Passengers coming to Macao via Hong Kong will soon be able to have their luggage checked straight through to Macao instead of having to collect it in the sister SAR and transporting it themselves.
Lei Wai Nong, the finance secretary, revealed the plan yesterday to lawmakers, according to a report in Macau Post Daily.
He said that the Macao government was working with authorities in Hong Kong to set up the scheme, and that luggage could be brought to Macao by ferry or vehicle transport.
Lawmakers were also reportedly told that travellers would be able to go directly to Macau via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge without going through Hong Kong immigration and entering Hong Kong. A Transport Bureau official said further details would be “soon revealed”.
[See more: Macao launches major initiative to attract Hong Kong visitors]
The proposal appears to be part of Macao’s efforts to make the territory more appealing to international visitors, reducing dependence on the mainland Chinese gaming market.
At present, international arrivals comprise just 2 percent of Macao’s visitors, down from roughly 10 percent before the pandemic.
Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, the tourism chief, said in April that Macao would do “much more work in the international markets” in a bid to lure long-haul customers as the territory emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic.
