From 20 August, flying direct between Macao and Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi province, will again be possible, the Macao Government Tourist Office (MGTO) has reportedly announced. The airline making the twice-weekly journey is understood to be China Eastern.
Flights between the two cities have been paused since the Covid-pandemic. However, it’s now possible to book a non-stop flight from Macao to Xi’an via China Eastern’s platform on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 20 August onwards. The flights are scheduled to depart at 1 pm, touching down in Xi’an three hours and 20 minutes later.
Non-stop flights in the opposite direction were scheduled to leave Xi’an at 9:05 am on the same days, taking just 2 hours and 55 minutes.
[See more: Only one city recently added to the Individual Visit Scheme has a direct flight to Macao]
MGTO told TDM that the relaunched flight route would precede a ‘Macao Week’ tourism roadshow in Xi’an, set to take place 22 to 26 August. MGTO representatives and a selection of local musicians will be on the ground, promoting the SAR as a travel destination for the mainland city’s residents.
The roadshow will showcase Macanese folk dancing and music “to reflect the Chinese and Portuguese cultural characteristics of Macao,” the office said. It will also overlap with a longer Macanese gastronomic festival in Xi’an, taking place 20 August to 1 September.
Xi’an became a target tourism market for MGTO after the city of 13 million joined mainland China’s Facilitated Individual Travel (FIT) scheme in March. However, April saw a month-on-month drop of tourists visiting Macao under the scheme, despite Xi’an and Qingdao’s recent inclusion.
The FIT scheme was launched in 2003 to promote tourism and exchange between the mainland and two SARS. It currently allows eligible visitors from the mainland to spend up to seven days in Macao every three months. Unlike Chinese residents who aren’t covered by the scheme, FIT visitors can travel to both Macao and Hong Kong independently – without needing to join a package tour.
