The Macau SAR’s “unstable” Covid-19 policy has deterred mainland Chinese travelers from visiting, making it an “unpopular” destination for mainland visitors, according to China’s giant global travel service provider, Trip.com.
Macau’s adherence to zero-Covid has led the city to impose strict border restrictions and partial lockdowns when new cases arise, leading to downturn in tourist arrivals, particularly during the largest outbreak that started in mid-June.
Speaking at the Trip.com’s 2022 Global Partner Summit in Macau, Edison Chen, general manager of Destination Marketing at the Trip.com Group, said that although there were instabilities in the city’s policy, the key direction remains to attract more mainland tourists to Macau.
“[Over] the last few years, I understand the policy was not very stable but [there are now] more flights from mainland China to Macau [since the resumption of eVisas in November],” said Chen in reply to the Times’ query.
“The key direction between mainland China and Macau is [that] we definitely want to encourage mainland travelers to come to Macau. One of the key reasons is that the Macau government has […] provided a good policy to make sure travelers are safe,” the executive added.
In the city’s previous “Macao Weeks” mainland China, one of the aims has been to promote Macau as a safe and high-quality destination.
In line with this, the international one-stop tourism service company believes that large summits, which are slated to be held in the SAR, will encourage mainland travelers to see that despite cross-border requirements, it is worthwhile to visit the city.
“We just want to send out this message through this event that Macau is still a safe place to travel and it welcomes you to come,” said Chen.
Over the past several days, China was seen to be easing some of the world’s most stringent anti-virus controls and authorities have said that new variants are weaker.
However, they have yet to say when they might end the “zero-Covid” strategy that confines people to their homes and has sparked protests.
For Chen, the zero-Covid policy has eased significantly compared to two years ago, as can be seen through measure such as the increased number of international flights and relatively lower airfare prices.
“Different countries have different policies towards Covid because […] it’s also about the situations of the countries. I believe whatever policy we apply now is the best solution according to China,” Chen noted.
“Of course, definitely, this policy will have different impacts for the public, there is no doubt,” he added.
Meanwhile, health experts and economists warn it will be mid-2023 and possibly 2024 before vaccination rates are high enough and hospitals are prepared to handle a possible surge in infections.
“China is not ready for a fast reopening yet,” Morgan Stanley economists said in a report on Monday, adding, “We expect lingering containment measures. … Restrictions could still tighten dynamically in lower-tier cities should hospitalizations surge.”
trip.com summit attracts
over 1,000 participants
Trip.com Group’s 2022 Global Partner Summit in Macau attracted over 1,000 participants Friday.
As a sponsor of the summit for two consecutive years, the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) hopes to leverage the influential large-scale conference to promote the city’s diverse tourism resources and strengths as a MICE destination among mainland and overseas industry professionals.
Themed “Journey into the Future Together – explore the return of international travel markets,” the summit features a main forum and several sub forums about business travel, accommodation, air ticketing and marketing, as well as a roundtable forum and an award ceremony.
The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lei Wai Nong, attended the main forum and remarked in his speech that the summit had gathered over 1,000 participants including tourism industry leaders from different countries and regions this year.
“It deeply bespeaks Macau’s comprehensive ability to organize large-scale MICE events, as well as the city’s image as a safe and quality destination,” he said.
