A new tour guide law is currently being discussed by the Legislative Assembly (AL), proposing to increase the penalty for unlicensed tour guides by MOP$20,000 (US$2,500). It also stipulates that licensed guides may be fined between MOP$10,000 (US$1,250) and MOP$20,000 if they fail to wear their work permits while working.
The Law on the Business of Travel Agents and the Profession of Tour Guides is a new legal scheme for tour guides and travel agents in Macau and was first voted on by the AL on 12 April this year. It is now undergoing detailed discussion by the Second Standing Committee.
The bill adds a number of new codes of conduct for licensed tour guides and increases the penalties for illegal guides. The bill stipulates that only holders of Tourist Guide Passes issued by the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) are allowed to provide tour guide services in Macau, and that tour guides can only be assigned by tour operators to provide tour guide services.
If a person who does not hold a tour guide pass provides such services in Macau, he or she is liable to a fine of between MOP$30,000 and MOP$50,000 (US$3,750 and US$6,250) according to the law. This is a significant increase from the MOP$20,000 to MOP$30,000 penalty under the old law.
The bill also requires licensed tour guides to wear their permits while working and to keep them in a place where they can be easily identified. Failure to do so could result in a fine of between MOP$10,000 and MOP$20,000, a up from a MOP$1,000 to MOP$5,000 (US$125 to US$625) fine under the old law.
At a panel meeting on Tuesday, the chairman of the committee, Chan Chak Mo, mentioned that some members were concerned that the penalty for tour guides not wearing work permits was too strict. Citing the government’s response, he pointed out that tour guides are frontline tourism workers and their work has a great impact on the image of Macau tourism, so they need to be regulated.
Since the reopening of Macau’s borders in January 2023, the number of tour group arrivals has been increasing, with 1,497,000 tour group arrivals in the first three quarters of this year, a year-on-year increase of 100%.
However, this increase in tourists has also seen many unlicensed tour guides emerge. Last week, a tour group falsely charged mainland tourists RMB200 each as an entry fee to The Venetian Macao.
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