Macau legislator wants to cap tourism

Macau is starting to become a victim of its own success. Its Legislative Assembly will debate how they can counter the negative effects brought on by increased tourism, reports GGRAsia.

Sulu Sou Ka Hou is the legislator who is spurring on the debate. He’s questioning how the city can meet its goal of being a tourism mecca when it’s already struggling to handle the number of tourists being drawn in, and cites “worsening leisure conditions.”

What he proposes is a cap on inbound visitors, and argues that the existing strategy, of attempting to spread tourism out throughout the autonomous region, is having adverse side effects. He argues that the roads are unable to handle the increase in traffic, and small companies are suffering from higher rents.

According to a 2015 research study, Macau’s optimum capacity for tourists is somewhere between 32.6 million and 33.7 million. That’s much less than the 35.8 million the city saw in 2018, and even more are expected this year.