Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes said yesterday that the recent daily number of foreign visitor arrivals to the city ranged between 3,000 and 5,000, reaching 20 to 30 percent of the pre-COVID-19 level, adding that the number is more than double the daily average of foreign visitor arrivals of over 1,000 in the first quarter of this year.
According to Senna Fernandes, Macau has recently recorded an average of over 60,000 visitor arrivals daily, comprising compatriots from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan as well as “international” visitors, i.e., those from foreign countries.
The tourism chief also said that with the holding of major events in Macau in the second half of the year and the gradual resumption of international flights, she believed that Macau’s international tourism will be revived “effectively”.
In addition to 21 round-trip flights currently to and from Thailand every week, direct flights between Macau and Chiang Mai, a city in mountainous northern Thailand, will resume next month, Senna Fernandes said, adding that South Korean airlines will also soon re-enter the Macau market.
Apart from developing direct flights to Macau, according to Senna Fernandes, MGTO has also stepped up cooperation with neighbouring regions, such as launching the new product of Hong Kong-Macau combined tours through cooperation with airlines from Hong Kong and those from the mainland segment of the Greater Bay Area (GBA).
Considering that the number of tourists received by Macau has become “more and more diverse”, MGTO has adjusted its work arrangements, such as publicity and services, to meet the needs of new tourism markets and their preferences while, at the same time, continuing to provide training programmes for the sector to cater for different types of visitors, enhancing the quality of tourism services in Macau, Senna Fernandes noted.
Senna Fernandes made the remarks during a press conference about the 11th Macau International Travel (Industry) Expo, at the Macau World Trade Centre (MWTC) in Nape, which was also attended by MGTO Deputy Director Ricky Hoi Io Meng and Macau Travel Agency Association President Alex Lao Nga Wong.
Lao said in a speech during the press conference that the goal of supply-side structural reform and the innovative development of tourism can be achieved only in line with the mainland authorities’ requirements of “shaping tourism with cultural activities and promoting culture through tourism”, aiming to return to the golden age of tourism in Macau.
Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes speaks to reporters after yesterday’s press conference at the Macau World Trade Centre (MWTC) in Nape. – Photo: Yuki Lei
