Alert System Now A Priority

The city’s tourism authority is still mulling the classifications of different levels of threat for an outbound travel alert system that can serve as a reference to the insurance sector for forming travel compensation plans, the Director of Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, informed media yesterday. Speaking at an event, Ms. Fernandes said that the insurance sector here is demanding a clearer classification of travel threats and the grade of alert as the city mulls establishing an outbound travel alert system. The MGTO head reiterated that the Tourism Crisis Management Office expected to finish the internal discussion on the outbound travel alert system within this year. While the World Health Organization does not recommend any curb on travel or trade apropos South Korea during the ongoing Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) alert, the Tourism Crisis Management Office has already warned against non-essential travel to the country – an advisory level that follows the Health Bureau raising its response level to ‘High Alert’ – the third highest response level below ‘Serious’ and ‘Emergency’. The advisory issued by the Office and the health authority, however, does not form any binding directive on visitors’ travel plans and related compensation issues for the city’s travel agencies and airlines, Business Daily learnt from airport operator Macau International Airport Co Ltd (CAM) and local travel agencies. “Even in Hong Kong’s case, where there is an established outbound travel alert system, the imposition of the ‘Red Alert’ did not result in hotels and inns in South Korea offering any refund to their [Hong Kong] clients in the MERS outbreak,” said Sabrina Iong, general manager at EGL Tours (Macau) Co. Ltd. EGL Tours is one of several Hong Kong-incorporated travel agencies with branches here. When a ‘Red Alert’ under Hong Kong’s outbound travel alert system is issued, suggesting an adjustment to travel plans and avoidance of non-essential travel, these branches in Macau will correspondingly suspend group tours. “For visitors that have booked a flight plus accommodation package from travel agencies, a Red Alert does not guarantee them any refund as it depends upon their individual arrangements and compensation plans agreed with the hotels and airlines,” Ms. Iong added. The MGTO head told media in March that Macau could adopt an outbound travel alert system similar to Hong Kong’s. The outbound travel system in Hong Kong, established in 2009, covers a total of 85 countries and classifies threats and risks into three levels, identified by three colours – yellow, red and black. The yellow alert means local residents should monitor the situation of the destination and exercise caution, whilst residents should avoid non-essential travel and adjust travel plans when a red alert is issued. A black alert, meanwhile, warns residents to avoid all travel to that particular country. MERS: Air Macau offering free flight change plans In response to the MERS outbreak in South Korea, the city’s flag carrier Air Macau said it is offering a free change of flight schedule or destination for individual and group tour travellers that have booked the airline’s Seoul-bound flights on or before June 9 and are originally scheduled to take off before July 31. The change should be exercised within three months since the original Seoul-bound flight ticket was ordered or issued, the airline said. Currently, Air Macau and budget carrier Jin Air fly between Seoul and Macau. For the first nine days of this month, the city’s airport has handled a daily average of 900 passengers travelling on Macau-South Korea flights, Macau International Airport Co. Ltd. told Business Daily.