Macau launches “Quality Tourism Services Accreditation Scheme”

MACAU – The Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) is launching its “Quality Tourism Services Accreditation Scheme” (QTSAS) to establish standards for the industry.

MACAU – The Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) is launching its “Quality Tourism Services Accreditation Scheme” (QTSAS) to establish standards for the industry. The Office will present two accolades, namely the “Star Merchant Award” and the “Service Star Award.”

When speaking at a press conference yesterday, MGTO Director Helena de Senna Fernandes remarked that Macau is developing into a world center of tourism and leisure, while also forging ahead with diversified development. The director commented that service quality in particular plays a significant factor in this progress. She said that the new scheme serves to encourage traders to improve but also to provide recognition to merchants who already provide prominent services.

The food and beverage industry has been chosen to kick off the scheme for the first year. Applications for the award open tomorrow.

According to the classification of the license, there are four categories: “Deluxe Restaurant,” “First Class Restaurant,” “Second Class Restaurant” and “Food and Beverage Establishments.”

Fernandes explained that beginning with the food industry could be a pilot test to see if the standards can feasibly be carried out in the future.

The awards are valid from 2015 until 2017. Any licensed restaurant or catering establishment that has been open for business in Macau for at least one year is eligible to participate. The office will accept 100 applications in total. Merchants who are interested in participating can submit applications to MGTO between April 4 and 30.

Merchants who wish to participate in the scheme are required to go through a range of assessments, with criteria designed to judge their service performance and management systems.

The assessment phase includes stages like “Mystery Shopping” and a “Service Management System Audit,” which refer to comprehensive evaluations of the merchants’ frontline service and management level respectively.

According to Fernandes, “mystery guests” will not be Macau residents. “They are well-trained professionals,” she disclosed, adding that the authority is trying to implement a fair judging criteria and method. “We deem the review by a mystery shopper during a single visit to be too subjective. So we arrange six visits to the same restaurant, in both busy and idle hours. Establishments that received service accreditation will be given priority during promotion to visitors,” said the director.

Information about which merchants have been awarded the accolades will be announced at the end of the year, after the assessments have been conducted between May and October.

She mentioned that there would be random checks during the three-year term of validity, and that there is the potential for punishment if a violation is found to have occurred, “such as food poisoning or a large number of complaints about the canteen. We’re also preparing a point deduction system. If restaurants have ten or more points deducted from their score, their accreditation could be suspended or deprived.”

Restaurants need to apply for review again after three years.
Those with the highest points in each category will receive MOP5,000.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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