The director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, said Thursday that package tours from mainland China to Macau are likely to start in early November.
Her comments were made at the launch of the 2022 Macau International Trade and Investment Fair, with Senna Fernandes stating that travel companies should prepare themselves with new products and itineraries in time for the first tours in almost three years, expected from Guangzhou at the start of next month.
This comes after Macau Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng announced in September that mainland China would reinstate both package tours to Macau and eVisas under the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS).
Tours and eVisas for mainlanders to visit Macau have been cancelled since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020, with the absence of the eVisa system meaning mainland visitors have had to return to their place of origin to apply in person for a Macau visa.
The first phase will reopen for four provinces and one city in Guangdong, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Fujian.
Both initiatives are seen as providing a major lift to the city’s gaming and tourism industries, with 13.1 million of the 27.9 million mainland Chinese visitors to Macau in having travelled under the Individual Visit Scheme. The vast majority of those utilized eVisas.
Senna Fernandes also said Thursday that plans were underway for the MGTO to assist in boosting international visitation via discounts on hotels when visitors purchase Air Macau tickets.
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