Three million visitors expected during Macau’s Golden Week

According to the Border Gate police station’s press briefing, two thirds of visitors, or about 2 million people, are entering the city through the Border Gate, while the others are mainly arriving thorough the ferry terminals.

A police spokesman was quoted by TDM as saying that the October 1 National Day is the peak of the massive arrival. While most incoming travel is expected to last from last Sunday to Tuesday, most departures will happen this coming Friday through Sunday. The authority has asked all frontline police officers to be on duty during this period, and will deploy extra staff to the Border Gate and other checkpoints, hoping to speed up the document screening process and limit the waiting time to 30-40 minutes.
  
To prepare for National Day Golden Week, relevant departments are stepping up their efforts and taking precautionary measures. The Consumer Council met the Macau Government Tourist Office and numerous bureaus to discuss measures on safeguarding consumer rights, and decided to provide services to local or foreign consumers through its hotline on 8988 9315 from 11am to 6pm each day during the Golden Week.

Separately, the Transport Bureau (DSAT) announced that bus operators would extend the service hours of 47 bus lines on the day of Mid-Autumn Festival on Sunday. The routes covering the Peninsula, Taipa and Coloane will operate until 1am on Monday, and the night buses N1A and N3 will provide more frequent shuttles, at 13-15 minutes each instead of the 15-20 minutes in normal conditions.

DSAT also announced the dispatch of extra inspectors during Golden Week to several “black” spots where most taxi drivers overcharge tourists or refuse to provide services in major holidays. These black points include the main border-crossings, tourist spots, and hotel-resorts. The Bureau urged passengers to call their hotline on 88666363 to report any violations by taxi drivers, and to record the vehicles’ plate numbers as well as the time and place the violations happened.

DSAT staff will also coordinate with the three bus operators to provide sufficient shuttles for the extra tourists and local residents who are going out and about to enjoy the holiday.