Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) said that it is cooperating with an online tourism platform in the mainland to package a four-to-five-day Macau-Hengqin parent-child tourism product combining Macau leisure resorts and Hengqin theme parks, adding that the bureau will gradually carry out more new projects for Macau-Hengqin tourism in line with the market response in the future.
MGTO made the remarks in reply to a written interpellation by Lawmaker Lei Chan U in August asking for information about the allocation of its 650-million-pataca 2023 budget for the purpose of expanding the number of visitors this year, and also how to strike a better balance between the numbers of mainland tourists, Hong Kong tourists and international tourists.
MGTO said it has reserved a budget of 650 million patacas this year for expanding the local tourism industry, which will be used for providing flight tickets and hotel discounts and other tourist offers, according to Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng’s 2023 Policy Address.
MGTO said that of the 650 million patacas, an estimated 130 million patacas will be used for the provision of a flight ticket discount to and from the mainland as well as international routes to Macau, while 260 million patacas will be used for online travel agencies to provide guestroom concessions to mainland tourists and international tourists with hotel coupons.
Responding to Lei’s question about the government’s launch of multi-destination themed travel products to expand the source of mainland visitors beyond Guangdong province to Hengqin and Macau, MGTO noted that 180 million patacas will be used for the launch of the “Group Tour Financial Assistance” scheme to encourage local travel agencies to attract more tourists from the mainland and Taiwan as well as foreign tour groups to visit Macau. Moreover, according to the reply, 80 million patacas will be used to support local travel agencies, international airlines and border-crossing transport operators in providing travel concessions to Hong Kong, Taiwan and foreign travellers.
This undated file photo downloaded yesterday from the official website of the Guangdong-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin shows a garden in Hengqin displaying a “Welcome to Hengqin” sign.
