The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has said it will relaunch a scheme offering discounted bus and ferry fares from Hong Kong to Macao for foreigners arriving via Hong Kong International Airport. Plans are also afoot to increase the focus on attracting long-haul visitors from Europe, India and Middle East.
In remarks cited by Macau Post Daily, MGTO director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes said her office would increase its focus on attracting visitors from Europe, the US, and India – on top of its core markets (the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan) and foreign markets in Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia.
She also said MGTO would be exploring potential markets in the Middle East.
Earlier this week, MGTO deputy director Cheng Wai Tong confirmed that delegations from the office had recently travelled to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to promote the SAR’s tourism offerings.
[See more: Tourist arrivals grew by nearly 24 percent in 2024, but length of stay fell]
Cheng also said that MGTO would cooperate with its counterparts in Hong Kong and Guangdong to promote a regional, multi-destination itinerary, aiming to attract visitors from long-haul markets like France, Germany and India.
In her statement, Senna Fernandes outlined plans to offer discounted air tickets and value-added product packages targeting passengers on direct flights from international destinations to both Macao and Hong Kong.
She also noted that, in response to tax incentives, Macao’s casino operators had ramped up their efforts to attract foreign gamblers, competition for which will become more pressing as other places in the region develop casinos.
Macao is expected to welcome around 38 to 39 million visitors this year, a figure that is almost on par with pre-pandemic numbers from 2019. Last year, the SAR welcomed 2,423,093 international visitors – a 66 percent year-on-year increase.
