Tourism chief highlights IP-themed displays as key to boosting consumer spending

The Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) teamed up in June with Pop Mart to initiate a large-scale cultural tourism project that showcased trendy IP displays in several local communities, with director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes noting that the first phase achieved MOP600 million in consumer spending.

To attract visitors and stimulate local consumption, the MGTO partnered with Pop Mart to install popular IP-themed displays featuring characters like Baby Molly, Crybaby, Dimoo, and Labubu at locations such as Praça de Luís de Camões on the Macau Peninsula and the Rua do Pai Kok sitting-out area in Taipa.

Additionally, a consumer lottery was held alongside the IP event; during the first phase, from June 6 to 24, a total of 470,000 users of Macau MPay, Macau Alipay, mainland Alipay, Hong Kong Alipay, Thailand’s TrueMoney, and Malaysia’s Touch ’n Go eWallet triggered lottery opportunities through their transactions.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of an event on Friday, the tourism chief announced that next year’s funding program will place greater emphasis on ZAPE.

“We aim to collaborate with industry players to organize more events in this area, explore ways to offer discounts for hotel bookings in ZAPE through ticketing platforms, and partner with IP projects, among other initiatives, to help the area gradually transition following the withdrawal of the satellite casinos,” she said.

According to Senna Fernandes, the MGTO met with representatives from hotels in ZAPE, including non-gaming establishments from the Outer Harbor Ferry Terminal to the Ponte 16 vicinity, encompassing budget accommodations to five-star hotels.

She briefed the media on the authorities’ efforts to assist local businesses and the community economy, highlighting the “fruitful” discussions held with the industry. Representatives from hotels that had previously withdrawn from the satellite venue were invited to share their experiences in transforming their businesses, including strategies for attracting study tours and other groups.

Among these efforts, she added that the MGTO is exploring opportunities to promote hotels in the area through domestic and international online travel agencies and to offer special deals.

However, Senna Fernandes emphasized that, since the project is still under consideration, details cannot be disclosed at this time, but an announcement will be made once the overall plan is finalized.

Meanwhile, in a separate event on Saturday, when discussing the decline in non-gaming consumer spending among first-quarter visitors, the tourism chief noted that the current global economic environment is experiencing adjustments, resulting in a more conservative consumer spending mindset.

Senna Fernandes emphasized that “this is a cyclical economic phenomenon not unique to Macau, and we must confront these challenges head-on by striving to create more consumption scenarios through tourist attractions, museums, concerts, and other venues to drive spending.”