CE tours urban renewal site and tourism facilities as part of Singapore visit

MACAU, August 30 - The Chief Executive, Mr Sam Hou Fai, today conducted site visits in Singapore, with a view to draw on Singapore’s successful experience in order to support Macao’s accelerated urban renewal work and the continuous enrichment of Macao’s offerings as a world centre of tourism and leisure.

Mr Sam today visited a public housing redevelopment project by Singapore’s Housing & Development Board (HDB) in a former satellite town, a resort on Sentosa Island, and the tourist attraction Gardens by the Bay.

The Chief Executive is leading a Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) delegation comprising MSAR Government officials and representatives of business organisations on an eight-day official visit covering Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

Accompanied by the Chinese Ambassador to Singapore, Mr Cao Zhongming, and the Consul-General of Singapore in Hong Kong, Mr Eric Teo Boon Hee, the Chief Executive visited in the afternoon a public housing estate in Queenstown – a redevelopment project built in a former satellite town. Mr Sam received a briefing from the HDB Chief Executive, Mr Tan Meng Dui, and they engaged in in-depth exchanges on urban planning and housing development practices.

HDB flats, Singapore’s public housing stock, serve not only to meet residents’ housing needs but also form a core pillar of social stability through their high-quality, liveable environments, noted Mr Sam. With a growing number of Macao’s existing housing units categorised as old, Macao must accelerate its urban renewal efforts. He stated that Singapore’s public housing model is globally recognised as a benchmark, and its core principles and overall approach offer valuable reference points for Macao.

In particular, Singapore’s recently-highlighted policy framework for replacing older flats warranted careful study by the MSAR Government, said Mr Sam. By adapting such models to Macao’s local context, the authorities can optimise the allocation of subsidised housing resources, explore a system for the replacement of public housing units, and develop innovative housing policies better aligned to residents’ real needs.

Mr Sam stressed that urban renewal is a critical livelihood-related initiative, a key component in building the policy vision of “Blissful Macao”, and directly impacts the city’s overall image. It was also one of the priorities outlined in the Third Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the MSAR (2026-2030).

Mr Sam added that this visit had deepened the Macao side’s understanding of advanced urban renewal concepts in use in Singapore and their practical implementation, providing valuable insights for Macao’s own urban renewal and community governance strategies. The MSAR Government will continue to draw on international best practices while tailoring them to local conditions, steadily advancing urban renewal initiatives to ensure that urban development benefits all residents.

In the morning, the Chief Executive visited Sentosa to inspect popular facilities such as the Marine Life Park, learning how Singapore continuously enhances its tourism and leisure infrastructure to enrich the visitor experience. Such a site visit offered practical lessons for Macao’s efforts to diversify its tourism offerings.

Later, Mr Sam proceeded to Gardens by the Bay to study the project’s founding vision and plans for further development. He remarked that the gardens are more than just a large urban park — they represent a successful integration of culture, art, and ecological technology, serving as an exemplary case of city branding. He also noted the inclusive offerings to the needs of seniors and children, which reflect practical measures to enhance public well-being.

Mr Sam expressed hope that Macao’s integrated tourism and leisure enterprises would further learn from Singapore’s successes, designing and developing a wider variety of tourism and leisure attractions. This would support the continued advancement of the city’s “Tourism +” strategy, diversify Macao’s cultural and tourism consumption landscape, enhance the visitor experience, attract broader market segments, and inject greater momentum into the MSAR’s appropriate economic diversification.

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