Changing rooms

More than 100 suspected illegal inns have been shut down since the new law against unlicensed accommodation was enacted last August. The government team in charge of enforcing the law to close down illegal, cheap, no-frills accommodation is now preparing to take the crusade in a new direction by launching an information campaign In the first six months of the campaign, the team raided 855 suspected establishments, pursued day-to-day inquiries and by mid-March had closed down 116 establishments. A total of 21 alleged operators of suspected illegal inns have been detained, as well as 19 alleged management staff, 14 alleged touts and 11 occupants who are accused of obstructing officials. Inquiries have been launched into around 500 occupants, with 29 accused of overstaying their visas and another 21 people who are thought to be illegal immigrants. The government has fined nine operators MOP200,000 each and there are cases still under investigation. Once the premises are closed down, staff from the Macau Government Tourist Office check periodically to ensure premises remain shuttered and the utilities remain cut off. Even so, the government admits illegal inns are far from being eradicated. The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Cheong U, says keeping unlicensed accommodation in check is a never-ending task. Referring to the figures for the six months since the law came into force, Mr Cheong said close communication with resident associations and building committees was essential to the success of the campaign. The government estimated last year that there were 200 to 300 suspected illegal inns in Macau, most around the International Centre complex and in the buildings behind the Holiday Inn in the ZAPE district. To help reduce demand for unlicensed accommodation, the government has changed its attitude to budget hostels. After years of turning up its nose at the idea that Macau needed low-cost accommodation options, Government Tourist Office director João Manuel Costa Antunes recently said officials were considering allowing smaller buildings and lots in the city’s older districts to be used as budget hotels. Rooms vacant About 641,000 people checked into Macau’s hotels and guesthouses in January, 3.5 percent fewer than a year before. Most were from the mainland, about 57 percent, with Hong Kong contributing about 17 percent. The average occupancy rate of hotels and guesthouses stood at 80.3 percent, which was 1.3 percentage points fewer than a year before. People who stayed in hotels and guesthouses accounted for 63.7 percent of all tourists in January.