Following the success of the 20-week “Northern District Consumer Grand Prix” sales promotion campaign, the Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) has once again joined hands with the Macau Chamber of Commerce (ACM) to launch next Monday the three-month “Macau Consumer Grand Prix” campaign, with the grand lucky draw featuring prizes worth up to 1.68 million patacas, including a top cash prize of 300,000 patacas.
The large-scale consumer sales promotion drive has been slated to take place between September 30 and December 29, in a bid to boost the community economy. Attended by Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong, DSEDT Acting Director Chan Tze Wai and Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, as well as ACM President Frederico Ma Chi Ngai, representatives from the city’s various district industry and commerce federations, social organisations and business operators, including Macau’s six integrated resort (IR) operators, the kick-off ceremony was held yesterday afternoon at the San Kio Basketball Court.
During the 13-week campaign period, all local e-Wallet users will be entitled to three weekly lucky draws of e-Vouchers each time when they make a single purchase of 50 patacas or more via mobile payment at online and offline merchants throughout Macau between Mondays and Fridays. The e-Vouchers received can be used for each purchase three times or more of their face value at over 22,000 local businesses on the forthcoming Saturdays and Sundays until December 29.
Chan said in a speech during yesterday’s ceremony that in order for residents and businesses to be able to celebrate the National Day on October 1 together, the campaign has been brought forward to the end of this month, with a budget of about 110 million patacas, including an additional 10 million patacas in e-Vouchers that will be given out in the first week of the campaign.
In his opening remarks during the ceremony, Ma said that in view of the current socio-economic environment, and considering that residents have already become accustomed to the mode of the “Northern District Consumer Grand Prix”, the government has once again joined hands with the Macau Chinese Chamber of Commerce to organise another consumer sales promotion campaign within a short period of time and extend its scope to all districts in the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR), in the hope that the effectiveness of the event can be continued, the community’s economy can be supported and revitalised, and confidence in the sustainability of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can be strengthened. Ma said: “Our chamber, in recent months, has paid five visits to the various districts to understand the operation of SMEs, San Kio district in particular, to conduct a fact-finding study”.
According to Ma, as part of the campaign’s attraction, the chamber will contribute 300,000 patacas as a cash prize for the grand lucky draw and, at the same time, receive prize sponsorships from the Bank of China (BOC), Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the six local IR operators, Tai Fung Bank, MacauPass, and China Guangfa Bank (CGB), with the grand lucky draw having a prize pool worth up to 1,680,000 patacas.
“The biggest difference to the last time is that this time we do not need to spend the weekend across the districts, unlike in the past when consumers had to deliberately go to the northern district in order to have their e-Vouchers redeemed in shops or restaurants there,” Ma told the media on the sidelines of the ceremony, urging businesses to also provide some weekend spending discounts in conjunction with the sales promotion campaign, thereby jointly promoting the whole consumption atmosphere.
Having participated in the first “Northern District Consumer Grand Prix”, a businessman surnamed Ieong, who runs a Burmese restaurant in the northern district, told reporters that his turnover, thanks to the last campaign, had been increased by more than 15 percent, adding he expected the upcoming campaign to stimulate his takings by about 20 percent.
Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong (front, centre), among other senior government officials, as well as ACM President Frederico Ma Chi Ngai, representatives from the industry and commerce federations, social organisations and business operators of different local districts, including the city’s six integrated resort (IR) operators, pose during yesterday’s kick-off ceremony of the “Macau Consumer Grand Prix” campaign at the San Kio Basketball Court. – Photos: Yuki Lei
Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) Acting Director Chan Tze Wai delivers a speech during the ceremony.
Macau Chamber of Commerce (ACM) President Frederico Ma Chi Ngai delivers a speech during the ceremony.
