The Economic and Technological Development Bureau (known by its Portuguese initials DSEDT) is planning to launch a campaign in October to promote shopping and dining in the city.
The announcement, which was reported by TDM, comes in the wake of statistics showing that people from Macao, and neighbouring Hong Kong, are flocking to spend their hard earned cash in mainland Chinese cities like Zhuhai, where prices are much cheaper and variety is greater.
According to the Statistics Bureau of Zhuhai, each month more than 360,000 Macao and Hong Kong residents travel to Zhuhai, where they collectively spend a staggering 454 million yuan – or around 5.5 billion yuan a year. That’s money that could otherwise have gone to retailers or restauranteurs in the SARs.
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In a bid to lure business back to Macao, the DSEDT is teaming up with the Macau Chamber of Commerce, to launch a three-month promotion that will see shoppers rewarded with e-vouchers when they patronise local businesses during the week. The vouchers will then be valid for use on weekends, encouraging people to spend their leisure time (and patacas) in Macao.
The scheme is similar to one that ran in the city’s struggling northern districts earlier this year and the DSEDT is hoping that as many as 22,000 businesses across Macao will sign up for the new, citywide version.
Retail sales in Macao plummeted by 17.5 percent in the first six months of 2024, compared to the same period last year. Takings at Macao’s restaurants are also significantly down.
