The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, left for Beijing today to attend the First Plenary Session of the Twelfth National People's Congress, which opens tomorrow.
During his four-day visit, Mr Chui will meet with leaders from Guangdong province to review mutual co-operation in the past and to set out projects for this year.
Asked by reporters at the Macao International Airport about the negative impact of the Individual Travel Scheme for Mainlanders as he was leaving for the capital, Mr Chui said he had instructed the Office for Public Political Research to conduct a comprehensive and in-depth study on the effects of that policy on Macao's economy, capacity for visitors and livelihood in the past decade.
He said that after the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, Macao faced many difficulties in economic development. The scheme was one of the most moves that supported Macao's substantial economy growth.
Visitors from the Mainland under the scheme increased from three million to seven million in the past decade, Mr Chui said. Residents of 49 Mainland cities now enjoy visiting Macao under the scheme, he said.
Over the Lunar New Year holidays thousands of Mainlanders were stuck at entry points, indicating that problems had occurred with clearance. Mr Chui stressed that this should not belittle the scheme, adding that the Government would review the policy and enhance management at gateways.
Mr Chui also revealed that the Government would take adequate measures to stabilise the market whenever necessary to curb huge rises in property prices.
