Tourism authorities have promised a probe after speculation recently emerged on mainland social media about a possible casino entry fee for visitors arriving on group tours.
Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, director of the Tourism Office, told the media on Sunday she was aware of the online allegation, saying follow-up action would be taken to see which party should be held liable.
“If some local travel agencies are found to have spread misinformation, fines will be imposed as a primary punishment,” the official said.
“Depending on the severity of the situation, it could potentially impact the renewal of licences for the travel agencies in question.”
“Separate penalties would be meted out if unauthorised tour guides were found to have been involved,” she added.
A recent thread posted to Xiaohongshu, an equivalent of Instagram, and viewed by Macau News Agency, said that MOP200 (US$25) was required to gain entry to Venetian Macao.
The post, made this past weekend, has garnered considerable attention with over 530 comments drawn.
Many mainland tours from further afield are usually gathered in Guangdong province before being taken to Macau, Fernandes further explained, adding that the Macau authorities have always been in contact with their Guangdong counterparts to address issues like the recent incident.
The official also urged travellers to refrain from subscribing to low-budget tours, which she said were usually the source of such long-running issues.
A Legislative Assembly committee is now studying the details of new legislation designed to combat what are generally described as “zero-cost” tours, whose operators could face a fine ranging between MOP50,000 (US$6,218) and MOP70,000.
“Zero-fare” or low-cost tours often depend on tourists making purchases to generate commissions, which could result in coerced purchases or even disputes during the process.
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