Barra CNY market kicks off; organizers expect visitors to double this year

The Barra Lunar New Year market, this year named the “Barra Lucky Blessing Market,” officially opened last Sunday.

The traditional market will run until February 25 and has been enhanced with a series of events and performances organized by the gaming concessionaire MGM to revitalize the area.

At the inauguration ceremony, Catarina Lio, senior vice president of Brand Marketing at MGM, told the public broadcaster TDM that she expects the number of visitors to increase to around 20,000 this year.

Lio noted that in 2024, about 400,000 people participated in activities held in the district, with an average of 10,000 people per day during the Spring Festival. She anticipates this number will double compared to 2023.

She also mentioned that these activities are expected to be held regularly throughout the year.

This year’s market features 35 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from various cultural and creative industries.

Meanwhile, MGM’s executive director, Kenneth Feng, expressed optimism about the turnout for the company’s activities, noting that from the end of last year to this month, MGM-organized events, including the Poly MGM museum, attracted around 300,000 visitors.

Feng highlighted that the recently introduced measures, including allowing one entry per week for visitors from Zhuhai, should also contribute to increased visitation and event success.

He characterized the current hotel occupancy situation for the Spring Festival as “very enthusiastic,” mentioning an expected occupancy rate of over 95% during this period.