Hengqin’s Economic Development Bureau says authorities are devising a scheme that will allow people to make multiple trips between the island and Macao. The news has been reported in specialist gaming website Inside Asian Gaming (IAG).
If finalised, the plan will be a boon for budget travellers – such as mainland Chinese tour groups – who find hotels in Macao too expensive, enabling them to take advantage of cheaper accommodation in Hengqin.
IAG quoted an official as saying state ministry staff had visited Hengqin to study the plan “but they have not yet given a final proposal.”
[See more: How to enjoy Macao on a budget]
The official added that Macao’s tourism industry would be consulted before the scheme is finalised.
Macao’s Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng publicly raised the idea of tourists taking advantage of accommodation in Hengqin back in February, noting that the island offered around 10,000 hotel rooms as well as a 24-hour checkpoint with Macao.
His comments came as room rates in Macao’s integrated resorts reached reported highs of up to 4,000 patacas (US$493) during peak seasons, such as the Lunar New Year, putting them beyond the reach of many mainland Chinese.
