Gov’t anticipating tourist surge in upcoming festive season

The Secretary for Finance and Economy, Lei Wai Nong, has anticipated a significant number of visitors to arrive in Macau during the upcoming January 1st New Year holiday and the subsequent Lunar New Year holiday.
Lei was speaking yesterday on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the 11th International Infrastructure Investment & Construction Forum.
“December, New Year and Lunar New Year are golden holidays for Macau. The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and other relevant departments will strengthen efforts to expand the source of visitors and consumption,” said Lei, adding that “the most important thing is that there be chances for visitors to stay longer in Macau and to stay in the city for one more night.”
Previously, the local government disclosed that visitors spend double the amount when they stay in Macau overnight.
Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Macau SAR government has launched various promotional campaigns specifically targeting mainland visitors. As of today, government subsidy schemes have already provided tourists with over 60,000 hotel rooms as “gifts.”
“E-commerce is a good channel to draw consumers’ attention,” Lei commented.
Currently, visitors from mainland China are most commonly staying in Macau for two nights.
In November, Macau recorded 6.748 billion patacas in gaming gross revenue, representing a decrease of approximately 7.1% month-by-month.
Commenting on the revenue, Lei said, “It is not a matter of low or high,” adding that the number of visitors has been continuously growing and that the most important thing is to boost Macau’s commercial operation across all sectors.
In addition, the Secretary was asked for comments regarding Tak Chun Group’s VIP rooms’ recent employment arrangements.
Lei remarked that Macau’s six gaming operators have continuously supported their employees and that he hopes employees and employers will continue to support each other to get through hard times together and prepare for economic recovery.
Lei refused to make comments on any specific company and also declined to forecast whether any casino VIP rooms will close or dismiss workers in the near future.
The Secretary would only say that it takes time for the economy to recover.
In addition, Lei also revealed that, next February, the MGTO will merge with the Secretariat for Economy and Finance.