The Macau Grand Prix, as the city’s emblematic sporting event, is now in its 72nd edition and over the years has drawn numerous tourists. This year’s edition recorded a total attendance of 116,000 people — an increase of nearly 10% compared with the previous year and a new recent record, generating significant economic benefits and helping to reinforce Macau’s image as an international metropolis.
During each Grand Prix, the authorities make available various on-site sales stalls for companies or organizations interested in applying, allowing them to sell products, food, and other goods — while promoting their brands. Currently, these stalls are open to both local and non-local traders. However, some local traders believe that, given the Grand Prix’s great relevance to Macau, the participation opportunities for local businesses should be better protected — for example by defining a reasonable proportion of stall allocation between local and non-local traders.
As to the application and approval process: in zones where demand exceeds supply, stall allocation is done by lottery. However, the results of the lottery are only announced about one week before the start of the event, leaving traders very little time to procure goods — especially custom-made products. Moreover, some items must be ordered from abroad, requiring production and transport time, which negatively impacts business operations. Traders hope that the authorities will optimize the application and stall-allocation process in future editions, ensuring sufficient time for the selected applicants to acquire goods and prepare their operations.
Furthermore, stall rent ranges between 18,000 and 28,000 patacas. With the economy still in a recovery phase, some traders consider these amounts a heavy burden. The authorities should take current economic conditions into account when setting rental prices. Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are a key force for social and economic development. In parallel, the building of a “Sports City” and leveraging the synergy effect of the “Sports+” concept through branded sporting events constitute an important political orientation of the Government. Thus, in promoting major sporting events, greater attention should be given to supporting the participation of local MSMEs. Through supportive policies, it is possible to strengthen the “Sports + Economy” effect, achieving mutually beneficial development for both sport and economy.
Allowing applications from both local and non-local traders affects, to some extent, the participation of local MSMEs. It is hoped that the Government will clarify whether it plans to optimize the application and allocation process for Grand Prix stalls and establish quotas for local traders, in order to support the development of MSMEs. Additionally, in zones where the number of applications exceeds available capacity, a lottery system is applied. The main problem is that the results are only revealed about a week before the event begins — creating major supply difficulties for traders, especially for customized products that require long lead-times. To worsen matters, some items must be procured internationally, involving extended production and transport periods, which significantly limits commercial feasibility. Therefore, the approval and announcement schedule should be accelerated in future editions, giving selected traders enough time to acquire goods and ensure their operations run smoothly.
Given public opinion that considers the stall rents at the Grand Prix excessive — during a phase when the economy is still recovering — it is argued that the authorities should consider a suitable reduction in stall rents for the next edition, taking into account current economic realities.
Macau United Citizens Association
