MGTO launches subsidy scheme for locals to visit Macau IR non-gaming attractions

The Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has launched a MOP$280 million (US$35 million) subsidy scheme to support the SAR’s waning tourism industries by encouraging residents to visit local heritage sites and integrated resort attractions.

MGTO deputy director Cheng Wai Tong stated at a press conference on Tuesday that the scheme, which will run from June to September, aims to revitalize Macau’s tourism industry which has come to a standstill since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in January.

The scheme provides for a MOP$560 (US$70) subsidy for each Macau resident to choose two trips from 15 local tour routes, which include visits to landmarks in properties of all six IR operators.

Cheng said the operators had “greatly sacrificed” and proactively cooperated in supporting the scheme, with 148 travel agencies and 750 tour guides also expected to benefit.

The IR attractions included on the available tour routes include:

Galaxy Entertainment Group: Grand Resort Deck
Melco Resorts & Entertainment: The House of Dancing Water, Golden Reel, 4D Batman Dark Flight
MGM China: Spectacle, MGM Theater backstage
Sands China: teamLab SuperNature, Eiffel Tower at The Parisian Macao
SJM Holdings: Grand Lisboa feature rooms, Michelin restaurant dining vouchers
Wynn Macau: Floral creations, SkyCab, Performance Lake

China's central bank pledges to crack down on gambling-related cross-border capital flow

Combating cross-border gambling-related financial chains will be a “major political mission” assigned by China’s Central Government, according to a notice published by the Chinese central bank and top monetary authority, People’s Bank of China.

The notice, issued last week, reveals the bank’s deputy governor Fang Yifei held a meeting in Beijing last week at which he outlined plans to “strengthen and reinforce the governance of cross-border gambling financial chain regulations.”

Representatives from China’s Ministry of Public Security, General Administration of Customs, China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, State Foreign Exchange Administration, Payment & Clearing Association of China, China UnionPay and the NetsUnion Clearing Corp all participated in the meeting.

One of the major focuses of the bank’s new directive, Fang said, would be to cut off cross-border gambling-related capital in order to address major financial risks.

Fang urged all financial institutions to “further improve their political positions, enhance their sense of responsibility and urgency in prevention and control, implement ‘two maintenance’ practices, firmly establish and earnestly implement the overall national security concept, and take on the severance of cross-border gambling capital chains as a firm fight.”

He also listed out several policies on implementation, including enhancing the identification and tracking of capital flow. The central bank also asked all financial sectors to strengthen their capability to more rapidly submit large and suspicious transaction reports, to monitor and analyze money laundering, place more attention on account identity verifications and to implement other risk prevention and control efforts.

Despite the renewed focus on capital flight for gambling purposes, JP Morgan analysts DS Kim, Derek Choi and Jeremy An stated in a note that Macau is not necessarily the target.

“It’s difficult to know what the exact scope of subject matter was, since ‘cross-border’ gambling often refers to ‘illegal gambling,’ particularly online casino operation by junkets such as those from Philippines and Cambodia,” they said.

“We note the China government has recently broken up a series of illegal online casino rings across different provinces, which leads us to think the meeting was probably more related to those incidents (as opposed to Macau SAR, where the business has effectively been closed for 4+ months, and counting).

“In short, we wouldn’t necessarily think the meeting focused on Macau and/or ‘legal’ casino operations; the news seems like a non-event to us.”

MGTO director says operators should prepare for a quiet summer holiday

Macau’s gaming and integrated resort operators should prepare for the borders to remain closed during this year’s summer holiday period, according to director of the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO), Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes.

While the MGTO is working with the hospitality industry to offer more promotions for local residents in August, Senna Fernandes told media on Wednesday that border restrictions won’t be easily loosened during the summer and that visitors would therefore be unable to enter freely.

“It is expected that border controls would remain limited in the short term,” she said. “Chinese or foreign visitors are unlikely to enter Macau, visitation will be limited to certain groups of visitors.”

Senna Fernandes also revealed the MGTO had recently initiated plans to arrange tours between Macau and Hengqin but was forced to suspend those plans due to current border controls.

While the occupancy rate of five-star hotels has shown some very slight improvement recently, albeit only up from 6% to 10%, the MGTO has been in discussions with hotel operators to offer more discounts and promotions for local residents.

“Residents aren’t able to travel anywhere under this pandemic either,” Senna Fernandes said. “Schools will end their academic year in late July, so we encourage operators to provide more discounts to locals in August to drive expenditure on hospitality, dining and shopping in IRs.”

The reopening of Macau’s borders with Guangdong Province and Hong Kong has been a hot topic of discussion in recent weeks, but has been delayed following a recent small outbreak of COVID-19 in Hong Kong. There could also be further delays after a more significant outbreak in Beijing this week, with 137 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in the past six days.

In the meantime, Macau has started sending chartered ferries to Hong Kong International Airport to pick up residents returning from overseas. The ferries will run until 17 July.

More than 800 residents are registered to return and the MGTO expects more than 1,000 residents to come back to Macau in the coming month.

澳門旅遊局推出補貼計劃吸引市民遊覽綜合度假村非博彩景點

澳門旅遊局推出澳門幣2.8億元的補貼計劃，透過鼓勵居民遊覽本地歷史城區和綜合度假村的景點，支持振興澳門式微的旅遊業。

旅遊局副局長程衛東在週二的記者會上表示，計劃將於六月至九月推行，旨在推動自一月新冠肺炎爆發以來陷入停擺的旅遊業得以復甦。

計劃將於為每位澳門居民提供澳門幣560元的補貼，讓他們在15條本地遊路線中選擇兩條遊玩，其中包括全部六大綜合度假村內的景點。

程衛東稱，六大度假村作出「重大犠牲」，並積極配合計劃，另外預料共148家旅客社和750名導遊在計劃中受惠。

綜合度假村內提供給本地遊路線的景點包括：

銀河娛樂集團：天浪淘園

新濠博亞：水舞間、影匯之星、4D蝙蝠俠夜神飛馳

美高梅中國：視博廣場、美高梅劇場後台

金沙中國：teamlab超自然空間、澳門巴黎人的艾菲爾鐵塔

澳博：新葡京酒店的特色房間、米芝蓮餐廳優惠卷

永利澳門：花藝雕塑、觀光纜車、表演湖

國有中國人民銀行誓言打擊博彩跨境賭博資金鏈

中國人民銀行表示，打擊跨境賭博資金鏈將是內地黨中央交予的「重大政治任務」。

根據通告，人行副行長范一飛上週在北京主持的會議上稱，要「全力推進打擊治理跨境賭博金融監管工作」。

人民銀行、公安部、海關總署、銀保監會、外匯局相關司局，以及中國支付清算協會、中國銀聯、網聯清算有限公司主要負責人參加會議。

范一飛指出，銀行的其中一項重點工作，是截斷跨境賭博資金鏈以防範化解重大金融風險。

范一飛促請各單位要進一步提高政治站位，增強防控治理工作的責任感和緊迫感，切實踐行“兩個維護”，牢固樹立並認真貫徹總體國家安全觀，把斬斷跨境賭博資金鏈作為堅決打贏防範化解重大金融風險“攻堅戰”的重要任務。

他又列出多項執行政策，包括增加識別和追蹤資金流。央行又要求盡早提交大額和可疑交易報告、加強留意洗錢監測分析、帳戶取現身份驗證等風險防控工作。

雖然內地再度關注以博彩為主的資金外流問題，摩根大通分析師DS Kim, Derek Choi和 Jeremy An指出澳門不一定是打擊對象。

「目前難以預料政策的確策打擊範圍，因為「跨境」博彩一般是指「非法博彩」，尤其是於菲律賓和柬埔寨由中介人經營的網絡博彩。」

「我們留意到內地政府近期偵破一系列橫跨多省的非法網絡博彩，令我們聯想到今次會議很可能與這些事件有更多關聯。（澳門特區的業務實際上已經停擺四個多月，並且不斷增加。）

「總之，我們不認為這次會議的重點一定是澳門以及合法的賭場經營，這個消息在我們看來是並非大事。」

澳門旅遊局長稱業界需準備迎接一個安靜的暑假

澳門旅遊局局長文綺華表示，澳門博彩和綜合度假村業者需準備接受今年暑假口岸出入境仍然受限。

文綺華於週三向傳媒表示，預計口岸限制不會於暑假輕易放寬，旅客不會完全自由地入境，因此當局正與酒店業商量於八月給予本地居民更多優惠。

「今年可見在短期內會是相當受限制的出入境措施。內地和外國旅客朋友都難以來澳旅遊，即使能入境都是受限的部分人士。」文綺華又表示旅遊局原計劃發展澳門與橫琴的旅行團，但由於近來的出入境限制而擱置。

雖然五星級酒店入住率近來有輕微回升，從最低的6%上升至10%左右，旅遊局正與酒店業界商討為本地居民提供更多住宿優惠。

文綺華稱：「澳門居民在疫情影響下亦無法出外旅遊。而預計今個學年將到七月尾，所以鼓勵業界於八月為居民提供更多優惠，促進在餐飲購物上的消費。」

粵港澳三地何時開關已經是近期的城中熱話，但早前香港社區發生小規模爆發而延遲，而過去六日北京確診137宗新冠肺炎個案，有可能進一步拖延開關進度。

另外，澳門開始派包船到香港國際機場帶回自海外回澳門的居民。超過800名居民已登記在7月7日限期前返澳，旅遊局預料超過1,000名居民將於未來一個月返澳。