bus Highlight Tour will operate with earlier departures, bus stop relocation and more sign-up stations. By signing up for one bus pass, passengers can get another bus pass for free as a special offer. In addition, passengers can enjoy free Wi-Fi service on board. The Tourist Office will also update its mobile App and Wechat ID account with introduction about the Bus Highlight Tour. As a result, visitors can travel around different local neighborhoods and the World Heritage Site “The Historic Centre of Macao” in a breeze. To promote community tourism and diversify local tourism products, the Tourist Office has launched the “Step Out, Experience Macau’s Communities” Bus Highlight Tour through a local travel agency this August. Since the launch, MGTO has been closely monitoring the operating status of all the bus routes while listening to suggestions from different parties followed by evaluation. After discussion with the travel agency, MGTO will rearrange and combine the three circular routes into two new routes for launch on 19 October. There will be the Peninsula Line and the Taipa-Coloane Line, designed to more effectively connect points across the eight themed walking tour routes and enable visitors to reach different neighborhoods and the Historic Centre of Macao more conveniently for a leisurely walk. Both circular routes take one hour and forty-five minutes approximately to complete. The Peninsula Line will operate with seven runs a day with bus stops located at Macau Ferry Terminal, Macau Fisherman’s Wharf – Harbourview Hotel Macau, Kun Iam Ecumenical Centre, Fortune Business Centre, Pousada de São Tiago, Praça de Ponte e Horta – Sun Sun Hotel, Border Gate, Kun Iam Temple and Tap Seac Square – Hotel Royal Macau. On the other hand, the Taipa-Coloane Line will operate with four runs a day. The bus stops include Macau Ferry Terminal, Taipa Temporary Ferry Terminal, Macau International Airport, Rua do Cunha (Taipa) and Largo do Presidente António Ramalho Eanes (Coloane). For both routes, the first bus will depart earlier at 10:30 a.m. daily and the last bus will depart at 5 p.m. Starting from 19 October to the end of 2015, visitors can enjoy a special offer for the Bus Highlight Tour, with an extra free bus pass in hand after signing up for one bus pass. Visitors can sign up for the Bus Highlight Tour at any of the eight locations – previously three – from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The price is 100 patacas per person, while children at age of 12 or under and seniors at age of 65 or above can enjoy a half-price discount. With the bus pass, passengers can enjoy unlimited rides along both routes for a whole day. Visitors can also enjoy free Wi-Fi service during the bus journey. There is a guide on board providing commentary about the sights along each route. Commentary is offered in English, Cantonese and Mandarin. Passengers can hop off at different stops for a sightseeing stroll around local districts of their interest. Starting from 19 October, relevant information will be updated on MGTO’s mobile App “Step Out, Macau” and Wechat ID account (mgtoweixin). Upon arrival in Macau, visitors will receive a mobile text message from the Office about the Bus Highlight Tour. Starting from the same day, visitors can also obtain the leaflet (in English, Traditional and Simplified Chinese) about the “Step Out, Experience Macau’s Communities” Bus Highlight Tour at hotels and MGTO’s Tourist Information counters in Macau for free. As an alternative, they can read or download information about the bus routes from MGTO’s website: http://www.macautourism.gov.mo. MGTO will keep monitoring the operating status of the bus routes closely while being open to suggestions and making a continuous effort to evaluate and optimize the product, so that visitors can explore different neighborhoods at leisure and discover more fascinating dimensions of the multi-faceted city and its enchanting glamour.
