Thousands of visitors have made their way to two specially organised festivals in Macao which employ Augmented Reality to help boost neighbourhood economies.
According to the Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) over 44,000 people joined the ongoing Arraial na Ervanários (Festival of Herbalists) which launched last November, while 9,000 have visited Arraial em Coloane, which started in April.
Taken together, the festivals have clocked up more than half-a-million website visits, Lei Chong In, deputy convener of the Central District Social Services Consultative Committee, said yesterday.
Lei added that according to surveys conducted by the bureau, as of last Sunday, 82 per cent of the respondents said that the Arraial na Ervanários encouraged them to stay longer in the area that the event covered, such as Rua dos Ervanários, adding that 77 per cent of them said that they increased their consumption in the area, while 84 per cent said they spent more than MOP 50 there.
Concerning the impact of the Arraial em Coloane, Lei said that 87 per cent of those surveyed noted that they had extended the time they stayed in Coloane, while 82 per cent said that their consumption there had increased, adding that more than 90 per cent spent over MOP 50 during their stay in the area.
The Arraial na Ervanários will run until 24 June while Arraial em Coloane ends on 31 July. Around 50 merchants are taking part in the two events as both are aimed at attracting more tourists to spend money there, such as through augmented reality technologies and different discounts, as well as the distribution of vouchers.
Committee member Chan Wai Pan said that DSEDT have been considering holding similar events in other districts, adding that the Arraial na Ervanários can be extended and combined with other activities, such as the Hong Kung Night Market, The Macau Post Daily reported.
