"Macao Food Guide for the 1st May Vacation"
Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) actively gets prepared for the arrival of the 1st May Labor Day holidays in Mainland China with a variety of measures adopted as follows: more scrupulous inspections, reminders sent to businesses and visitors about various concerns via letter and mobile text message respectively, food guide publication, different activities rolled out at various local districts as well as provision of enquiry service at various locations, etc. The above measures are done to cater to the needs of local residents and visitors, optimize tourism environment and safeguard service quality in Macao. MGTO regularly posts the room rates reported by all local hotels and guests houses in different room categories on its website, and via its WeChat ID, advises visitors to arrange their accommodation and itinerary in advance prior to their trip. During the Labor Day holidays, MGTO will carry out more scrupulous inspections at various tourist spots, border ports and districts. Besides, the Office will take concerted action with police authorities to combat provision of illegal accommodation. Manpower will be increased at Tourist Information counters as well, with MGTO’s inspectors standing by round-the-clock. MGTO's tourism hotline (853) 2833 3000 will maintain its 24-hour operator service to answer tourists’ enquiries. Visitors can also visit MGTO's website to obtain tourism and other related information. Calling for trade’s assistance to divert visitors off the beaten path In order to safeguard visitor rights and tourism quality, MGTO has already sent out letters to local businesses to raise their awareness about hygiene, fire safety, guest capacity, opening hours, occupational guidelines for 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 guidelines and so forth. Via official letters, MGTO especially advised local associations of travel agencies to communicate with tour operators regarding adjustment in their group tour itineraries to major attractions. On the other hand, through mobile text messages, the Office advised visitors to visit popular attractions during off-peak hours. Such tactics are adopted to divert visitors from crowded areas to minimize the impact on traffic and neighborhoods near tourist sites and maintain a positive destination image of Macao. Staff will be stationed at 10 different tourist points to provide tourism information and guidance for visitors for crowd management during the period between 1st and 8th May. MGTO also regularly communicates and exchanges information with Consumer Council, Public Security Police Force, Macao Customs Service, Marine and Water Bureau, Transport Bureau and so forth. Visitors can visit Public Security Police Force's website: http://www.fsm.gov.mo/psp/pspmonitor on mobile phone or computer and check the real-time border-crossing images at the arrival/departure halls and traffic lanes of Barrier Gate, Outer Harbour and Cotai Frontier Post on the "Real-Time Information Platform of Border Ports". Hence they can flexibly choose a suitable timing to leave or arrive in Macao. MGTO's website offers a direct link to Public Security Police Force's webpage for the "Real-Time Information Platform of Border Ports". Handy information for an enjoyable trip Local residents and visitors can conveniently view the monthly highlights about local events and festivals, performances, exhibitions, activities as well as the newest attractions in town from MGTO’s mobile app "What's On, Macau". They can also download the mobile apps "Experience Macao" and "Step out, Macao" to acquire more local tourism information. In addition, the promotional brochure “Enjoy Macao” is given out to visitors at MGTO’s Tourist Information counters and service counters as well as through local travel agency associations. MGTO continues to arrange a variety of artistic and cultural performances with Chinese and Portuguese traditional color on weekends at a number of local attractions and along the walking tour routes themed as "Step Out, Experience Macao's Communities”, promising a holistic experience during the holidays. Local residents and visitors can obtain the "Step Out, Experience Macao's Communities" brochure for free at Tourist Information counters or obtain more information about the walking tour routes from the "Step out, Macao" Mobile App. On the other hand, the Office is making a persistent effort to optimize the supporting facilities along the eight walking tour routes through cooperation with other related departments, with increasingly complete information available about dining options, shopping, sanitary facilities and so forth. The Office also presents a WeChat game named “Macao Hunt” from 26 April until 23 May. Participants can follow MGTO’s WeChat ID (“mgtoweixin”) and join the game for a chance to enter the lucky draw. Moreover, once participants find the gem chests at designated attractions according to instructions, they can collect the gems through the function “Shake” or “Scan” on WeChat and gain a chance to win coupons from restaurants as well as cultural and creative stores nearby. With a total of eight gems collected, participants can win attractive prizes. For local dining, visitors can find award-winning restaurants and eateries listed in the publication “Star Merchant Award" – Restaurants and Eateries Guide. MGTO has also published the "Macao Food Guide for the 1st May 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, the Industry and Commerce Federation of Islands of Macao as well as the Industry and Commerce Federation of Macau Central and Southern District. Offering a contact list of restaurants and eateries open during the Labor Day holidays, the handy food guide familiarizes locals and visitors with relevant restaurants’ operation information. The “Star Merchant Award" – Restaurants and Eateries Guide and the "Step Out, Experience Macao's Communities" brochure can be downloaded from MGTO's website: http://www.macaotourism.gov.mo or acquired from MGTO's Tourist Information counters. The "Macao Food Guide for the 1st May Vacation" will be distributed and available online for downloading during the Labor Day holidays.