Even with the borders shut last year, the MGTO claims to be well on track with its ambitious tourism agenda.
Macao Government Tourism Office
The number is less than 60 percent of the total number of visitors recorded during the first half of 2019, before the pandemic hit.
A promotion featuring Hong Kong celebrities, influencers and the travel trade has been held to lure visitors from Macao’s neighbouring SAR.
Foreign arrivals have more than doubled, which is welcome news to tourism officials seeking to reduce Macao’s heavy dependence on the mainland Chinese tourism market.
The MGTO’s Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes says the territory wants to work with airlines that fly into Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou to bring tourists to Macao.
The total number of guests from Macao’s biggest markets, mainland China and Hong Kong, also posted sharp increases.
Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, the head of the Macao Government Tourism Office, says average daily visitor totals are now at about 50 percent of their pre-pandemic levels.
Mainland Chinese are the biggest spenders, followed by tourists from Taiwan and Hong Kong, with shopping topping the expenditure list.
Tourism officials hope that the number of visitors during the customary mainland Chinese holiday will exceed those welcomed during Easter.
