Current situation of Macao tourism 2020

Macao is a city highly dependent on tourism, which is rich in tourism resources. However, due to the continuous impact of the epidemic around the Spring Festival in 2020, flights and maritime transport routes around the country were temporarily closed, and the number of tourists dropped sharply. Macao's tourism industry encounters a cold winter. Let's introduce it in detail below.

At present, local residents in Macao have started to visit local scenic spots one after another, and the number has increased slightly compared with that during the Spring Festival.

We crossed the bus lane and arrived at the bus, one of the most popular attractions in Macau. Many shops on both sides of the street have resumed business, but the shops that kept selling in the past and the tourists who talked with the boss are gone, and the chat of passers-by in the distance is also very clear. In front of one of the snack bars, we met two tourists from the mainland.

They applied for a pass before the suspension of the visa for free travel to Hong Kong and Macao, thinking of visiting it when there were few people. According to the epidemic prevention policy, they are under quarantine observation for 6-8 hours when entering Macao. They admit that they are suffering from waiting for observation, but there is nothing they can do. (Update: The latest regulations of the Macao SAR Government prohibit all mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan Province residents who have been abroad within 14 days before entering Macao from entering China at 0: 00 on March 25th. )

Welcome tourists from the mainland

At the entrance of this snack bar, the enthusiastic shopkeeper uncle told us that the epidemic really hit the merchants. At present, the number of guests on weekdays is only about 10%, but he is already satisfied. Although it is difficult, he is still full of laughter and optimism.

Optimistic snack bar owner uncle

The most shops in the whole Big 38 Lane are handwritten shops. On weekdays, various brands compete with each other, and the clerk who attracts guests keeps introducing their products. Shortcakes and dried meat that are tried for free can be seen everywhere. But now, even the most popular "giant calligraphy" is very bleak. On the day we went, only one of several "big records" in a street opened, and few customers patronized this store. The store manager said that their customers are 90% less, most of them are Hong Kong tourists and local residents, and there are almost no mainland tourists.

The manager of Shouxin Store said that there were 90% fewer guests.

When I arrived at the St. Paul archway, the scene in front of me made young people feel strange.

Although there were many tourists on this day, compared with the sea of people in the past, many adults said that they seemed to have returned to Macao in the last century. For those of us who are born after 00, we might not believe this scene if we didn't see it with our own eyes.

March 16, Macau Landmark, Big Bus.

The staff at the scene said that the number of tourists here decreased by 90% during the epidemic, and now tourists are mainly local residents, especially many young people who come here to punch in and record this rare bus.

We came here in early February, when there were really few tourists. At that time, the epidemic was serious, and the empty picture reminded people of the tension at that time.

Buses in early February

Public places are limited to open, and the supply of protective materials is sufficient.

After the outbreak, all government facilities in Australia were suspended. Starting from February 17, some government departments in Macao resumed providing basic services and launched online health declaration forms. Before entering the government facilities, the body temperature should be measured and the declaration number should be shown, and the staff should register with the body temperature.

You should register and take your temperature before entering the central library.

On weekdays, my friends and I like to study in the central library of Stone Square. At present, during the epidemic, it is limited to 50 people at a time.

In the health clinic next to the library, there are many people waiting in line to buy masks. The "Mask Protection Plan" is a very good measure for epidemic prevention and control. The Macao SAR government ordered a large number of masks long before the Spring Festival, and now it is the seventh round of supply.

I returned to Australia from other places in early February, worried that there were not many masks at home, and many pharmacy masks had been sold out. After learning about this plan, I immediately went to buy some back. There are not only many points of sale, but also the number of masks left at each point of sale. The price is unified at eight yuan and sold at ten yuan, which is convenient and affordable.

Citizens lined up at the entrance of the health center to buy masks.

We also passed a shop selling disinfection and protective products. From the outside, you can clearly see the products and prices, masks, disinfectant, antibacterial hand cream and other protective equipment are complete, and the prices are also very close to the people.

The price of daily necessities protection products is close to the people.

Diners cut back on their trips, and the business of old shops nearby dropped sharply.

Cooked food stall is a culture of Macao vegetable market, and many vegetable markets in Australia have such an area dedicated to cooked food. Many shops have been open for many years, and the grocery store in this camp market is what I used to go to since I was a child. Because the storefront is small, some intelligent services such as online ordering and take-away are not introduced.

Under the epidemic, business has also been bleak. Because they are mainly engaged in neighborhood business, the usual tourists are mainly locals and Hong Kong people. Now some people who live in other districts seldom come here, so the number of customers has also decreased. She admitted that she was "almost". We are not as excited as before, but we hope that the store can provide take-away food as soon as possible, and maybe there will be more sales.

The owner of the snack bar admitted that the business was "almost the same"

Business in large stores is bleak. The clerk bluntly said, "It's quite miserable".

Will big shopping malls be better? Curious, we went to a four-story shopping mall, mainly selling all kinds of beauty products, skin care products and daily necessities. Due to the abundant supply and favorable price, it always attracts many tourists on weekdays. The crowds in the peak season can even squeeze here, and even it takes more than half an hour to wait in line to pay the bill.

However, we were dumbfounded at the scene, and almost only the clerk and even some big-name products were not interested. The clerk told us that today's turnover is only 30% to 40% of the usual turnover, which is mainly frequented by some blond foreigners and Southeast Asian expatriates, or some people who come to shop after work.

There are few guests in the shopping mall.

The clerk told us a phenomenon. If there are new cases, many people will be afraid at once, and the traffic in the mall will become very small. After a while, the traffic will pick up slightly. When leaving, the clerk bluntly said, "It's terrible".

The clerk can't help but sigh "what a pity"

Walking in the street, people can see the "Appeal of the SAR Government" posted everywhere, and there are translation broadcasts in Mandarin, Cantonese, English and Portuguese in turn. Prevention and control measures are really everywhere.

Street prevention tips and broadcasts

The most familiar and anticipated place.

When I come to Lulianruo Park, which I am most familiar with, I still need to take my temperature and show my declaration form. There are also staff at the scene who record the number of people entering at different times of the day. It can be seen that many citizens have come here to play all morning. According to our observation, it is mainly family members and the elderly.

Park entrance staff use traditional methods to count the number of people entering the park.

Behind the park is my school. Looking at the teaching building from here, I miss it a little.

Lu Lin International Exhibition Center Garden

It has been two months since the announcement of the postponement of school. Originally, the resumption date has been set, but due to the recent increase in new cases, it has been postponed again. As a senior two student, I am anxious and helpless. The day of entering the graduating class is close at hand, and studying at home is far less efficient than at school. How to make up for the loss of the course is still a big question mark. At the same time, many of the original rich club activities were cancelled, and I couldn't help feeling depressed.

Many students around me are also sad about the cancellation of the competition and the public examination, especially the senior students who suffered heavy losses. The original enrollment schedule was disrupted and some graduation activities could not be held. By contrast, we are lucky. At this moment, we can only hope that the epidemic will pass quickly and everyone can return to normal life as soon as possible. We really want to start school.