Representatives from the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) spent several days promoting Macao at one of Indonesia’s top travel fairs last week.
The MGTO partnered with integrated resorts, local travel agencies, and Macao’s airport to plug the city’s tourism offerings at ASTINDO, according to a statement from MGTO.
“As a Southeast Asia travel market with great potential, Indonesia ranks second among Macao’s international visitor markets and fifth among the ten leading visitor source markets,” it read.
The move is part of Macao’s bid to reduce its dependence on visitors from the mainland,
Foreign passport holders represented less than four percent of Macao’s 9.4 million visitors during the first five months of this year. In March, MGTO chief Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes said she was hopeful that they would eventually make up 10 percent of Macao’s arrivals.
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At ASTINDO – held at the “mega” Pantai Indah Kapuk Avenue shopping mall in Jakarta – the MGTO unveiled a booth promoting the SAR’s heritage sites, unique gastronomy, events, and leisure travel opportunities.
In July, a delegation from the Indonesian travel trade visited Macao to get a first-hand taste of what the city had to offer. The MGTO said the trip helped it tailor tourism products and experiences for Indonesian visitors.
“An all-rounded online-offline marketing campaign will go on in the future to tap the potential of the Indonesian visitor market,” according to MGTO.
Last month, local media reported that direct flights between Macao and Indonesia would kick off in October.
