The government is establishing an inter-departmental group to review the traffic and noise problems that were caused by K-pop concerts in the Olympics Sports Centre Stadium last weekend, local media reports.
The concerts, given by the group Seventeen, were attended by more than 40,000 fans and deemed a “success” by promoter Supernoise Group. The company issued a statement yesterday to apologise to residents living near the venue for the noise and traffic problems that arose.
Speaking to local media yesterday, Secretary for Social Affairs and culture Elsie Ao Ieong said officials would “consider whether there is a need to organise such concerts or whether we should move all concerts to the resorts in Macao.”
Ao Ieong added that the inter-departmental group will collect and review feedback from the community and discuss ways to make improvements in areas such as traffic flow, crowd management, noise levels and the scheduling of shows.
[See more: Traffic snarls but a boost for business: Seventeen concert garners mixed response]
She conceded that such concerts brought benefits to small and medium enterprises, but also noted that there were sports venues away from residential areas that the government could consider renting out for major concerts, including the Taipa race track, the former canidrome and the Macau East Asian Games Dome.
The former has potential, said the founder and executive director of the Macao-based promoter Chessman Entertainment, Che Fok Sang, if its capacity could be upgraded from its current 10,000 spectators to 50,000.
He remarked that the stadium’s proximity to the Cotai Strip and Hengqin Port would reduce the pressure on the transport network, given that hotel accommodation and a border crossing were nearby.
