Welcoming tourists with hi!MACAU

Pedro Portugal

Local company Doblyu has just launched a welcome pack for tourists, featuring a three-language guidebook, a pre-paid debit card, a SIM card and a mobile app – offering tips and guiding tourists throughout their stay. By launching the hi!MACAU project, the team hopes to increase the length of the average stay of tourists in Macau.
Pedro Portugal, Doblyu’s CEO, said this is a product that could be useful and successful in any tourist destination. Macau has been chosen as their base to later expand across the globe. By using creativity and innovation, hi!Macau’s team wishes to show tourists “the real Macau:” a city spanning 500 years of history.
In a study conducted one year ago, the team reached the conclusion that tourists were willing to see more of Macau. “They [wanted] to try out the local food and find out all about cultural heritage sites. We think the project might help in showing them a different side of Macau; a city with a different dimension,” he added.
“We are looking to increase the average stay of tourists in Macau. We wish to improve the image of the genuine Macau. But of course we do not forget the more contemporary part of Macau, with its casinos. Because that’s what Macau is: an explosive mixture,” Pedro Portugal expressed.
The project was officially launched on Saturday, as the team went to the busiest streets in Senado Square, St Paul’s Ruins and Rua do Cunha to tell tourists and locals about hi!MACAU. The pack costs MOP180, besides the money already available in the pre-paid debit card.
The product features a guidebook provided in three languages (Chinese, both simplified and traditional, English and Portuguese). It highlights 188 tourist attractions within the city, and also provides a map of the city.
Still, Pedro Portugal said that the project is set for expansion, adapting each of his features to different types of tourists. “Our offer is global. We believe that later we will be able to provide different packs focusing on different types of tourists,” the CEO said.
The same reasoning applies to the pre-paid debit card, which can be used not only in Macau but also in other countries. The pre-paid debit card, which was created in collaboration with local bank BCM, may be loaded with different amounts of money, according to client demand. It can be used for purchases without tourists having to pay fees.
The card also comes in handy for discounts in local restaurants and other services.The mobile app was created to help tourists throughout their stay, providing mobility and digital solutions.
Doblyu had previously worked in the tourism sector, developing projects in the North of Portugal. A project similar to hi!MACAU will be launched in three Portuguese cities.
“We believe that we have a strong product, particularly in a city where we feel there’s a need for this kind of project. It’s a comprehensive product, featuring different solutions. It’s easy to use, and it will be regularly updated,” Pedro Portugal stated.
Doblyu’s CEO also stressed that this is a project made of partnerships and links to the community. It not only addresses tourists but locals too, compelling them to know Macau better.
hi!MACAU will be available in partner restaurants, tourism shops, and the Portuguese bookshop. The team is already negotiating to have it provided in hotels too. Travel agencies in Japan and South Korea have already shown interest in the product.
Expanding to other countries, particularly those where Macau tourists usually come from, is on their agenda. Pedro Portugal said they are already working on next year’s edition, as well as a special edition for the Macau Grand Prix, yet to be fully confirmed.
Throughout this Golden Week, the team will carry out promotional activities in some of the city’s busiest areas, such as Senado Square and the St Paul’s Ruins.