The Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has reaffirmed its commitment to attracting more “international” tourists to Macau by offering a range of tourism incentives and products, including discounted bus and ferry fares from Hong Kong to Macau for foreign passengers arriving via Hong Kong International Airport.
However, MGTO did not say when it planned to relaunch the discounts.
The remarks were made by MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes in response to a written interpellation by indirectly-elected lawmaker-cum-unionist Lei Chan U last month, which noted that the government has earmarked 650 million patacas and 235 million patacas in the annual budgets for 2023 and 2024, respectively, to expand the sourcing of tourists, including offering concessions such as hotel and transport discounts to attract foreign visitors
According to the tourism chief’s written reply, this year, in addition to maintaining its focus on mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan as well as foreign markets in Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia, MGTO will also “relaunch” its efforts in Europe, the US, and India, while “exploring” potential markets in the Middle East.
The statement quoted Senna Fernandes as noting late last month that MGTO plans to continue last year’s “sea, land, and air” transport promotions, in conjunction with local, regional, and international airlines, to offer discounted air tickets and value-added product packages targeting passengers on direct flights from various international destinations to Macau and Hong Kong.
In a bid to attract more international tourists to choose Macau as a tourist destination, MGTO stated that it would continue its ongoing plan to provide “diversified” tourism products, including incentives such as “air tickets + hotel, accommodation, food and beverage and entertainment,” developed in cooperation with the travel trade both domestically and internationally.
According to MGTO, organising and participating in roadshow promotion campaigns and major international travel shows in Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea and Thailand, remain a key focus of its tourism promotion efforts this year.
In response to Lei’s enquiry about the effectiveness of Macau’s new gaming industry law encouraging gaming concessionaires to expand their overseas markets and the introduction of gross gaming revenue (GGR) tax reduction and waiver measures, MGTO said that last year’s GGR tax reductions and waivers granted to gaming concessionaires for expanding their overseas markets had increased year on year. It cited the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC), which confirmed a 66 percent year-on-year increase in foreign arrivals last year, thanks to the gaming concessionaires’ “diversified and high-quality experiences” offered to their clients, including the setting-up of specific gaming areas for foreign visitors, the expansion of overseas promotion offices, the introduction of membership privileges for foreign guests, the provision of private jet services, and the launch of overseas publicity and promotion campaigns in cooperation with various government entities.
The tourism chief said, as quoted by the statement, that MGTO would oversee the fulfilment of the concessionaires’ commitments to expand overseas sourcing of tourists and enhance the industry’s competitiveness.
When asked by Lei about the ongoing study on the second stage review of the tourism development master plan, MGTO said the relevant study would be completed in the second quarter of this year and its findings would be announced in due course.
Meanwhile, in an interview with public broadcaster TDM on Monday, MGTO Deputy Director Cheng Wai Tong reaffirmed the government’s target of attracting three million foreign visitors this year. He noted that MGTO has recently travelled to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to promote Macau’s tourism market to the respective travel trade there. Cheng also revealed plans for MGTO to cooperate with Hong Kong and Guangdong to promote the regional “multi-destination” brand, aiming to attract visitors from long-haul markets in Europe, such as France, and Germany, as well as India, with the total budget for international tourism promotions this year expected to be similar to that of last year.
This undated and unlocated handout photo by the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) last year shows a family of foreign visitors posing with their discounted ferry tickets.
