Macau casino operator SJM Resorts has stepped up efforts to attract Southeast Asian tourists, after taking part in the ‘Experience Macao Mega Sale’ events in Indonesia and Malaysia earlier this month, amongst a government-led push to expand Macau’s tourism reach.
The promotional roadshow, organized by the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), ran from October 9th to 12th at Jakarta’s Gandaria City Mall and IOI City Mall in Kuala Lumpur.
SJM said the events offered a platform to showcase its flagship properties — Grand Lisboa Macau and Grand Lisboa Palace Resort Macau, which features three luxury hotels, including The Karl Lagerfeld Macau and Asia’s first Palazzo Versace Macau.
SJM’s booths featured interactive games, lucky draws, and photo opportunities with its mascot ‘Sam the Rooster’. The company also offered hotel packages combining luxury stays, fine dining, family ‘edu-tainment’ activities, golf access and art exhibitions to promote Macau’s ‘Tourism+’ concept of cross-sector experiences.
As part of the initiative, SJM hosted two luncheons for travel industry professionals — one at The Westin Jakarta and another at the Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur — bringing together more than 80 representatives from airlines, travel agencies and MICE planners.
The sessions included presentations on SJM’s latest developments, quizzes with prizes, and discussions aimed at strengthening cooperation and tailoring travel products for Southeast Asian markets.
SJM said the events helped deepen understanding of regional travelers’ preferences and reinforced Macau’s image as a ‘World Centre of Tourism and Leisure’, in line with the Macao SAR Government’s strategy to diversify its tourism sources.
‘Through these engagements, SJM continues to build stronger connections with the Southeast Asian travel trade and promote Macau’s world-class hospitality offerings,’ the company said in a statement.
As the Asian gaming hub continues to be heavily dependent on the mainland Chinese market, the Macau government has been pushing efforts to increase the share of non-Chinese tourists in the city, with local gaming operators now regularly participating in international promotional events with the city’s tourism authorities.
Despite these efforts, international visitors represented only 7 percent of the total 19.2 million tourists that came to Macau in the first half of this year, the same percentage reported by the same period of last year, with the majority hailing from mainland China or Hong Kong.
