The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has launched a new promotional campaign to encourage greater visitation from Hong Kong following the reopening of borders last Sunday.
The campaign, which will run from 13 January until 31 March 2023, will see anyone purchasing a bus or ferry ticket from Hong Kong to Macau given their return ticket for free. However, the bonus deal does not apply to return trips made on the same day as arrival.
The MGTO said it hopes to encourage Hong Kong visitors to stay overnight in Macau and increase their length of stay.
“Hong Kong was the second most important source of visitors to Macau before the [COVID-19] pandemic and Hong Kong visitors will help activate Macau’s tourism industry.
“The launch of the Hong Kong-Macau transport fare concession is intended to stimulate Hong Kong residents’ desire to visit Macau, encourage them to stay longer and spend more, and boost Macau’s tourism economy.”
With border restrictions between Macau and Hong Kong finally removed on Sunday after almost three years, authorities resumed 24-hour operation of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge on the same day while ferry operators TurboJET and Cotai Water Jet also resumed regular sailings.
These measures saw an immediate uptick in visitation in recent days, reaching 39,643 visitors on the first day of reopening on 8 January – the highest single-day tally in 11 months – and another 35,479 on Monday 9 January.
MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes foreshadowed last week that the tourism office planned to introduce measures to attract visitors to Macau, targeting Hong Kong, mainland China and foreign countries. She added that in future there will be many more promotional activities for overseas markets.
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