Macao residents enthusiastic about subsidized local tours

MACAO, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Residents in China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) have shown enthusiasm for package tours in the city at prices subsidized by the local government.

On Saturday, the first day of this year's subsidized travel project, around 180 people in six groups took part in the tours, which include visits to the Macao Grand Prix Museum, cruise tours on the sea and dining at a popular buffet restaurant, according to the tourism office of the Macao SAR government.

The project was initiated in 2020 by the Macao SAR government, aiming to boost the local economy after COVID-19 hit.

Under this year's project, each Macao ID holder can enjoy a subsidy of up to 280 patacas (about 34.9 U.S. dollars) for traveling and 100 patacas for dining, with certain routes excluded. Each resident can also enjoy a subsidy of 200 patacas for staying at local hotels, with each room entitled to 400 patacas subsidy at the most.

As of Friday, 5,624 residents have registered for the tours and 526 hotel rooms have been booked via designated travel agencies, said the office. (1 pataca equals 0.1246 U.S. dollar)