The expansion of the local tourism incentive scheme to Hengqin will be started early next year, the local director of tourism has confirmed.
The expansion was announced in the Policy Address last week.
Officially referred to as the Travel Stimulation Program, it encourages travelers, institutions and enterprises to choose Macau as an incentive and business destination and to organize events aimed at Incentive Tourism, Wedding Tourism, Student Tourism and Sports Tourism.
The grants can be used for team building events, awards evenings and for local transportation involved in the event. Teams with at least 25 non-Macau participants with a minimum stay of two consecutive nights in Macau may apply for the grants.
Tourism director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes has recently pointed out that the expansion aims at including Hengqin in the plans, in addition to the currently-operating joint MICE programs.
She further revealed that frameworks had been established with Hengqin authorities and once details are confirmed, the program will be expanded to the island as well. She added that it will likely be ready early next year.
To facilitate its expansion, criteria for access to the program will also be updated. For example, she said, the minimum number of nights required may be equally shared between Macau and Hengqin. She also hoped that other types of tours will be included in the program in the future.
Meanwhile, it was disclosed that some group tourists were taken by their guides to the Golden Lotus Square while the statue was fully covered for renovation. When asked about the situation, she underlined that the local tourism board does notify travel agencies about suspended or closed tourism attractions. In addition, she suggested agencies could take their guests to the Handover Gifts Museum as an alternative, since there is a smaller replica of the Golden Lotus statue there, as well as gifts from other municipalities and provinces.
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