The 2024 Sands Shopping Carnival – the annual retail extravaganza offering steep discounts across many product categories – was launched yesterday afternoon at the Cotai Expo in the Venetian Macao.
Spanning four days, the carnival is a free platform for local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and Sands retailers, connecting them with consumers who can take advantage of discounts as high as 90 percent on a range of items such as household goods, food and local products.
This year, the event returns with more than 580 booths – more than previous years – spread across 9 themed zones, from parenting and family to green living.
During the opening ceremony, the executive vice chairman of Sands China, Wilfred Wong, spoke of the cooperation between the government and various sectors of the community that has helped to sustain the carnival.
Wong noted that the event had attracted 420,000 guests and featured almost 2,800 booths in the past four years and also highlighted that an unprecedented 325 booths were reserved for small and medium sized businesses this year, accounting for over half of the exhibitors in the carnival.
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“There were over 500 [SME] booth applicants, so we had no choice, but to allocate more booths for them,” Wong stated. He also mentioned that one-third of the businesses taking part in this year’s carnival were new, which allowed “everyone to have a new experience each year.”
Other speakers at the event included the head of the Macao Government Tourism Office Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes and the vice president of the board of directors of the Macao Chamber of Commerce, U Kin Cho.
Senna Fernandes spoke about the importance of shopping to Macao’s tourism sector, stating that “for the first quarter of this year, shopping made up 48 percent of spending from tourists coming to Macao.” The MGTO chief pointed out that accommodation and dining were in second place and stressed the importance of quality shopping
U, meanwhile, emphasised the importance of the carnival to SMEs, which have struggled in the post-pandemic era. “We firmly believe that with the active involvement of major corporations like Sands China, and the determined efforts of SMEs in their own transformation and upgrading, Macao will undoubtedly regain its economic vitality,” he said.
The 2024 iteration runs until 21 July between 12 pm to 10 pm. Admission to the carnival is free, with complimentary parking available.
