Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [244]
Tourism and gambling still drive Macau’s economy, and the latter remains Macau’s major cash cow despite a revenue slump in 2008. Today, gambling concessions contribute some 75% of government revenue through betting tax.
Tourism usually generates almost half of Macau’s GDP, and about a third of the labour force works in some aspect of it. In 2008 Macau welcomed some 22 million tourists and visitors, a decrease of 15.1% from the previous year, owing to China’s travel curbs. But visitors from the mainland still accounted for 51% of total arrivals, with most of the balance coming from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and the USA. As a result of this phenomenal boost, Macau’s economy expanded a record 13.2% in 2008.
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MACAU CALENDAR
You’re likely to find a festival or some special event taking place in Macau no matter what time of the year you visit. Chinese New Year (see the boxed text) is chaotic in Macau, and hotel rooms are a prized commodity during this period. Still, it’s a colourful time to visit, as the city literally explodes with bangers and fireworks – they’re legal here – and the streets are filled with a carnival atmosphere. The Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix (opposite) is also a peak time for visitors to Macau. The website of the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO; www.macautourism.gov.mo) has a list of events that take place in Macau. For dates of Macau’s public holidays, check out Click here. For information on festivals and events that are celebrated both here and in Hong Kong, have a look at Click here.
February/March
Procession of the Passion of Our Lord A 400-year-old tradition on the first Saturday of Lent in which a colourful procession bears a statue of Jesus Christ from Macau’s Church of St Augustine to Macau Cathedral, where it spends the night and is carried back the following day.
April/May
A-Ma Festival This festival honours Tin Hau (known here as A-Ma), the patron of fisherfolk and one of the territory’s most popular goddesses. The best place to see the festival is at the A-Ma Temple in the Inner Harbour. This festival will fall on 6 May in 2010, 25 April in 2011 and 13 April in 2012.
Birthday of the Lord Buddha/Feast of the Drunken Dragon Buddha’s statue is taken from monasteries and temples around Macau and ceremoniously bathed in scented water on this day. The day also marks the Feast of the Drunken Dragon, which features dancing dragons in the streets of the Inner Harbour area along with a lot of legless merrymakers enjoying the celebrations. Festivities will take place on 21 May in 2010, on 10 May in 2011 and on 28 April in 2012.
Procession of our Lady of Fatima The procession goes from Macau Cathedral to the Chapel of Our Lady of Penha to commemorate a series of apparitions by the Virgin Mary to three peasant children at Fatima in Portugal in 1917. This falls on 13 May each year.
Macau Arts Festival (www.icm.gov.mo) Macau’s red-letter arts event kicks off the cultural year with music, drama and dance from both Asia and the West.
June
Dragon Boat Festival This festival is also known as Tuen Ng (Double Fifth), as it falls on the fifth day of the fifth moon. It commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, a poet-statesman of the 3rd century BC who hurled himself into the Mi Lo River in Hunan province to protest against a corrupt government; dragon-boat races take place and traditional rice dumplings are eaten in memory of the event. The festival will fall on 16 June in 2010, 6 June in 2011 and 23 June in 2012.
Macau Lotus Flower Festival The symbol of Macau is the focus of this festival, which sees lotuses blossoming in parks and gardens throughout Macau.
July
FIVB Women’s Volleyball Grand Prix (www.sport.gov.mo) This is one of the most important women’s volleyball tournaments in the region.
September/October
Macau International Fireworks Display Contest This event, the largest of its kind in the world, adds a splash of colour to the Macau night sky in autumn.
Macau Open Golf Tournament (www.sport.gov.mo) Part of the Asian PGA Tour, this event is held at