Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, the Director of MGTO, said in an interview that the authorities will gradually launch a large-scale international media online promotion plan for overseas visitors in the second half of this year, and is expected to be launched gradually by the end of August.
She revealed that the plan will cover the social media platform TikTok, as well as well-known overseas media outlets such as the Cable News Network (CNN) and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Additionally, it will also continue to collaborate with online travel agencies such as Agoda and Booking.com to launch promotional activities.
According to the MGTO website, the authorities publicly tendered in March this year, with six companies submitting bids, 3 of which were accepted. AdBeyong (Group) Limited won the bid with a total amount of 26.9 million patacas, and the service period will be from July this year to the end of the year.
Portugal visitors as the focus
In the first half of this year, there were nearly 1.17 million international visitors to Macao, recovering to about 67% of the same period in 2019. However, visitors from Portuguese-speaking countries only recovered to 65%, slightly lower than the overall international market recovery. According to the Statistics and Census Service data, in the first six months of this year, there were 4,436 visitors from Portugal and 4,867 visitors from Brazil.
Senna Fernandes pointed out that before the pandemic, the main visitors to Macao from Portuguese-speaking countries were from Portugal. Visitors from other Portuguese-speaking countries, generally located in Africa, have more complex travel routes to Macao and higher travel costs, resulting in relatively smaller numbers.
However, the authorities have already carried out a series of initiatives in the Portuguese market last year, including the “Experience Macao Unlimited – Macao Promotion in Lisbon” and inviting the Portuguese Travel Agencies Association (APAVT) to visit Macao. Additionally, the “2025 APAVT Annual Conference” will be held in Macao in early December next year.
In addition, APAVT is also assisting in the promotion and marketing of Macao tourism in the Spanish market. Through its introduction, the European Travel Agents’ and Tour Operators’ Association (ECTAA) which represents about 80,000 travel agencies in Europe will hold a conference in Macao next year.
In April 2023, Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng and his wife (center) visited Lisbon to attend the “Experience Macao Unlimited – Macao Promotion in Lisbon”.
Tourism tax
In 2020, the Tourism Office completed a “Feasibility study on tourist tax imposition“, which revealed that while the majority of residents support the imposition of a tourist tax, the industry is opposed, and tourists indicated that a tax would affect their willingness to visit Macao.
In an interview, the Director of the Tourism Office, Senna Fernandes, cited the study’s conclusion that “it is not recommended” to collect a tourism tax.
She explained that as a tourist city aiming to be a world tourism and leisure center, such a tax would negatively impact tourists’ perceptions of Macao.
On the other hand, she mentioned that the authorities are focusing on exploring tourism elements in different areas of Macao to disperse visitors, “rather than taking a negative approach by increasing the cost of visiting Macao for tourists.”
