Macao Week drives tourism and investment in the mainland

The recent “Macao Week” promotional tour has ignited a significant boost in both tourism and investment opportunities throughout mainland China, according to the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO). This 10-stop event, which concluded in Xi’an, attracted around six million visitors and facilitated over 1,000 business matching sessions, effectively highlighting Macau’s rich cultural heritage and investment potential.

The Macau government organized these 10 “Macao Week” events in major cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, to showcase the city’s unique offerings. Recent data released on Saturday reveals a remarkable increase in mainland tourists, with 13.72 million visiting Macau from January to July 2024. This figure includes visitors from regions such as Beijing, Zhejiang, Sichuan, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Fujian, all of which experienced varying degrees of growth compared to the previous year, with increases ranging from 22.7% to 66.9%.

MGTO views this surge from these campaigns being a successful investment in promoting Macau as a prime destination for tourism.

In addition to boosting tourism, the Investment Promotion Bureau supported 60 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from Macau in engaging in business discussions, resulting in 260 business matching sessions and 21 signed projects. The president of the Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute emphasized the positive outcomes of these joint investment promotions, stating, “Halal food is a new industry for Macau, and we want to help ‘Macau brands,’ ‘Made in Macau,’ and products gain recognition.”

Collaboration between Macau and Qinzhou has also proven fruitful, with the Investment Promotion Bureau organizing business talks and promotion sessions that deepened economic exchanges. These joint efforts facilitated around 100 business matchings, enhancing the market presence of Macau brands and products from Portuguese-speaking countries.

These initiatives aim to strengthen economic ties and expand Macau’s market footprint in the mainland. Nadia Shaw