Local hotels’ occupancy rate has reached 40 percent even after the end of the mainland’s Golden Week holiday on October 8, Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes said yesterday.
Senna Fernandes made the remarks yesterday on the sidelines of a press conference about the 8th Macau International Travel (Industry) Expo at Macau Tower.
Senna Fernandes said that even though the hotels’ discount prices could be a contributing factor to the higher occupancy rate, the figures still reflected that people were willing to prolong their stay in Macau. The MGTO chief added that she believed that the higher occupancy rates result from mainland visitors rather than local residents because the peak season for staycations, which was in July and August, is over. However, she said that she needed to wait until the end of the month for the final occupancy figures.
According to Senna Fernandes, the number of mainland visitors has reached around 20,000 people per day. She said that she believed this number of visitor arrivals would stay the same for a while, or even for the rest of the year.
When asked when tour groups will be coming again from the mainland, Senna Fernandes said that her office has been trying to communicate with different entities about the matter. She added that for the time being there won’t be any tour groups.
Senna Fernandes also said that her office would focus on promoting Macau as a COVID-free city to attract more individual travellers from the mainland. She added that besides hosting events and providing discounts for mainlanders, her office has also invited online influencers to promote Macau through social media.
When asked about the Macau Light Festival situation, Senna Fernandes said the turnout had met her office’s expectation. She pointed out that at the Light Festival press conference on September 17 she had expressed the hope that there would be 200,000 visitors, adding that according to the most recent records, the light-fest attracted about 210,000.
Senna Fernandes acknowledged that there have been criticisms about this year’s light festival. She said that for this year’s festival her office has tried out different things such as the light show in Praça do Tap Seac and the displays in Rua de Cinco de Outubro. She said she believed that the installations this year are “beautiful”, however, she understood that at some installations, for example the ones in Rua de Cinco de Outubro it’s harder to take pictures.
Senna Fernandes also pointed out that having the festival in October had caused some problems due to the unstable weather, adding that her office would learn from this years’ experience and adjust.
Travel agency woes
Reporters also asked her about recent concerns of travel agencies closing due to the upcoming change in the statutory minimum wage.
The city’s first-ever overall minimum wage law will take effect on Sunday, when all employees in the private sector – except domestic helpers and disabled workers – will be covered by a statutory minimum wage of 32 patacas per hour.
Senna Fernandes told reporters that according to the latest statistics Macau has 220 travel agencies. She pointed out this year only five travel agencies decided to close due to financial issues. She pointed out that the last agency that decided to wind up was in July, therefore she believed that the implementation of the minimum wage was not the reason for their going out of business.
International Travel (Industry) Expo
According to an MGTO statement provided yesterday during the press conference, the 8th Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo (MITE) will be held at the Venetian’s Cotai Expo from November 6-8. The statement said that the expo would bring together physical and virtual exhibitions for the first time, adding that there will also be a debut of the Pavilion of Macau’s “Distinctive Shops”.
The statement said that six major highlights will be unveiled to bolster Macau’s tourism industry to spur the tourism sector’s economic revival.
According to the statement, the six major highlights include local and mainland tour products for sale, a so-called Community Cultural Creative Achievement Exhibition, and a Mak Mak Pavilion.
Mak Mak is the MGTO’s mascot for the local tourism industry.
For more information about the expo, visit www.mitexpo.mo.
Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes talks to reporters on the sidelines of the 8th Macau International Travel (Industry) Expo press conference at Macau Tower yesterday. Photo: Prisca Tang
