The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) said it expects the SAR to welcome around 33 million visitors in 2024, aided by roadshows it plans to hold in Thailand, Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries during the first half of the year.
MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes said while attending an event on Thursday that “the average daily visitor arrivals from January this year to the present is 70,000 to 80,000, and on weekends it can be as high as 100,000.”
With the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday lasting for eight days, the government will organize a series of activities to attract mainland tourists to Macau, the highlight being a “float parade” at which each of the six concessionaires will send a float to take part in the event.
Senna Fernandes said she expects average daily visitor arrivals to reach 120,000 during the holiday period, with the goal of reaching 33 million arrivals for the whole year.
“This year, the MGTO will focus on overseas markets, and in the first half of the year will organize roadshows in Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand and Malaysia,” she explained. “We also plan to participate in travel shows in Europe.”
The MGTO launched a free ticket offer for the new direct bus service from Hong Kong International Airport to Macau on 1 January 1 with the aim of enticing international and Taiwanese tourists who are visiting Hong Kong to extend their trips to Macau through the scheme.
“Last year, Hong Kong’s visitor arrivals returned to pre-pandemic levels, and now the government hopes to attract more international visitors to Macau,” Senna Fernandes said. She previously stated her desire to see the number of international visitors to Macau – those not from the mainland, Hong Kong or Taiwan – return to pre-pandemic levels or 3 million tourists.
“Whether the target can be achieved will be affected by a number of factors, including the resumption of flights in the aviation industry and the manpower situation,” the MGTO boss added Thursday.
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