Tourists visit the Ruins of St Paul's in south China's Macao, Dec 31, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
Macao plans to pour MOP$235 million ($29.3 million) into promoting international travel this year as part of its drive to boost tourism.
The special administrative region aims to attract 3 million tourists from overseas in 2024, equivalent to the number of overseas visitors in 2019, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, director of Macao Government Tourism Office, said on Wednesday.
More tourism projects linking Macao with Zhuhai’s Hengqin and the wider Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area will be launched in the near future, said Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, director of Macao Government Tourism Office
She noted that the aviation industry is still struggling to recover, with the low number of flights due to a lack of pilots, but the tourism office will take measures to actively promote the city to overseas tourists.
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Various projects will be launched at different times this year. The city hopes to attract cruise-ship passengers visiting Hong Kong by promoting tourism products that allow them to visit Macao after they disembark, the official said. The products will be rolled out gradually in cooperation with cruise operators.
More tourism projects linking Macao with Zhuhai’s Hengqin and the wider Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area will be launched in the near future, and the Macao SAR government will seek greater collaboration with authorities in Shenzhen and Guangzhou to promote Macao tourism and connectivity to international passengers arriving on flights in the GBA, she added.
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According to Senna Fernandes, Macao saw a good recovery in the number of international tourists visiting the city last year, with 1.46 million arrivals, representing about 48 percent of the level in 2019.
