Macao introduces new subsidy features to attract more tourists

Friday, March 31, 2023

Macao’s tourism industry is picking up pace, with the resumption of customs clearance and personnel exchanges between the Chinese mainland and the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR).

The number of Chinese mainland tourists has practically recovered to pre-pandemic levels, and the Macao Government Tourism Office has started a subsidy scheme for mainland travellers to help the business.

The number of mainland tourists continued to rise in March, and the present recovery scenario has outperformed expectations, according to Wen Qihua, head of the tourism office, in an interview with Beijing Daily.

In recent years, the Macao SAR has attempted to introduce new features to draw tourists, in addition to continuing to develop its core offerings in terms of gastronomy, history, and culture.

Wen noted that in 2022, Macao proposed a “one-plus-four” economic growth strategy, with comprehensive tourism serving as the starting point for the development of four new businesses. The “one” is to encourage diverse tourism growth in order to create a world-class tourism and leisure hub, as well as to make the whole industry better, more refined, and stronger. The four sectors include the health industry, the financial industry, science and technology industry, and exhibition and cultural development.

According to Wen, the Macao Government Tourism Office has been offering “buy one, get one free” flight ticket deals to mainland visitors from September 2020. Meanwhile, the office has recently introduced a subsidy scheme for group travellers from the Chinese mainland in order to promote more visitors to Macao.

The tourism office is considering expanding the “buy an outbound ticket, get an inbound ticket free” discount offer to Hong Kong citizens for shuttle or ferry tickets between the two areas for visitors from adjacent Hong Kong SAR.

It is envisaged that a special subsidy scheme for group visitors from the island of Taiwan would be implemented in March or April, with “buy one, get one free” plane tickets available. In all, Macau is projected to provide around 120,000 free tickets to tourists in 2023.

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