35 million tourist arrivals predicted for whole of 2018

The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) expects this year’s tourist arrivals to reach 35 million, up from 32.6 million in 2017.

MGTO director Helena de Senna Fernandes gave the estimate in an interview with TDM in Shanghai.

“Looking at the [trend of] the past months, we estimated that, by the end of the year, the number of tourist arrivals might be around 35 million,” she said.   

With the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HKZMB) now open, Macau’s tourism authorities will focus on cooperation within the Greater Bay Area (GBA), she added.

“We have always been planning it [a better utilization of the HKZMB], as well as a medium- and a long-distance market. [We hope to] attract more overseas tourists to Macau through the Hong Kong International Airport [and through the HKZMB],” she continued.

Macau’s airport mainly links cities within four hours’ flight distance of each other.

The MGTO also plans to promote the GBA by inviting media and tourism representatives from overseas.

Senna Fernandes added that the MGTO will meet with industry representatives this week to discuss issues that have arisen in the aftermath of the bridge’s opening.

CRIME | Four mainlanders investigated for brawling

The Judiciary Police (PJ) has arrested four mainlanders who were involved in a fight at a Cotai hotel, the PJ said in a statement.

The fight broke out around 2 a.m. yesterday, and was recorded by third parties before going viral online.

A borrower, surnamed Chen, and his friend, surnamed Yang, clashed with two usury lenders.

The PJ said Chen and Yang had borrowed money from the usurers on October 31 in order to gamble. When Chen lost the money, he and Yang were imprisoned in the usurers’ hotel room, but later escaped.

Early yesterday morning, however, Chen and Yang encountered the usurers in the casino once more. Both sides engaged in a verbal dispute which escalated into a physical confrontation.

On May 2 this year, an online video had recorded an even bigger group fight in front of a Cotai casino, which saw local police detain 39 mainland men. The four men arrested this week are suspected of involvement in the May fight.