With this week’s Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday, Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes told reporters yesterday that she is expecting a daily average of 185,000 visitor arrivals over the 8-day CNY holiday.
The veteran tourism chief spoke with reporters after the opening ceremony of MGM’s “Barra Lucky Blessing Market” * in Barra district.
“That’s quite an optimistic projection, but seeing the current numbers during the past week, I think it is a possible scenario to achieve this 185,000 on average per day for the eight-day period”, Senna Fernandes said in response to a question by the Post. She added that the expectations also come with the central government’s new policies such as the one-trip-per-week permit for Zhuhai residents and the multiple entry permit for Hengqin residents, along with other promotions over the year.
In terms of hotel room occupancy, Senna Fernandes told reporters that it was close to 90 percent, noting that this figure could be exceeded and reach even 95 percent.
Moreover, with Thailand’s Cabinet having recently approved a draft bill legalising casinos in the country, the MGTO Director added that given the Macau government’s economic diversification strategy, she believes that in the future, it would be possible for the city to attract different types of visitors along with different age groups.
“Obviously we have to be cautious, but at the same time we are optimistic. We have to do our part, make sure that we develop our products well and do our promotions well. So, we have to continuously keep the momentum going”, according to Senna Fernandes.
Reminding travellers to be safe
Meanwhile, given the holiday period, Senna Fernandes told the Post that MGTO has already issued travel safety reminders over the past week, reminding everybody to take good care of themselves and be aware of possible hazards.
She added: “We are very attentive to what’s happening and making sure that our own residents are aware of the possible hazards”.
*More details about the event in tomorrow’s newspaper
Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes speaks with reporters after the opening ceremony of the “Barra Lucky Blessing Market” in Barra district
