A southbound travel scheme allowing Guangdong-registered vehicles to enter Macao would be a boon for the SAR’s economy, according to chairman of the Industry and Commerce Association of Macau, Kevin Ho King Lun.
Ho told Macau Post Daily that the initiative – which does not yet have an implementation date – should positively impact local businesses through increasing the flow of visitors, while strengthening exchanges between Macao and the rest of the Greater Bay Area.
The proposed policy involves allowing Guangdong motorists entry to both SARs via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) and is expected to launch this year, initially in Hong Kong.
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Ho, who is also a deputy to the National People’s Congress, added that the policy would complement a recent easing of restricitons for Zhuhai and Hengqin residents travelling to Macao. Under the new arrangements, residents in neighbouring Zhuhai are now allowed to visit Macao once a week, for up to seven days, while Hengqin residents can travel to the SAR as often as they want for stays of up to a week.
While he acknowledged that many Macao residents were crossing the border to shop, Ho argued that this trend – which has been severely detrimental to local businesses – could be countered by new inbound flows of mainland Chinese willing to spend on “unique” travel experiences in Macao.
In the meantime, local retailers and restaurants are struggling – with decreases in local spending being clocked month after month. In addition, the tourist price index for entertainment and cultural activities fell by almost 14 percent in 2024 when compared with the year prior.
