Macau’s tourism authority claims that Macau has changed its image as a gambling hub, indicating that less than 5 percent of visitors are coming in order to gamble.
Cheng Wai Tong, deputy director at the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO), noted that 85 percent of Macau tourists are aged 18 to 35, the majority is female, and the main purposes of their visit are food and shopping.
The current visitation demographic goes in line with the MGTO’s plans to continue to target young travelers, launching personalized tourism products for them while also focusing ads on online platforms.
But the city is also reaching out to more overseas visitors, with the government pushing to diversify arrival markets, as gaming operators are also mandated to increase the number of foreign visitors.
This is in regard to both gaming – with a proposal for foreigner-only gaming rooms inside casinos, a plan met with a dubious response by industry experts – but also in non-gaming, with the SAR’s tourism bureau leveraging the increase in direct flights to Macau – focusing their promotions on them.
And tour operators are now also arranging for groups from Southeast Asia to visit Macau. Last week, the tourism bureau announced it was planning a marketing campaign for Thailand.
For now, Macau projects it will hand out about $22.3 million to subsidize tour groups, including travelers from mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and overseas. Package tour travelers from overseas are even eligible for cash coupons of $43 per person if they stay one night and $62 if they stay two consecutive nights.
The coupons can be redeemed for accommodation, F&B, shopping or other purchases. They will not be able to be used on the casino floor.
And, following Hong Kong’s announcement that it would be giving away 500,000 airline tickets this year, Macau is also planning to disperse some 120,000 free airline tickets.
The overall tourism push is to shift from day-trippers to overnight tourism, with cash coupons of up to $50 for travelers coming from China – notably for visitors who are coming from outside of the neighboring Guangdong province – Macau’s primary source of visitation.
The MGTO official added that to recover both Macau’s service capacity and keep prices attractive, all parties need help from the Government, such as travel agencies. However, the government has largely left casino operators to fend for themselves in regards to sponsorship of promotional packages.Â
Macau’s Government also is negotiating with Air Macau to intensify the international flight frequency.
As of January, Macau’s international airport was connected to 20 destinations, mostly in China, but also Taipei, Bangkok, Singapore, Seoul, Hanoi and Tokyo. Flight destinations are expected to further ramp up throughout the year.
