Tickets discount program to extend to overseas tourists arriving via HK

The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) will extend the program that currently offers discounts and special benefits to Hong Kong visitors who visit Macau to include all overseas tourists arriving in Macau via Hong Kong, MGTO director, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes said yesterday on the sidelines of the unveiling of the wax figure at the Macau Grand Prix Museum.

The aim is to attract more visitors from overseas, taking advantage of the program targeting Hong Kong residents.

She also said that a subsidy plan targeting foreign group tours as well as those from Taiwan will be launched soon as well.

According to figures cited by Senna Fernandes, so far a total of 2,048 groups have arrived in Macau after the resumption of this type of traveling in February.

MGTO says that over 2,000 groups account for over 60,000 visitors, and from these 542 groups arrived from Guangdong province, involving a total of 17,000 visitors.

A large majority of the group tours (1,439), which account for some 41,000 people, have applied for the overnight staying subsidy from the MGTO, she added.

The director of MGTO assured the media that the Office has inspectors on sites and will increase the inspections of tour groups. So far, four tour guides from the mainland were found to be illegally operating in Macau.

Senna Fernandes said that over 330 inspections have been made on this matter since January this year.