Record numbers of mainland visitors put faith in quality
Competition is intense among the 15 jewellery shops packed along the busiest strip of the Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro in Macau.
Within seconds of stepping into one of the shops, a potential customer is served with jasmine tea, and asked to have a seat by a young saleswoman in a neat suit.
In contrast, across the street, the salesman in a dimly lit jewellery store, in an unbuttoned shirt, greets customers by gobbling down the last piece of barbecued pork in his lunchbox and rushing to turn on the lights.
Macau's gold and jewellery retailers are among the many to benefit from a recent record-breaking influx of mainland tourists.
A total of 1.33 million people entered Macau in May. Compared to last May, when Sars deterred travellers, the year-on-year increase was 122.5 per cent. A total of 61.2 per cent of the travellers came from the mainland. Hong Kong, which used to be Macau's main source of travellers, accounted for 28 per cent in May.