The Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) yesterday launched its Experience Macao Limited Edition International Promotional Campaign aimed at foreign visitors that features an online interactive game for a chance to win prizes.
Held in collaboration with Macau’s six integrated resort (IR) operators, the campaign is limited to foreign passport holders, i.e., excluding locals, mainland Chinese and Taiwanese, with details announced during a press conference at the Macau Grand Prix Museum yesterday.
Upon registering on the campaign website, the foreign participants can take part in the online game where they can answer three daily trivia questions about Macau. Correct answers give participants the chance to enter a lucky draw to win one of the 100 prize packages curated by the six IR operators, the event website notes.
A statement provided at the press conference added that each prize includes a local hotel stay and round-trip air tickets to Macau, with winners able to enjoy their prizes this year. Visits to Macau’s heritage sites and intangible cultural heritage activities are also among the offerings.
Speaking on the concept behind the new limited-edition campaign, MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes told the Post after the press conference that MGTO’s focus from the beginning of this year has been on attracting foreign visitors, hoping that there would be at least two million of them visiting Macau by the end of this year. And that by the end of 2025, she added, MGTO hopes to reach roughly around 3 million foreign visitors, which is close to the 2019 pre-pandemic level, with the bureau having hosted a raft of in-person activities from the beginning of the year through early July.
The veteran tourism chief pointed out: “At this point in time, we feel that we want to do something a little bit different. We want to try out some other kinds of campaigns”, with the current one hoping to get more visitors to understand Macau more and “not only stick with the old stereotypes of casinos and that’s all”, as well as to give them reasons to “come to Macau very, very quickly”.
Even if foreign visitors don’t come to Macau immediately because of the prizes offered by the campaign, Senna Fernandes remarked that, at least, they will get to know more about Macau and have a different impression of the city. “And then eventually we can attract them to come to Macau by other means”.
Senna Fernandes told reporters that the budget for the campaign stands at 26.9 million patacas, with 2.9 million patacas contributed by the government while 24 million comes from the six IR operators. MGTO is also working with a number of social media key opinion leaders (KOLs) on the campaign, which lasts through October 17 across three stages, to spread the word about Macau, she said.
Further details can be found on the @visitmacao Instagram page and Facebook page, as well as on ExperienceMacaoLimitedEdition.com.
Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes introduces the Experience Macao Limited Edition International Promotional Campaign during a press conference yesterday at the Macau Grand Prix Museum in Nape. – Photo: Rui Pastorin
