Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes told the media after yesterday afternoon’s “Visiting the Ruins of St Paul through Space & Time” kick-off ceremony that MGTO was currently doing “quite a lot of things” in the Hong Kong tourism market, adding that MGTO has already started promotion campaigns in Hong Kong, such as a raft of transport and hotel discounts for Hong Kong travellers next year.
Senna Fernandes pointed out that with the aim of introducing “the latest tourism offerings in Macau to our Hong Kong counterparts,” MGTO held a semi-virtual meeting with the Hong Kong tourism sector and media yesterday afternoon. Senna Fernandes added that for the first time in three years, Macau received its first group of tourists from Hong Kong last night, which she described as a “good sign”.
According to Senna Fernandes, MGTO is also planning its promotions in overseas markets such as Thailand, Japan and South Korea, depending on the easing of their respective travel restrictions, while re-establishing business relationships with overseas operators.
Meanwhile, Senna Fernandes said that with the passing of Macau’s “worst” COVID-19 wave, she expected that the city will be able to reach a daily average of about 40,000 visitor arrivals next year, “which is the target that we [MGTO] have set for ourselves for 2023.” Due to the current COVID-19 wave, she added, the recent daily average number of visitor arrivals reached just about 10,000.
When asked about the effectiveness of the government’s “Light Up Macao 2022” event, Senna Fernandes said that the number of visitors was down from last year, adding that MGTO will not be able to extend the event as preparations needed to be made for the Chinese New Year (CNY) when more events will be held. The Chinese New Year of the Rabbit falls on January 22.
On the third, seventh and fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Senna Fernandes pointed out that there will be a raft of CNY activities such as fireworks, a traditional parade and “a big dragon”. Macau’s tourism supremo added she believed that Macau’s number of available hotel rooms and catering venues could “basically” return to normal before long.
Asked by a local reporter about the rising number of layoffs over the past few years, Senna Fernandes said: “With more tourists coming to Macau, more tourist offerings will be needed, therefore, more service people will be needed,” adding: “For those who are in business, they are definitely very much aware of what is needed and they will also find the [necessary] manpower.”
Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes talks to reporters after yesterday’s kick-off ceremony of the “Visiting the Ruins of St Paul through Space and Time” Virtual Reality (VR) exhibition. – Photo: MPDG
