ZAPE food market attracts 25,000 visitors: MGTO

The ZAPE Taste Jam food market, launched last Friday, drew 25,000 visitors in its first two days.

According to the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) deputy director, Cheng Wai Tong, the turnout exceeded expectations.

Hosted by the MGTO in partnership with the Association of Returned Overseas Chinese Macau, the food market runs daily from 3:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. through August 24 in outdoor, pedestrian-friendly areas of the ZAPE district.

“The market opened on the 15th and the turnout has been better than anticipated,” Cheng said.

However, operations were temporarily halted on Sunday, August 17, due to the hoisting of Typhoon Signal No. 3.

When asked by the media about extending the market to compensate for lost days, Cheng replied, “The recent unstable weather will affect businesses, and adjustments will be made accordingly, but further observation is needed.”

The official also highlighted ongoing discussions with co-organizers about budgeting, booth allocation, and exhibitor preferences.

“The current venue is suitable, and we will consider how to better utilize the pedestrian space in the area. Feedback will be collected, and the matter reviewed after the event,” he stated.

“10 days isn’t a very long time, so our main goal from the beginning was to test the waters and see the overall situation. For example, we wanted to see what problems we might encounter when organizing an event there, what we needed to pay attention to, and how the space could be utilized. That was our perspective.”

Looking ahead, the MGTO plans to intensify promotions in the fourth quarter to support ZAPE’s hotels and the broader tourism sector. Cheng outlined cooperation with online travel agencies and payment platforms to increase hotel bookings, including offering discounts and consumption rewards.

“We will also cooperate with payment platforms to provide tourists with consumption rewards in ZAPE […] We are ready to provide these consumption discounts for the 20 hotels here in ZAPE,” he said.

The deputy director also highlighted popular digital payment platforms like Mpay and Alipay, which are widely used in mainland China and Hong Kong, and are also connected to countries such as Thailand and South Korea.

“These payment platforms can be used in Macau, and we can promote them at the source,” Cheng explained.

He explained that hotel discounts might be modest, but placement and visibility on online booking platforms can help alleviate financial pressures.

“The discounts of these hotels are even very simple. They may not provide more cash support than other hotels, but they can be ranked higher on the platform, which means that the impact faced by the hotel will not be so great.”