The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) said last week it had launched a survey on the potential introduction of a tourist tax to the city. The method by which such a tax might be collected, and how much it might be, have not so far been mentioned by officials.
Tiny Macau is on course for more than 38 million tourists this year, according to the local tourism bureau.
The city had more than 35.8 million last year. To put those numbers in perspective, the whole of Japan received only 31.2 million visitors in 2018, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.
Some of the committee members and casino operators were said to have expressed concerns about the idea of introducing a tourist tax and its potential impact to the gambling industry, according to the government press release.
It has been launched an online poll surveying public opinion on the potential introduction of a tourist tax to the city. The survey began on May 20 and runs until June 20, inclusive. MGTO has also stated that it has distributed separate questionnaires on the tourist tax topic to entities in Macau’s travel industry.
