Inside Asian Gaming

IAG FEB 2023年2月 亞博匯 108 FEATURES T he Macau SAR G o v e r n m e n t announced the lifting of all quarantine policies from 8 January 2023, officially opening its doors to welcome visitors from around the world for the first time in three years. The sudden reopening has industry experts and tourism operators exhibiting a renewed sense of optimism that the good times for Macau could return sooner rather than later. Speaking with Inside Asian Gaming , Ryan Hong-Wai Ho, lecturer at the Centre for Gaming and Tourism Studies, Macao Polytechnic University said the reopening of borders sends a positive message to all business sectors in Macau. “The economy was down to the bottom in 2022 as the gaming industry was on the slide, so it is a good start for the whole year,” Ho said. “It would definitely benefit the industry development.” The easing of COVID-19 restrictions also saw Macau drop all nucleic acid test (NAT) and quarantine requirements for people entering Macau from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan while cancelling the traffic light health code system. On the same day, a mandatory quarantine requirement for arrivals from foreign countries was lifted with the only restriction remaining being a requirement to show a negative NAT or Rapid Antigen Test