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Macau's Minister of Culture and Social Affairs, Ao Ieong U, announced that the program for issuing tourist visas for individual trips (IVS) will begin on August 12. This announcement comes nearly a month after China eased Covid-19-related border restrictions between Macau and the neighboring coastal province of Guangdong.
Casinos in Macau – dubbed the world's largest gambling hub – have suffered heavy losses since February when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. This is because over 90% of Macau's tourists come from mainland China. Therefore, casino owners have expressed that without a plan to reinstate visas, Macau's casino industry has little hope of recovery.
Macau is known as the gambling capital of Asia.
Vitaly Umansky, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein in Hong Kong, said the resumption of visas to Zhuhai remains limited. “However, the restart of IVS and group visa issuance is a step in the right direction as China and Macau gradually ease travel restrictions between their jurisdictions.”
