Officials must do more to help increase tourist traffic in northern Macao, says the president of the Industry and Commerce Association of Macau Northern District, Wong Kin Chong, whose comments were featured in a TDM report.
In his interview with the local broadcaster, Wong suggested that the government establish photogenic areas in the district that will attract visitors to go there to take photos for social media.
He said transport needed to be improved as well. “The government can consider opening special bus routes here, like point-to-point between tourist spots,” he suggested. “I believe this will help the older districts.”
The area’s now-defunct canidrome was also proposed as a venue for shows and events.
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Getting tourists to visit areas of Macao besides Cotai and the Historic Centre has long been a goal of the government, which would like the northern part of the city to benefit from tourist dollars.
For its part, the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has been working to heighten tourists’ awareness of the attractions in the northern suburbs through promotional videos and the Snowy Wonderland program.
The MGTO has also encouraged the opening of much needed budget accommodation in older parts of town as a means of revitalising such districts.
According to the latest tourist numbers, Macao recorded a total of 28.23 million visitors in 2023, or roughly 70 percent of the total recorded in pre-pandemic 2019.
