Economy Secretary confident in tourist arrivals reaching 28 million

The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lei Wai Nong, is confident Macau will see 28 million tourists by year-end, given there have been over 25 million tourists in the first 11 months of the year.

The official announced the forecast yesterday on the sidelines of a charity event.

He said that the proportion of non-Greater China visitors to Macau had grown from 10% in January to 70% in October, suggesting that strategies employed by the government had been effective.

The official believes the numbers show the city’s recovery is going well, with an increase in tourist expenditure also observed. He expressed hopes for a continuation of this upwards trajectory in the upcoming year.

The official said promoting Macau to the Northeast Asian and Southeast Asian markets is the major objective of next year, aiming to further explore these potential source markets.

In his recent Policy Address, he announced that a total sum of MOP235 million has been reserved to attract international visitors.

The allocation of money is subject to approval by the parliament, although there has been no instance of the budget failing to pass in the past.

When previously questioned by the Times about the details of how the allocated funds will be spent, Lei underscored the importance of non-Greater China source markets in the government’s tourism strategy. He further revealed that attracting family visitors will also be a core part of the city’s target.

He also briefly mentioned that this year’s gross gambling revenue (GGR) should be better than expected. In the first 11 months, the city made MOP164.4 billion in GGR.

Lei added that this year, as of Saturday, the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) had matched 12,000 jobseekers with employers. In the future, the bureau will concentrate on vocational training, as the subsidized training scheme has ended.