The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) is expecting some 24,000 daily tourist arrivals from mainland China on its best day until the year ends, noting that it will still take some time before the numbers continually grow.
Speaking during the press conference of the “Tour Macao Carnival,” MGTO director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes said, “I can’t say there will be a huge improvement in visitor arrivals. The tourist arrivals after Golden Week is more ideal than the National Holiday.”
The city’s hotel occupancy was 40% last week and the official hopes that it will stay at the 40% mark, noting that the average stay of visitors is also slowly increasing.
Recently, the tourism board has been expecting a decline in tourist arrivals of over 90% for 2020. The SAR government is not expected to relax its current entry restrictions anytime soon, meaning that it may be some time before the tourism industry recovers.
In the meantime, it is focusing on attracting tourists from mainland China, as these tourists can enter Macau without having to undergo a 14-day medical observation period.
Fernandes also disclosed that the government has invested a total of RMB3.45 million in consumer vouchers for mainland tourists. According to her, this has generated over RMB80 million in transactions.
Meanwhile, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U, who was also present at the press conference, said that after its promotional campaign “Beijing Macau Week” in Beijing, more mainland residents are now aware that they can enter the Macau SAR without having to undergo a 14-day quarantine in a designated hotel.
Previously, analysts suggested that the nucleic acid test requirement and the two-week quarantine have hindered tourists from entering the city.
“After the promotion week we did in Beijing, the residents there know clearly that they don’t need to quarantine in Macau, meaning they can come and go freely. But residents from other places may not know. So we hope that through these [upcoming] activities, they will know more about this information,” she said.
Yesterday, it was announced that MGTO is set to launch the “Tour Macao Carnival,” which is comprised of different events to further boost the tourism sector.
The carnival will further encourage mainland residents to visit the SAR.
With a budget of 7 million patacas, the carnival will feature around 10 events, organized in partnership with local associations.
The carnival will be carried out in different stages. Different social media influencers and connoisseurs from the mainland will be invited to conduct livestreams on different platforms to promote the carnival in the mainland.
The event will include the 3rd Annual Macao Winter Carnival, to be held from November 12 to December 27, the 20th Macau Food Festival which will be held from November 13 to 29, and the Taipa Community Tourism Development Plan – Taipa Happy Carnival from November 19 to 21, among others.
According to Ao Ieong, the upcoming events will not only benefit the tourism industry but also local sectors with a range of employment opportunities.
“It is estimated that the Macau Grand Prix, Macau Food Festival and other activities in the series will create job opportunities for more than 100,000 [residents].
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