MGTO looks to broaden discounted bus and ferry trips for foreign tourists

More overseas tourists may soon be eligible for discounted bus and ferry trips from Hong Kong to Macau, with the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) looking to broaden a subsidy scheme currently reserved for foreign visitors in Hong Kong.

Tourism chief Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes disclosed the plan last month in response to lawmaker Ho Ion Sang’s inquiry on the feasibility of expanding the existing free bus service from Hong Kong to Macau for foreign tourists to include ferry tickets as well, allowing visitors to travel from Hong Kong’s urban areas to Macau by sea and enhancing itinerary flexibility through complementary transport options.

Notably, on January 20 this year, MGTO launched a campaign in collaboration with an operator offering free cross-border bus services from the restricted area of Hong Kong International Airport directly to Macau. The offer is available to international travelers visiting Hong Kong who are not from the Greater China region – excluding mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Eligible travelers can present identification at the airport transfer counter to receive a ticket, with the campaign running through the end of 2026.

Similar free cross-border bus ticket promotions were previously launched in 2024 and 2025, marking this as the third collaboration with Hong Kong Airport Passenger Services (Macau) Co., Ltd. The authorities have described the free bus service from Hong Kong to Macau as “remarkably effective,” successfully attracting a large number of foreign visitors to extend their trips to Macau.

According to previous reports, the 11-month promotion in 2024 brought more than 310,000 international visitor arrivals to Macau. The service launched on May 1 last year recorded nearly 40,000 international visitors in its first month alone. For 2025, Macau’s total international visitor arrivals reached more than 2.75 million, an increase of 13.7% compared with the previous year.

In a written reply to the lawmaker’s inquiry, MGTO affirmed its multi-pronged approach to expanding international visitor sources, including collaboration with airlines and travel agencies to offer bundled products and discounts combining airfare with ferry or bus tickets. The office also said it is studying the feasibility of providing free ferry tickets to international business travelers attending conventions and exhibitions in Hong Kong, with the aim of encouraging them to extend their trips to Macau for tourism and spending.

Meanwhile, addressing Ho’s concern that Macau still needs to strengthen foreign language services and technology application amid continued growth in international visitors, MGTO said it will launch new tour guide training courses in English, Portuguese and Korean this quarter, focusing on accommodation and shopping. Eligible courses will be covered under the Continuing Education Development Plan to encourage wider participation.

The office added that it will later expand training to cover temples, churches and architecture based on demand, further enhancing local guides’ multilingual capabilities. MGTO also said it will study adding more languages to its smart customer service system and explore additional applications combining large language models with cultural and tourism scenarios, aiming to develop more smart tourism products for Macau.