"How to attract foreign tourists?" (+ Charter flights)
dec24
Fruitful year for visitor figures, all goals should be reached
This year was fruitful for visitor figures, with the goals set by the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) all being achieved or within close reach, statistics show.
MGTO’s goal was for at least 33 million visitors, including at least 2 million international visitors.
Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) figures for November note the 2 million international visitors goal has already been surpassed.
By the end of November, 2,130,891 international visitors had arrived, including notably those from South Korea (437,160), the Philippines (433,102) and Indonesia (156,192).
Visitors from South Asian countries increased this year due to the resumption of many flight routes not only at the Macau International Airport but also at the Hong Kong International Airport.
These figures, as the Times has previously reported, include visitors from the Philippines and Indonesia, two major markets of non-resident workers (TNR) to Macau and the neighboring region of Hong Kong.
dec24
Macau recebeu em novembro mais visitantes internacionais do que no mesmo mês de 2019, pela primeira vez desde o fim da pandemia de Covid-19, anunciaram esta quinta-feira os Serviços de Turismo da região semiautónoma chinesa.
https://observador.pt/2024/12/19/macau-teve-pela-primeira-vez-mais-turistas-internacionais-do-que-antes-da-pandemia/?utm_campaign=immediate&utm_content=article&utm_medium=email&utm_source=observador_alerts
dec24
Aeroporto tem de crescer com rotas internacionais
A expansão do Aeroporto Internacional de Macau (AIM) aumenta significativamente a capacidade de receber mais voos e passageiros. Analistas explicam que importa agora recuperar rotas disponíveis antes da pandemia, mas também expandir a oferta de destinos internacionais. O grande desafio é competir com outros aeroportos na região, também eles em expansão
https://www.plataformamedia.com/2024/12/13/aeroporto-tem-de-crescer-com-rotas-internacionais/
nov24
October saw a 19.3 percent increase in international hotel guests, when compared with a year earlier, with some 97,000 foreign passport holders spending the night in Macao’s hotels. That’s according to new figures from the Statistics and Census Service (known by its Portuguese initials DSEC), which showed that foreigners made up 8.2 percent of the total 1,176,000 guests – about the same proportion as pre-pandemic October 2019.
South Koreans were the biggest group DSEC noted, at 30,000, representing a 51.2 percent year-on-year jump. The 7,000 Malaysians staying in the city grew by 25 percent, while the 6,000 Indian guests surged by 42.6 percent. Roughly 4,000 US citizens checked into the SAR’s hotels, up 3.5 percent compared with October 2023.
Meanwhile, Macao’s 146 hotels saw an average occupancy of 87.3 percent in October, slightly above the average rate across the first three quarters of 2024 and a year-on-year rise of 4.5 percent.
https://macaonews.org/news/business/macau-hotel-occupancy-october-2024-statistics-macao/
nov24
Macau contava no final de Outubro com 1.821 titulares do cartão de guia turístico, incluindo 809 proficientes em Cantonês e 1.207 em Mandarim, revelou Chan Chak Mo, presidente da 2ª Comissão Permanente da Assembleia Legislativa (AL), citando dados actualizados fornecidos pelo Governo.
Excluindo o Chinês, o panorama não é muito positivo, uma vez que apenas 156 guias são fluentes em Inglês, representando 8,6% do total, 75 em Japonês (4,2% do total) e 23 noutras línguas “minoritárias”, não especificadas (1,3%).
Durante mais uma reunião para discutir a proposta de Lei da actividade das agências de viagens e da profissão de guia turístico, a 2ª Comissão da AL voltou a alertar para a moldura punitiva “demasiado pesada”, sugerida pelo Executivo, para aplicar aos guias que não usem o respectivo cartão de maneira visível, uma vez que a multa poderá subir para 10 mil a 20 mil patacas. Desta vez, a directora dos Serviços de Turismo, entre outros representantes do Governo, indicaram que irão reponderar esta moldura sancionatória e o âmbito de aplicação do sistema de advertência.
https://jtm.com.mo/local/so-8-dos-guias-turisticos-dominam-ingles/
Nov24
Pansy Ho, the chairwoman and executive director of MGM China, has articulated a vision for Macau that extends beyond its traditional reliance on mainland Chinese tourists.
Speaking to reportersa recent press conference, Ho underscored the importance of attracting a broader international audience to fulfill Beijing’s aspirations for Macau to evolve into a vibrant global city, the South China Morning Post reported.
Ho referred to comments made by Xia Baolong, the director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, who called for Macau to enhance its international profile and to “polish its golden business card.”
This call to action came during Xia’s inspection visit in May, where he encouraged Macau to embrace its potential as a cosmopolitan center.Macau is setting its sights on boosting the share of international visitors to about 10 percent of the city’s total tourist arrivals, driven by its recent efforts to tap into and expand overseas source markets, the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) said.
In an interview with the Chinese-language newspaper Macau Daily News published on Tuesday, MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes also projected that the number of international visitors to Macau would surpass 2 million this year.
In the first nine months of 2024, the influx of visitors to Macau surged by 30.1 percent year-on-year to reach 25.92 million, predominantly originating from Mainland China and Hong Kong. The count of international visitors increased 95.1 percent year-on-year to nearly 1.68 million, constituting 6.47 percent of the overall visitor count.
https://www.macaubusiness.com/macau-aims-to-up-international-tourists-share-to-10-pct/
nov24 (Macau airport pax volume back to 80pct pre-Covid in Jan-Oct)
Passenger traffic handled by Macau’s air hub, Macau International Airport, rebounded to “approximately 80 percent” of 2019 pre-pandemic level for the first 10 months this year, said the facility’s operator in an update.
From January to October inclusive, the hub had 6.34 million passenger journeys, up 56.92-percent year-on-year, stated the airport operator, Macau International Airport Co Ltd, a body also known as CAM.
“At present, most [flight] routes disrupted by the [Covid-19] pandemic have been resumed, and some airlines have introduced wide-bodied aircraft to accommodate the rising passenger demand,” said CAM in a Friday statement.
Most air routes via the facility serve places in mainland China, according to the airport’s current flight timetable. Separate data from Macau’s Statistics and Census Service show most of the airport’s passengers are from the mainland.
https://www.ggrasia.com/macau-airport-pax-volume-back-to-80pct-pre-covid-in-jan-oct/
nov24
acau aviation authorities have yet to receive any bids to establish mid-to-long-haul direct flights to and from the special administrative region—an ambition the government has been striving to achieve to broaden the city’s tourism market.
Pun Wa Kin, president of the Macau Civil Aviation Authority, appeared on a TDM phone-in programme on Friday to discuss air and sea planning alongside other government officials.
The aviation official attributed the situation to the current industry sentiment, which remains cautious pending clarity on passenger demand and market needs.
According to Pun, the passenger volume handled by the city has recovered to approximately 80 percent of the pre-Covid level, amounting to around 3.3 million.
“Over the past year, airlines have actively negotiated with other foreign airlines and launched several products, such as flights from Macau to Europe or the United States via transit points, with through-check luggage services,” he told the media.
https://www.macaubusiness.com/macau-struggles-to-attract-direct-flight-bids-amid-market-uncertainty/
out24
Nos primeiros nove meses deste ano, os estabelecimentos hoteleiros contaram com 779.000 hóspedes internacionais, um aumento de 86,8% em termos anuais, segundo os dados da Direcção dos Serviços de Estatística e Censos (DSEC). Ainda assim, o número de hóspedes estrangeiros continua a representar uma pequeníssima parte (7,15%) do total de utilizadores dos hotéis neste período, 10.889.000 – número que cresceu 11,2% em termos anuais e 3,3% face ao mesmo período de 2019.
No que respeita ao número de hóspedes internacionais, destaque para o da Coreia do Sul, que subiu 143,5% para 229.000. Além destes, o número de hóspedes do Japão (60.000), da Malásia (57.000), da Tailândia (47.000) e de Singapura (43.000) ascenderam 80,8%, 85,2%, 61,2% e 47,7%, respectivamente, face aos três primeiros trimestres de 2023.
No final do terceiro trimestre, a taxa de ocupação média dos quartos fixou-se em 85,4%, mais 4,8 pontos percentuais, em termos anuais. A DSEC salienta que a taxa de ocupação dos hotéis de 5 estrelas (87,5%), de 4 estrelas (81,2%) e de 3 estrelas (82,9%) aumentaram 6; 3 e 2,4 pontos percentuais, respectivamente.
Cingindo-se apenas ao mês de Setembro, a taxa de ocupação média dos quartos foi de 84,7%, mais 6,4 pontos percentuais, relativamente ao mesmo mês de 2023. Os hotéis hospedaram 1.112.000 pessoas, uma diminuição de 2,1%, face ao idêntico mês de 2023 e o período médio de permanência dos hóspedes manteve-se em 1,6 noites.
No final de Setembro, existiam 144 estabelecimentos hoteleiros que prestaram serviços de alojamento ao público (+7, em termos anuais), disponibilizando um total de 44.000 quartos de hóspedes, menos 3,3%.
https://jtm.com.mo/local/hospedes-internacionais-cresceram-87/
out24 (portugueses)
Macau aims to broaden and diversify its tourist base, with particular appreciation for Portuguese visitors, according to Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director Helena de Senna Fernandes. She made the remarks during the annual congress of the Portuguese Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies (APAVT), held in Spain.
The 50th APAVT Congress will return to Macau from 2 to 4 December 2025, marking the sixth time the event will be hosted in the SAR.
“We believe the conditions are in place for another exceptional APAVT Congress in Macau, allowing Portuguese tour operators to experience the renewed energy driving our destination,” said Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes in Huelva, Spain, where the 49th APAVT Congress concluded on Sunday.
https://www.macaubusiness.com/macau-seeks-to-diversify-tourist-base-portuguese-visitors-highly-valued-mgto-director/
out24 (promoções voos)
Bookings for discounted flight tickets to Macau tailored for international tourists have surpassed 70,000 by the second quarter, following the allocation of MOP235 million (US$29.36 million) this year by the Macau government to boost overseas visitation.
These figures were advanced by the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) in a recent reply to a query from legislator Ngan Iek Hang regarding the government’s initiatives to tap into overseas tourist source markets.
The MGTO highlighted in its response that these discounted tickets were distributed through partnerships with Air Macau, the city’s sole carrier, as well as other airlines.
https://www.macaubusiness.com/over-70000-discounted-flight-tickets-granted-to-attract-international-tourists-mgto/
out24 (v0os internacionais)
The operator of Macau International Airport (MIA) said Thursday that it is actively looking to expand international routes to and from the Macao SAR, including routes connecting it with the United States and Europe.
Providing an update following the recent Golden Week holiday period, which saw around 144,000 passengers travel through MIA and 1,202 aircraft movements, the operator said it is “constantly expanding” its international routes and will soon start a service to Laos.
“Meanwhile, MIA is actively working with airlines to expand routes from Macau and transit to Europe, the United States and other regions, providing one-ticket-through-baggage-check service,” it said.
https://www.asgam.com/index.php/2024/10/11/macau-international-airport-planning-to-connect-with-us-and-europe/
out24
Despite the significant increase in the total figures and the new single-day high, not all figures show a positive trend as the share of foreign visitors, one of the important bids of Macau in what concerns tourism development, shows a decrease in the first seven days by around 0.3%. This happened not due to a decrease in the total number of foreign visitors entering Macau over this period but because this group registered a slower growth when compared to the visitors arriving from Greater China.
Still, the goal of receiving a daily average of over 130,000 set previously by Cheng Wai Tong, deputy director of the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), seems well on target with this figure standing at 140,369 over the first seven days.
According to Cheng, the final results should reach an unprecedented level.
https://macaudailytimes.com.mo/more-visitors-over-the-holidays-but-the-share-of-foreigners-shrinking.html
set24
August saw the number of international hotel guests grow by 21 percent, year-on-year, though South Koreans were up by an even higher 40.3 percent. That’s according to the latest figures from the Statistics and Census Service (known by its Portuguese initials DSEC).
However, the total number of hotel guests in Macao was down by 3.8 percent overall, when compared with August 2023, coming in at 1,261,000. The figure is 99.7 percent of the pre-pandemic total recorded in August 2019.
The average length of stay held stable year-on-year at 1.6 nights, an increase of 0.1 nights when compared to August 2019.
https://macaonews.org/news/business/macau-august-2024-hotel-occupancy-statistics-macao/
ago24
The number of foreign passport-holders staying in Macao’s 45,000 hotel rooms was up by a quarter in July when compared with the year prior, according to new figures from the Statistics and Census Service (known by its Portuguese initials DSEC).
The foreigners totalled 76,000, with just under a third hailing from South Korea, the DSEC said. That’s a 44 percent year-on-year increase.
The data also showed that visitors from South Korea and India were increasingly opting to travel on package tours. Of the 13,000 foreigners who came to Macao on a package tour during July, 5,000 were from the East Asian nations and 2,000 were from the South Asian – respective year-on-year jumps of 153 and 713 percent.
https://macaonews.org/news/business/macau-hotel-package-tour-statistics-foreign-visitors-july-2024-macao/
jul24
About 102,000 foreign passport holders visited Macao on package tours in the first half of 2024 – a major year-on-year surge of 845 percent, according to figures from the Statistics and Census Service (known by its Portuguese initials DSEC).
South Koreans made up the biggest percentage, with 42,000 tour-goers hailing from the East Asian nation (an almost 15-fold increase on the first half of 2023). While the number of Indian passport-holders travelling to Macao on package tours came in at a relatively modest 13,000, that group saw the most growth: more than 20 times as many Indians visited between January and June this year than during last year’s corresponding period.
Macao’s total number of inbound package tourists between January and June tallied to 968,000, with 88 percent of them from the mainland. The overall figure was up 166 percent when compared with the first half of last year.
https://macaonews.org/news/business/macau-tourism-foreigners-visitors-macao-first-semester-package-tours/
juk24
Provisional tourism data shows that Macau welcomed 1.1 million international visitors in the first six months of the year, according to Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Deputy Director Ricky Hoi.
Speaking with TDM’s Ou Mun Tin Toi on Friday, Hoi said the data suggests Macau will exceed 2 million foreign visitors in 2024 – well ahead of the 1.4 million who visited last year although still lagging the more than 3 million who arrived in 2019.
Nevertheless, he noted that the MGTO is currently working to expand its international visitor sources, including by way of a partnership that sees cruise ships docking in Hong Kong organize one-day visits to Macau for up to 500 passengers.
https://www.asgam.com/index.php/2024/07/08/mgto-more-than-1-million-international-tourists-visited-macau-in-first-six-months-of-2024/
jul24
Though the idea of attracting more foreign visitors from long-haul markets to Macau is not new, it has recently become a government plan.
While official statistics have been showing long-haul visitor numbers are increasing, particularly from some Asian markets, it is unlikely there will be an increase from other markets such as Europe, European visitors interviewed by the Times said.
Macau is an unappealing destination to European tourists because of the travel distance, the difficulties in flight connections, and, more importantly, the costs.
The Times interviewed two Portuguese nationals traveling in Macau, Ana and Sofia.
They were in the region for a brief stay after an Asian tour that took them to Thailand, Laos, Malaysia and Vietnam.
The two women in their early 60s agree on something – “Macau is expensive!”
Confronted with the government plan to attract more foreign visitors, including visitors from Portugal, the pair believes it will be “very unlikely” that Macau will appeal to the “average Portuguese.”
This is despite the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) having taken a Roadshow to Portugal and established several partnerships to expand local promotion to neighboring Spain.
“We might believe that Macau, due to its historical relation with Portugal, could be appealing to the Portuguese but I doubt many will venture here, particularly due to the prices,” Ana said.
https://macaudailytimes.com.mo/strategy-to-draw-in-intl-tourists-proving-to-be-challenging.html
may24
South Korea has claimed the No.1 spot on Macau’s list of international visitor tourism markets, with 192,095 arrivals from Korea in 2024 as of 21 May, according to the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO).
That figure also represents 93.9% of South Korean arrivals for all of 2023 and 52.0% of arrivals in 2019, suggesting Korean arrivals are on track to achieve a new high this year.
The update came as the MGTO revealed it will return to South Korea this week for a four-day “Experience Macao roadshow in Korea” the second straight year it has run such a campaign in the East Asian nation. The roadshow aims to present Korean residents and the travel trade a wide picture of Macau’s destination appeal while enabling industry operators from both sides to connect and build partnerships towards the city’s pursuit of international visitor markets.
https://www.asgam.com/index.php/2024/05/28/south-korea-now-macaus-top-international-tourist-source-market/
may24
A Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) official has expressed confidence the SAR will achieve its target of two million foreign visitors from outside Greater China by the end of the year. That’s about two thirds of the number of foreign visitors welcomed in pre-pandemic 2019.
“So far, we are fulfilling our expectations,” the bureau’s deputy director Cheng Wai Tong told local media, when asked how the MGTO was progressing earlier this week. “We trust that we will fulfil the whole-year goal of two million [international visitors].”
In the first quarter of this year, Macao welcomed almost 584,000 international visitors, or nearly 70 percent of the comparable figure from 2019.
https://macaonews.org/news/business/macau-foreign-visitors-target-2024-macao/
may24
A Citigroup survey of Macau casino premium mass tables, conducted on Friday (May 3), the third of five days of May holidays on the Chinese mainland, indicated a 144 percent higher amount in total wager, and 119 percent more players, judged year-on-year.
The wager total this time was HKD17.7 million (US$2.3 million) spread among 775 players.
Citigroup used as the comparison point, the bank’s premium-mass player survey on April 28, 2023, which had been the eve of the equivalent 2023 holiday season, often referred to as ‘Labour Day holidays’, with Labour Day itself falling on May 1 each year.
Analysts George Choi and Ryan Cheung said its May 2024 survey revealed the “first ever non-Chinese ‘player of the month’. The banking group uses the term to describe the highest-betting punter identified in its poll.
Citigroup said the South Korean patron was one of three at a ‘Horizon’ -branded room at Galaxy Macau, the Cotai flagship of Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd, that were betting in multiples of HKD250,000 (US$32,000) to HKD399,000.
https://www.ggrasia.com/citi-has-first-foreign-player-of-month-in-macau-bet-survey/
apr24
Tourism authorities are kicking off their promotion in Singapore later this week, with the four-day campaign the second of the year, following one for Japan in March.
Accompanied by a presentation and networking sessions, the roadshow will take place at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre between 25 and 28 April.
According to the Tourism Office, Singapore ranks 8th in Macau’s international tourist market. In the first quarter of 2024, about 25,623 visitors travelled to Macau from the Southeast Asian country, with the average daily visitor volume recovering to 82.6 per cent of the 2019 level.
https://www.macaubusiness.com/govt-to-begin-roadshow-in-singapore-later-this-week/
apr24
Helena de Senna Fernandes, directora dos Serviços de Turismo, acredita que Macau vai acolher este ano mais visitantes internacionais do que esperado, ultrapassando a meta de dois milhões de chegadas, podendo até ser superior a três milhões devido aos resultados do primeiro trimestre. A directora dos Serviços de Turismo espera ainda por uma média diária de entradas de 130 mil turistas durante a Semana Dourada do Dia do Trabalhador.
https://pontofinal-macau.com/2024/04/18/chegada-de-turistas-internacionais-vai-ultrapassar-as-previsoes-e-podera-chegar-aos-tres-milhoes/
mar24
Hóspedes da Sands Resorts Macau podem agora fazer o check-in de forma conveniente para os seus voos diretamente do conforto do resort integrado, poupando tempo valioso e garantindo uma viagem tranquila para o Aeroporto Internacional de Hong Kong que proporciona um processo sem complicações e eficiente para os viajantes.
Espera-se que a introdução do check-in e do serviço de transferência direta por autocarro pela Sands Resorts Macau contribua para as metas de visitantes da Direcção dos Serviços de Turismo (DST) para 2024 e além, solidificando ainda mais a posição do resort como líder em hospitalidade. Kris Kaminsky, Vice-Presidente Sénior de Operações Hoteleiras da Sands China Ltd., expressou entusiasmo com os novos serviços: “Estamos empolgados em poder oferecer conveniência e conforto incomparáveis aos nossos valorizados hóspedes”.
ap24
Due to the increasing number of international tourists visiting Macau and considering that local tour guides may not be able to speak every language fluently, the government has plans to build a translation system. Speaking to TDM, the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) director, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, has said the ideas are still in the preliminary stage, and it is unknown whether they are “feasible.” She also said the construction work is not easy, especially with the need to find appropriate equipment, translation software and to conduct testing. Only when the results are satisfactory and suitable could such a system be launched.
https://macaudailytimes.com.mo/translation-system-plan-underway-for-intl-visitors.html
apr24
This is what Western tourists really think about Macao
https://macaonews.org/travel/macau-western-tourists-feedback-tourism-macao/
apr24
The government’s intention to permit the hiring of foreign tourist guides will not threaten employment opportunities for locals, the city’s tourism head has reassured.
Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, the Tourism Office’s director, spoke on a TDM phone-in show on Wednesday.
The official’s affirmation comes as legislators are preparing to discuss a new legislation that aims to update the current regulations on travel agencies and tour operators in the city.
Under proposed provisions, the hiring of foreigners who speak less common languages will be possible – on the condition that they go through all legal employment procedures and pass exams set by the Macao University of Tourism.
However, Fernandes told viewers today that the new bill would not leave the door wide open for foreign employees, describing the possible import of overseas manpower as an “expedient”.
“Hiring foreign tourist guides incurs higher costs on travel agencies,” said the official.
https://www.macaubusiness.com/foreign-tourist-guides-not-a-threat-to-locals-mgto/
mar24
MACAU CASINOS TURN TO RFID TO TRACK FOREIGN BETTERS
Facing failure to attract foreign gamblers, Macau casinos are turning to radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to track non-Chinese players’ bets and claim tax deductions as permitted under new legislation. Last year, the government announced an up to 5% tax break for casinos able to boost foreign gaming revenue, but initial efforts at isolating foreigner-only areas were unappealing to foreign gamblers. Now casino operators are installing smart table systems, and the government is providing equipment to facilitate tracking of foreign bettors’ wagers using RFID, said Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong.
https://macaudailytimes.com.mo/macau-casinos-turn-to-rfid-to-track-foreign-betters.html
mar24
Os Serviços de Turismo esperam que este ano cheguem a Macau cerca de dois milhões de turistas internacionais. Mas o sector está ainda mais optimista, considerando que o volume pré-pandemia pode mesmo ser ultrapassado, disse Andy Wu. Este mês, Macau já recebeu 800 turistas de cruzeiros
https://jtm.com.mo/local/sector-turismo-confiante-nos-mercados-estrangeiros/
mar24
The Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) expects the overall number of overseas arrivals this year to reach 60-70 per cent of pre-COVID levels, with more than 2 million tourists visiting the city, said MGTO deputy director Cheng Wai Tong, as quoted by public broadcaster TDM.
Macau welcomed 1.46 million international visitors in 2023, recovering to 47.6 per cent of the pre-COVID level. Cheng stressed that tourism authorities will actively carry out promotions to attract overseas tourists. They plan to spend MOP235 million (US$29.2 million) this year on promotional campaigns and incentives targeting overseas markets, including 250,000 “gifts” for overseas travellers.
https://www.macaubusiness.com/overseas-visitors-expected-to-surpass-2-million-in-2024-mgto-deputy-chief/
mar24
Flight capacity still ramping up, competition intensifying
Flight capacity recovery is one of the factors that restrain Macau’s visitation recovery. In this context, analysts believe that normalization of visitor arrivals in Macau shall continue, as visitations in October reached 2.7 million, representing 86 percent of October 2019’s level. In particular, visitations from China were 83 percent of their respective pre-COVID level.
The base case calculation model assumes that Macau’s visitations would be 10-19 percent above the pre-COVID level from September 2024 onwards.
Despite the optimistic outlook for visitor arrivals, CLSA says that the market focus continues on rebates and reinvestments in premium gamblers, which have recorded a ‘meaningful pick-up across the board in 2023 thus far compared with 2019 levels’.
With new properties opened in Cotai in 2023, such marketing expenses will likely remain elevated, similar to the years from 2016 to 2018. The research finds that the sector’s quarterly rebates in all premium segments (VIP and premium mass) increased from $707m in 1Q23 to $1.1 billion in 3Q23.
As a percentage of the city’s total GGR, rebates in 9M23 equated to roughly 17-18 percent of Macau’s total GGR, below the average of 22 percent from 1Q17 to 4Q19, the period when junkets’ presence was heavier
https://agbrief.com/news/macau/10/03/2024/macau-gaming-market-share-fight-amid-moderating-pace-of-revenue-recovery/?utm_source=Asia+Gaming+Brief&utm_campaign=6dd1563ae8-AGB%3A+%2301856+Friday%2C+08th+March%2C+2024_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_51950b5d21-6dd1563ae8-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&ct=t%28AGB%3A+%2301856+Friday%2C+08th+March%2C+2024_COPY_01%29&goal=0_51950b5d21-6dd1563ae8-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&mc_cid=6dd1563ae8&mc_eid=31e20475e6
mar24
Mais de 22 mil turistas oriundos do Japão visitaram Macau nos primeiros dois meses do ano, um número cinco vezes superior ao registado no mesmo período do ano passado. O número foi ainda uma recuperação de 42% do nível de 2019. No âmbito da promoção de rua de Macau em Tóquio de três dias, que terminou ontem, o secretário para a Economia e Finanças Lei Wai Nong referiu que espera atrair mais visitas turísticas do Japão.
https://pontofinal-macau.com/2024/03/11/visitas-de-japoneses-a-macau-recuperam-quase-metade-do-nivel-pre-epidemico/
fev24
Desde o início do ano que a Direcção dos Serviços de Turismo (DST) está a lançar ofertas turísticas para assinalar as “Celebrações do 25º Aniversário do Estabelecimento da RAEM”. Entre as 250 mil ofertas a serem lançadas, os descontos de bilhetes de avião de várias companhias aéreas correspondem a 49% do total, indicou o organismo.
Por exemplo, com a Air Macau foram lançados diferentes pacotes de descontos de bilhetes de avião, incluindo a redução directa no custo de bilhetes de voos internacionais para Macau ou oferta de um bilhete na compra doutro para Macau, bem como a redução directa do custo de bilhetes multidestinos.
A DST vai ainda oferecer diferentes promoções aos viajantes internacionais que partam da Malásia, Singapura, Filipinas, Tailândia, Coreia do Sul e América do Norte. Por exemplo, a venda a preços especiais de bilhetes de avião em tempo limitado e ofertas de produtos turísticos diversificados, bem como a promoção da oferta de pacotes de viagem de Macau através de agências de viagem em cooperação com companhias aéreas internacionais.
Num comunicado, a DST informa ainda que os bilhetes de autocarro e de barco gratuitos “Oferta de bilhetes a Macau” e as ofertas especiais de transportes para passageiros de cruzeiro de Hong Kong visitarem Macau ocupam 46% e uma variedade de pacotes de viagens com experiências específicas ocupam 5%.
https://jtm.com.mo/local/bilhetes-de-aviao-representam-metade-das-250-mil-ofertas-da-raem/
fev24
A CAM planeia atribuir mais recursos e lançar políticas de incentivo adicionais para as companhias que operam rotas internacionais de médio e longo curso, em linha com os objectivos do Governo de atrair mais visitantes de todo o mundo para a RAEM. Ainda no primeiro trimestre deste ano serão lançadas duas ligações, uma desde Istambul e outra a partir de Moscovo, em direcção à capital chinesa e com transferência para Macau. Por outro lado, a Air Macau vai começar a utilizar em Março o seu primeiro avião de fuselagem larga. Durante o Ano Novo Chinês, são esperados 110 mil passageiros no Aeroporto e 860 voos
https://jtm.com.mo/local/aeroporto-tera-politicas-de-incentivo-para-operacao-de-rotas-internacionais/
jan24
Starting from 1 February, international travellers arriving at the Hong Kong International Airport will be eligible for free bus and ferry tickets to Macau, the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) announced on Tuesday.
The promotion campaign covers ferry services provided by TurboJET and Cotai Water Jet, which connect the special administrative regions of Macau and Hong Kong.
Macau HK Airport Direct, the shuttle bus service connecting Macau and Hong Kong’s airport via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge(HZMB), is also included in the promotion.
This promotional program targets international tourists, excluding those from the Greater China region. The free bus and ferry tickets to Macau will be available on a first-come, first-served basis until the limited quotas are filled.
https://www.macaubusiness.com/macau-to-offer-free-transit-tickets-for-overseas-visitors-arriving-in-hk-from-feb/
jan24
The number of charter flights at the Macau International Airport reached 813 in 2023, accounting for 30 per cent of what was recorded in 2019, public broadcaster TDM reported.
Earlier this month, the Macau International Airport Company (CAM) indicated that it had processed 42,504 aircraft movements, equivalent to 54 per cent of the 2019 figure.
https://www.macaubusiness.com/charter-flights-in-2023-only-30-pct-of-pre-pandemic-levels/
jan24
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has unveiled a new forecasting platform that estimates close to 130 million international visitors will enter the Greater Bay Area (GBA) this year. That’s a full recovery of pre-pandemic levels, Australia’s National Tribune reports.
If the platform proves accurate, the GBA could be seeing 195 million international arrivals in 2027 – along with over 335 million domestic tourists.
The platform was developed by the university’s School of Hotel and Tourism Management and is being touted as a valuable tool for understanding tourism flows under different economic scenarios.
https://macaonews.org/news/greater-bay-area/greater-bay-area-gba-tourism-visitor-forecast-2024/
jan24
Há duas semanas, a directora dos Serviços de Turismo avançava três milhões como estimativa do número de visitantes internacionais em 2024, o mesmo número de 2019. De acordo com o especialista Glenn McCartney, embora as autoridades estejam a ir no bom caminho, é preciso fazer mais, porque as ligações aéreas e pacotes promocionais não bastam. É urgente o “upgrade” da cidade e das suas infraestruturas – transportes, hotéis, mão de obra qualificada – para que os turistas estrangeiros tenham uma experiência global satisfatória e partilhem o que viveram nas redes sociais.
https://pontofinal-macau.com/2024/01/26/ha-muito-trabalho-a-fazer-nestes-destinos-que-ficam-a-tres-ou-quatro-horas-de-distancia/
jan24
Ao longo do ano passado, entraram em Macau cerca de 28,2 milhões de visitantes, confirmou ontem a Direcção dos Serviços de Estatística e Censos (DSEC). A informação já tinha sido adiantada no início de Janeiro pela Direcção dos Serviços de Turismo (DST). Os dados estatísticos da DSEC mostram agora que, do total de 28,2 milhões de visitantes no ano passado, cerca de 19 milhões eram provenientes do interior da China. O número de visitantes de Hong Kong foi de cerca de 7,2 milhões e registaram-se ainda cerca de 1,5 milhões de visitantes internacionais, o que corresponde a cerca de 5,2% do total.
https://pontofinal-macau.com/2024/01/23/dos-282-milhoes-de-visitantes-que-macau-recebeu-em-2023-apenas-15-milhoes-eram-internacionais/
jan24
Macau’s tourism office sets a goal to draw 3 million international visitors this year by investing MOP 100 million ($12.4 million) to subsidize 100,000 international air tickets. However, the industry had mixed reactions.
Speaking to AGB, the head of the Association of Industry and Commerce Federations of Macau Tourism said that the pecuniary subsidies are not sustainable as the total number of international visitors depends on flight capacity and the channel through which Macau brings the visitors.
“International visitors normally come to Macau by air or by ferry. If we don’t secure a certain frequency and number of flights, international visitor arrivals will be restrained,” noted Ben Leng.
Leng pointed out that for consistency, Macau needs to attract more Chinese living in the Greater Bay Area to use Macau Airport to travel abroad. In the same way, the flights will naturally bring more international visitors.
https://agbrief.com/news/macau/10/01/2024/macaus-12-4-million-air-ticket-subsidy-sees-a-tepid-response/
jan24
About 1.46 million foreign passport holders visited Macao last year, making up 5.17 percent of total arrivals, according to Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes. She spoke to media at the airport yesterday, as Air Macau launched its first flight to Kuala Lumpur.
Senna Fernandes described the flow of foreign arrivals as “good,” given the global airline industry had yet to fully bounce back from the three-year Covid-19 pandemic.
While 2023’s total tourism influx managed to recover to 70 percent of the tally in pre-pandemic 2019, last year’s international visitors made up less than half of their 2019 total – which was about three million.
https://macaonews.org/news/city/macau-foreign-tourists-visitors-2023-macao/
jan24
Helena de Senna Fernandes revelou uma maior expectativa das autoridades de chegarem, em 2024, aos três milhões de turistas internacionais, o dobro do número do ano passado e idêntico ao nível de 2019. A concretização da meta, contudo, está também relacionada com a situação da recuperação da indústria de aviação civil. A directora dos Serviços de Turismo confirmou a continuação de descontos para os voos, mas desta vez será para rotas internacionais, com um orçamento de 100 milhões de patacas. Além disso, o Aeroporto Internacional de Macau prevê um aumento em até 15% este ano no volume de passageiros.
https://pontofinal-macau.com/2024/01/11/dst-eleva-expectativa-de-recepcao-de-turistas-internacionais-para-tres-milhoes-neste-ano/
jan24
Macao’s airport processed a total of 5.15 million passengers last year, equating to 54 percent of its 2019 volume, according to a statement released by its operator.
Mainland Chinese made up 58 percent of passenger numbers at the airport in 2023, and the Taiwanese made up 15 percent. Southeast Asian nationals made up 27 percent, reflecting Macao’s large Philippine and Indonesian expatriate populations.
This is in contrast to a 70 percent recovery in overall tourism numbers, according to provisional data from the Macao Government Tourism Office. Most visitors arrive by Macao’s land crossings, or by bridge or ferry from neighbouring Hong Kong.
https://macaonews.org/news/business/macau-airport-passenger-volume-2023-macao-2/
jan24
The Macau Tourism Industry Association’s president, Andy Wu, has told TDM that he expects 36 million visitors will visit Macao this year – and that “more than four million” of them will be from beyond Greater China.
Thirty-six million is more than 90 percent of the total logged in pre-pandemic 2019. Provisional data indicates 28.2 million visitors entered Macao in 2023, while just 5.7 million arrived during pandemic-impacted 2022.
In the first three quarters of 2023, almost 690,000 international visitors arrived in Macao, implying the year’s total may be around the one million mark (official data for the period has not yet been published).
https://macaonews.org/news/business/macau-visitors-long-haul-international-foreign-tourists-projection-estimate-2024-macao/
ENTRADAS RETIRADAS DE EXCLUSIVE GAMING ZONES
ab23
Each Macau casino
concessionaire has launched gaming zones for foreigners, said on Tuesday the
city’s Chief Executive, Ho Iat Seng (pictured). The government was “aware” that
a total of 12 foreigner-only gaming areas had so far been launched by the city’s
six casino operators, he added.
Mr Ho was
speaking on Tuesday evening to members of the press at the Macau checkpoint of
the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, before leaving Macau on a journey to Europe.
Mr Ho said the government was “pleased” to see
the city’s gaming operators were fulfilling their concession pledges, including
by providing charter flights to bring foreign patrons to Macau, as
international flights have yet to resume to pre-pandemic levels.
https://www.ggrasia.com/macau-six-ops-have-12-foreigner-gaming-zones-ce/
fev23
Venetian Macao Has Allegedly Launched Exclusive Gaming Zone
for Foreigners
https://www.ggrasia.com/foreigner-gaming-zone-already-at-venetian-macao-sources/
https://www.top10casinowebsites.net/news/venetian-macao-has-allegedly-launched-exclusive-gaming-zone-for-foreigners/
fev23
Tash
said gaming companies were willing to invest
in non-gaming infrastructure “because it just looks more positive.” But he
questioned how successful such efforts would be.
“We already have world-class
restaurants,” he told Macao News. “How many more can you add? How many more
shows are going to attract people to come all the way from northern China to
Macao? It’s a challenge, it’s always been a challenge.”
According
to Tash, English proficiency will also be key if the six gaming concessionaires
are to diversify their customer base.
fev23
But, despite the slow ramp-up of flights, the head
of the Association of Industry and Commerce Federations of Macau notes that
actual round-trip tickets to popular destinations from Macau are much higher
than neighboring Hong Kong, making it impractical to organize international
tours or seek out more international visitors.
“The Macau-Tokyo round-trip flights cost now about
MOP5,800 ($720), when the same flight from Hong Kong is about MOP1,000 ($128),”
notes Ben Leng.
“The difference in price just can’t be accepted by
consumers,” points out the association head – exemplifying that the routes to
Seoul and Osaka are in a similar situation, suppressing demand.
https://agbrief.com/news/macau/22/02/2023/macau-international-tourism-recovery-impeded-by-flights-says-insider/
jan23
Mainland China has amended the law on
offshore gambling thus gaming concessionaires and junket operators are not
allowed to actively invite mainlanders to visit Macau for gambling,” he
said.
“Gaming concessionaires and junket
operators have to be passive towards mainland customers, but we could be very
active in attracting foreign customers.
“However, the competitive environment in
foreign countries is different compared with 20 years ago. [Back then] there
were no casinos in Singapore, but now Singapore has established casinos which
are operating very well, and Thailand and Japan are planning to open casinos as
well.”
Kwok stressed that Macau had lost much
of its attractiveness over the past three years, making it more important than
ever for the city to recognize its own competitive advantages.
“The hardware and facilities in Macau
are all adequate and world-class, but how to make Macau more fascinating to
foreign guests than other places will be an important task for Macau’s gaming
concessionaires and junket operators in the future,” he said, noting that
expectations of recovery in the coming years should remain subdued.
“VIP rooms accounted for more than 50%
of Macau’s gross gaming revenue [previously], but Macau’s gaming industry will
focus on the mass market in the future as VIP rooms have almost disappeared.
The change from VIP room business to mass market business will definitely have
an impact on the gaming industry, and future GGR will not be better than
before.
https://www.asgam.com/index.php/2023/01/31/shopping-around/
dez22
A aposta em
elementos não jogo e clientes estrangeiros são duas das exigências
estabelecidas no concurso público pelas autoridades que esperam assim
diversificar a economia do território.
A MGM Grand
Paradise planeia aumentar a rede de vendas no exterior e organizar eventos nas
filiais da Ásia e do Médio Oriente, para “atrair clientes de países
estrangeiros directamente para Macau”, nomeadamente “através de voos charter”,
disse a administradora delegada da empresa, Pansy Ho, na conferência de
imprensa de apresentação do plano de acção para os próximos dez anos.
A responsável,
filha do falecido magnata do jogo Stanley Ho, salientou que dos 16,7 mil
milhões de patacas de investimento para a próxima década, “15 mil milhões de
patacas, aproximadamente 90%, serão destinados ao desenvolvimento de mercados
de visitantes internacionais e projectos não relacionados com o jogo”.
No mesmo
sentido, o irmão Lawrence Ho, administrador delegado de outra concessionária, a
Melco Resorts, frisou que serão utilizados “dois aviões privados” da empresa
para “atrair clientes com grande poder de consumo”.
Ho, que espera
apostar também em turistas europeus e do Médio Oriente, referiu que a operadora
prevê gastar 11,8 mil milhões de patacas numa década, sendo que à volta de 10
mil milhões de patacas serão orientados para o segmento além-casino e, desses,
1,9 mil milhões para trazer visitantes de fora.
A Galaxy, por
sua vez, também quer “apostar em clientela com capacidade de consumo”, de
acordo com o administrador delegado Francis Lui Yiu Tung, “porque esses
clientes são quem pode fortalecer a economia”.
Com uma
previsão de aplicar 28,4 mil milhões de patacas na estratégia para os próximos
dez anos, a empresa vai canalizar 96% desse valor em projectos fora do âmbito
do jogo.
Já a Wynn
Resorts quer empregar 17,7 mil milhões de patacas na próxima década, dos quais
16,5 mil milhões de patacas em elementos não jogo. Nos planos, está o
alargamento dos escritórios de venda e agências no exterior, em vários países
asiáticos e ainda no Canadá e nos Estados Unidos.
“Vamos
desenvolver parcerias regionais e internacionais com companhias aéreas que
sirvam Macau e Hong Kong, e explorar voos charter e serviços de voos privados
para os clientes”, notou o director financeiro e administrativo, Craig Jeffrey
Fullalove.
A Venetian
Macau (Sands) é quem apresenta o investimento mais alto das seis operadoras,
com a promessa de gastar 30,2 mil milhões de patacas, incluindo 27,8 mil
milhões em programas não jogo.
Para atrair o
mundo lá fora, o director executivo Wilfred Wong Ying Wai quer também
“concentrar as despesas de marketing em mercados estrangeiros, incluindo na
imprensa estrangeira e em plataformas de distribuição”.
Por fim, a mais
antiga concessionária a operar em Macau, a Sociedade de Jogos de Macau (SJM),
representada pela administradora delegada Daisy Ho, também filha de Stanley Ho,
apresentou planos para expandir a base de clientes além-fronteiras – numa
primeira fase nos mercados do norte da Ásia e do Sudeste Asiático.
“A SJM também
aproveitará em pleno os seus próprios recursos e a extensa rede de transporte
aéreo, terrestre e marítimo das empresas do mesmo grupo para proporcionar um
serviço de transporte em conectividade sem descontinuidade aos visitantes
internacionais”, assegurou a responsável.
Com um
investimento antecipado de 14,03 mil milhões de patacas, cerca de 12 milhões
destinam-se a actividades fora do casino.
Durante a conferência de imprensa, o Governo
admitiu serem necessárias mais ligações aéreas ao território – Macau só tem
voos directos para destinos na Ásia – com o secretário para a Administração e
Justiça, André Cheong, a considerar que “é possível aproveitar a ponte Hong
Kong-Zhuhai-Macau” e, nesse sentido, devem ser feitas “propostas de facilitação
de acesso às fronteiras” com as autoridades vizinhas para que a entrada e saída
de visitantes internacionais seja agilizada.
https://pontofinal-macau.com/2022/12/19/operadoras-de-jogo-apostam-em-voos-charter-e-escritorios-no-exterior-para-captar-visitantes/
out23 PERSPETIVA COMPLEMENTAR
Ainda no preâmbulo, só a utiliza para condicionar o seu próprio desígnio de ponte com o exterior – repele não só estrangeiros, como também nacionais chineses para proteger o emprego local; perde a multiculturalidade e o pensamento crítico que precisa para ser uma plataforma de entendimento e conselheiro de Pequim. A nível regional também isso terá consequências, pois pode acabar por ter poucos argumentos no complemento à Grande Baía.
Guilherme Rego
https://www.plataformamedia.com/2023/10/12/duvidas-de-autonomia/
out23
Macau’s airport handled a total of 116,343 inbound and outbound passengers and 975 aircraft movements from September 30 to October 6 inclusive, a seven-day period equivalent to 2019′s autumn Golden Week holiday season.
The figures represented a recovery of 66 percent and 63 percent respectively, on the 2019 festive period.
The air hub’s operator Macau International Airport Co Ltd, known as CAM, opted for the like-for-like comparison in its Wednesday update, even though autumn Golden Week this year actually consisted of eight days, due to the lunar-calenadar based Mid-Autumn Festival falling on September 29 this time.
https://www.ggrasia.com/pax-volume-66pct-of-2019-golden-week-says-macau-airport/
out23
Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes said foreign visitors now account for about 5% of the total number of tourists visiting the city, adding it will still take time for international tourism flow to recover.
In an interview with Macao Daily News at an event in the Philippines, Fernandes said the recovery of foreign arrivals had accelerated significantly in the second half of the year.
“The recovery was slow at the beginning of the year, but after June, there was an average of 120,000 foreign arrivals every month,” she said.
“Foreign arrivals accounted for about 10% of total arrivals before the outbreak and have now recovered to about 5%.
“The number of flights this year is lower than before the pandemic and it will take time for international travel to recover, but the situation in Macau is not bad anymore and there is a significant change compared to the beginning of this year.”
https://www.asgam.com/index.php/2023/10/12/mgto-foreigners-now-account-for-5-of-macau-visitor-arrivals/
Foreign tourists have made up only five percent of visitor arrivals in recent months – while before the pandemic they comprised about 10 percent of the total, local media reports.
Numbers have picked up since the start of the year, averaging about 120,000 per month since June, according to the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO)’s director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes.
Figures reported earlier in the year showed that of the 9.4 million visitors recorded between January and May – just 3.8 percent were from outside of Greater China (the mainland, Taiwan, and the SARs).
https://macaonews.org/business/foreign-tourists-international-tourism-macao-macau/
out23
Legislator José Pereira Coutinho today emphasised the pressing need to introduce long-haul flights to entice foreign tourists to visit Macau, citing the connection with Lisbon in the 1990s as an example.
During a press conference, Coutinho underscored the significance of the forthcoming discussion on the civil aviation bill, deeming it one of the “highly important legislative acts” during the upcoming annual session of the Legislative Assembly, scheduled to commence on October 16.
Coutinho observed that Macau’s international airport currently functions more like a domestic airport due to the absence of medium and long-haul flights, with the majority of operations monopolized by certain entities.
https://www.macaubusiness.com/lawmaker-coutinho-calls-for-long-haul-flights-to-attract-international-tourists/
out23
Project highlights commitment to the district’s community and unique culture, providing support to SMEs and optimizing the street’s environment to attract more locals, visitors, and businesses, and boost the economy, Wynn Macau indicates
The pilot scheme to pedestrianise Rua da Felicidade has the potential to transform the district located at the heart of Macau’s city centre into a renowned “community landmark,” not only attracting more international visitors to Macau but also enhancing the business environment for local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), said Linda Chen, President, Vice Chairman and Executive Director of gaming and integrated resorts operator Wynn Macau.
The “Rua da Felicidade Pedestrian Zone Project,” supported by Wynn Macau in collaboration with the Macau Government, officially commenced on September 29, offering a wide range of attractions and amenities designed to entice visitors.
https://www.macaubusiness.com/rua-da-felicidade-to-become-renewed-community-landmark-for-visitors-businesses-linda-chen/
set23
Com a América do Norte a figurar como um dos principais mercados de turistas de longo curso de Macau, os Serviços de Turismo organizaram uma visita de familiarização para 10 agências de viagens dos EUA e do Canadá, que incluiu a Grande Baía. O objectivo é promover contactos e proporcionar experiências com novos elementos de turismo na RAEM
https://jtm.com.mo/local/dst-reforca-atraccao-de-turistas-norte-americanos/
set23
Macao plays a role in linking the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), but there need to be more flights if economic ties are to improve, according to Malaysia Macau Chamber of Commerce (MMCC) president Kelvin Tan.
Speaking on the sidelines of Malaysia Day reception at the JW Marriott on 15 September, he called for “More flights connecting Macao with Malaysia in particular” and added that Macao’s “importance as a tourism convention and shopping hub would be enhanced if we have better connections with ASEAN.”
Noting that Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia was planning to la
https://macaonews.org/business/macau-macao-asean-malaysia-business-trade-tourism/
set23
Sem quantificar, a Direcção dos Serviços de Educação e de Desenvolvimento da Juventude (DSEDJ) indicou que o número de estudantes internacionais do ensino superior de Macau já é maior do que antes da pandemia. O organismo diz que isso revela “o reconhecimento e a atractividade das instituições de ensino superior de Macau a nível internacional aumentaram”.
https://pontofinal-macau.com/2023/09/06/numero-de-estudantes-internacionais-do-ensino-superior-ultrapassou-nivel-pre-pandemico-diz-dsedj/
ago23
Lei Wai Nong defende a necessidade de aumentar as ligações aéreas entre Macau e destinos no estrangeiro para captar mercados turísticos externos. O governante anunciou que a partir de Outubro as ligações para a Indonésia serão retomadas
ag23
Acções de sensibilização e divulgação estão a ser realizadas pela Direcção dos Serviços de Turismo para dinamizar fontes de visitantes internacionais, isto na sequência da entrada em funcionamento, ontem, do serviço de autocarros de ligação directa entre o terminal do Posto Fronteiriço de Macau da Ponte do Delta e o Aeroporto de Hong Kong. A conveniência do novo serviço pode favorecer a expansão de mercados internacionais a Macau dos turistas que chegam ao território vizinho, considera o organismo~
https://jtm.com.mo/local/autocarros-para-aeroporto-de-hong-kong-favorecem-expansao-de-visitantes/
ago23
Macau’s tourism recovery is showing no sign of slowing down with preliminary figures revealing the city’s hotel occupancy rate reached 92.2% in July – soaring above the 84.3% occupancy rate recorded in June.
The Macao Government Tourism Office issued a notice on Wednesday outlining a raft of figures from recent weeks, with July representing the highest hotel occupancy rate since the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, in June, the number of hotel guests had exceeded 36,000 to hit 102.2% of June 2019 numbers, aided by greater hotel room supply.
The MGTO also highlighted the return of international tourists, with an average of 7,393 foreign arrivals per day in July. This figure, they added, had since grown by a further 5% between 1 and 17 August according to the latest provisional data, “reflecting that Macau’s tourist structure is gradually developing towards a diversified direction and has rich ‘tourism +’ elements to attract different groups of tourists.”
Macau’s top tourism source markets include the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and the United States.
https://www.asgam.com/index.php/2023/08/24/mgto-international-tourist-arrivals-on-the-rise-as-macau-hotel-occupancy-rate-climbs-above-90/
ago23
The Macau authorities have proposed talks with their mainland China counterparts about a “144-hours visa-free transit” programme understood to be targeted particularly at foreign travellers wishing to move around within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, but who would otherwise need a visa for Guangdong.
The Macau side said a key aim was to help Macau’s “tourism and integrated leisure” sector, a term usually understood to refer to the city’s gaming operators and their hospitality businesses. The Macau government has already asked its six casino concessionaires to work on bringing in more overseas customers, as part of conditions for the new 10-year licences issued in January.
https://www.ggrasia.com/macau-moots-visa-freedom-for-those-also-visiting-guangdong/
jul23
The proportion of foreign visitors to Macau is “gradually growing” with a trend towards individual travelers, a local tourism official disclosed yesterday.
On the sidelines of an art event yesterday, Deputy Director Cheng Wai Tong of the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) gave this report, adding that this summer, the city will still mainly rely on tourists from the Chinese mainland.
However, the recovery of foreign group tours is not being maintained, due to various factors, such as negotiations with the foreign tourism industry, international flight recovery and air ticket pricing, Cheng explained.
In response to the situation, the MGTO will further promote Macau in foreign source markets and consider the possibility of including neighboring islands, such as Guishan Island, in itineraries for foreigner site visits. The use of the 144-hour special visa to Guangdong Province to promote island tours will also be considered.
https://macaudailytimes.com.mo/macau-sees-growing-proportion-of-foreign-visitors-says-mgto.html
jul23
Expensive flights deter foreign tourists
Macao Government Tourism Office’s Cheng Wai Tong attributes sluggish international tourism to limited international flight links and the soaring cost of airfares.
https://macaonews.org/business/international-foreign-tourists-2023-macau-macau/
jul23
Opinion: Macao can forget about being an international destination until it fixes its taxi problem
There’s no point luring overseas visitors to the territory if they can’t get around when they arrive. Gaming consultant and Macao resident Alidad Tash has solutions to an issue that’s holding Macao back.
https://macaonews.org/features/taxis-transport-macau-macao/
jul23
No primeiro semestre deste ano, o número de visitantes na RAEM atingiu cerca de 60% do nível pré-pandemia, porém, a retoma dos mercados internacionais quedou-se pelos 31%, correspondendo à entrada de quase 475 mil pessoas, ou seja, apenas 4% do total, segundo novos dados provisórios. A DST promete continuar a promover Macau no exterior através de diversos canais, enquanto se prevê o aumento das ligações para países como a Tailândia e Coreia do Sul
https://jtm.com.mo/local/raem-ainda-so-recuperou-31-dos-visitantes-internacionais/
jul23
The director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes (pictured), has praised the city’s casino operators for their efforts so far in attracting more international visitors to the city. The official told GGRAsia that while the government did not have a long-term goal for the mix between international visitors and those coming from Greater China, an immediate target was to increase the market share of international arrivals to around 10 percent of the overall visitor volume.
“First, we want to get back to the 10 percent or so we had before the pandemic,” Ms Senna Fernandes told GGRAsia. “Beyond that, we will, step by step, make an effort to increase the weight of this segment. Of course, this will not be easy.”
https://www.ggrasia.com/macau-ops-doing-their-part-in-attracting-foreigners-mgto/
jul23
For some time, travelers and other users of the Taipa Ferry Terminal have been noticing difficulties in accessing some basic services at the mega facility located at Pac On.
In reality, and according to some readers of the Times who have been frequent users of the facility since its opening back in June 2017, the services offered in the terminal have been wound back, making life difficult for the passengers opting for this method of travel between Macau and Hong Kong.
According to the users, basic services such as an ATM are completely absent from the terminal; complaints also extend to a lack of offerings in terms of food and beverages and other services existing in the facility.
Following such complaints, the Times has contacted the Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA), the governmental entity in charge of the facility, as well as the company holding the concession for the management and operation of the terminal CSI Group Ltd (CSI).
https://macaudailytimes.com.mo/concessionaire-to-blame-for-the-low-range-of-services.html
jukl23
Complicações em chamar táxis, ligações aéreas insuficientes, falta de pilotos e de pessoal no aeroporto, trânsito lento ao fim de semana. Estes problemas estão a impedir que mais turistas internacionais possam vir visitar Macau em boas condições, admite Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes. Reconhecendo que ainda vai demorar algum tempo até que se consiga resolver estas questões, a directora dos Serviços de Turismo está, apesar de tudo, satisfeita com o fluxo de visitantes, com 90% dos quartos já reservados para o Verão.
https://pontofinal-macau.com/2023/07/11/falta-de-taxis-e-voos-esta-a-restringir-turismo-internacional-admite-dst/
jun23
Sands China President Dr Wilfred Wong says Macau’s concessionaires will do their best to help increase foreign visitation to the SAR, but just how successful they will be remains to be seen.
His comments form part of a lengthy interview with Inside Asian Gaming to feature on the cover of our July 2023 issue, out this Friday, in which he discusses Sands China’s development plans under its new 10-year concession and how he sees the market evolving.
Asked whether the government’s stated goal of foreign visitation reaching 10% of all visitor arrivals was achievable, Dr Wong said, “You can’t change something overnight. The fact is we have been very dependent on travelers from the Chinese mainland and from Hong Kong.
“But we are now doing a lot of promotions overseas. We are expanding our overseas representative network, we are bringing in wholesalers, tour operators to come and experience Macau, hoping they will help introduce Macau to the world. Now, this is a long-term goal – 10% is not today and it’s not tomorrow. It is the long-term.
https://www.asgam.com/index.php/2023/06/28/dr-wilfred-wong-concessionaires-will-do-our-best-to-increase-foreign-visitation-to-macau/
jun23
Between 3,000 and 5,000 international visitors are arriving in Macao each day, says tourism chief Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes.
The head of the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) made the remarks yesterday on the sidelines of the Macao International Travel Industry Expo at the World Trade Centre Macau.
According to a report in Macau Post Daily, she said the volume of foreign visitors was now at 20 to 30 percent of the pre-pandemic level and more than double the daily average in the first quarter of this year.
https://macaonews.org/business/macau-macao-foreign-international-visitors/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=14+June+Daily+Read&utm_campaign=20230614_Daily+Newsletter
jun23
Macau is seeking to meaningfully expand the percentage of its visitors from overseas, this time targeting the Middle East and Indian markets. However, a gaming scholar told AGB the move will be very challenging due to cultural differences.
The Secretary for Economy and Finance of Macau, Lei Wai Nong revealed at a plenary session of the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday that the Middle East and India will become new focuses in Macau’s tourism promotion efforts.
The official mentioned that, until 2019, Macau was “developing and doing well” in expanding the Indian tourist source market. At the same time, the authorities are also looking for agents to attract Middle Eastern guests to visit Macau.
Speaking to AGB, Professor Zeng Zhonglu, from the Macao Polytechnic University’s Gaming Research Team, said he believes that it will be a tough task for Macau to lure Indian and Middle East tourists due to the cultural and cuisine differences.
“India has a big population, although the per capita income is relatively low. If we can attract some high-income groups to come to Macau, the number will be considerable”, he mentioned.
Zeng added that how Macau overcomes the religious and language barrier for Middle East and Indian tourists is an important factor. The professor opines that bringing the tourists in should not be an issue due to Macau’s proximity to the Hong Kong International Airport.
Regarding the Middle East market, the scholar believes there will be much potential to attract high rollers. “If successful, it will be beneficial for Macau,” he said.
Currently, Macau is working on enhancing cooperation with the Hong Kong International Airport, pushing a new plan that will allow passengers arriving in Hong Kong to pick up their bags in Macau, therefore bypassing Hong Kong immigration. The luggage could be sent either via land or sea.
jun23
Macau concessionaire Sands China has launched a three-day event called “The Macao Showcase” at sister property Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.
Running until Friday, The Macao Showcase aims to promote Macau as a premier tourism and MICE destination with sales and trade partners, regional and international media and Singapore residents all invited to take part.
https://www.asgam.com/index.php/2023/06/08/sands-china-promotes-macau-tourism-and-mice-via-three-day-the-macao-showcase-at-marina-bay-sands-in-singapore/
The Macau tourism industry needs to take advantage of the current visa-free policy from Macau to Greater Bay Area (GBA) to boost one-city, multi-destination visitation, according to an aviation expert. Authorities are also aiming to boost regional connectivity, including a luggage throughput scheme with the Hong Kong airport
Macao looks to the GBA to boost its international visitor arrivals
The MGTO’s Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes says the territory wants to work with airlines that fly into Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou to bring tourists to Macao.
https://macaonews.org/business/macau-macao-tourism-international-visitors-gba/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=8+June+Daily+Read&utm_campaign=20230608_Daily+Newsletter
Passengers arriving at Hong Kong airport whose final destination is Macau will soon be able to transfer directly to Macau via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) without going through immigration and entering Hong Kong, local authorities said yesterday at the Legislative Assembly (AL) during the continuation of the two-day Q&A session between lawmakers and government officials. In the debate that followed an inquiry from lawmaker Ip Sio Kai, the Secretary for Security, Wong Sion Chak, said that work to improve utilization of the HZMB is underway and soon will be enacted.
The Londoner Macao casino resort’s British theme is a big draw for international as well as Chinese customers, as Macau recovers from the impact of nearly three years of travel restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic, says Robert Goldstein (pictured), chairman and chief executive of the resort’s parent company Las Vegas Sands Corp (LVS). He was speaking in an interview in Macau on Thursday with GGRAsia.
The number of tourists visiting Macau has reached 60% of pre-pandemic levels, with a stable majority of tourists coming from the mainland and Hong Kong and a number of overseas and Taiwan tourists which is still small, the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes said.
“Considering that the routes between Japan, South Korea and Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand are recovering quickly, we are currently focusing on these markets for publicity,” the official explained, saying that the current average daily number of overseas and Taiwan tourists was about 2,600 to 2,900.
“While Macao Week is planned to be held in the cities of Qingdao, Tianjin and Xiamen this year, we will also hold overseas roadshows and promotions in the second half of the year,” the MGTO director added, as cited in a TDM report.
In addition, MGTO will cooperate with Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia and South-Korean low-cost carrier Jin Air, which recently announced it will resume flights to Macau by next July, to launch thousands of tickets discounts during May and June with the aim of attracting more foreign tourists.
Fernandes also said that MGTO will cooperate with every other airline intending to resume flights to and from Macau. Staff Reporter
https://macaudailytimes.com.mo/mgto-to-cooperate-with-airasia-and-jin-air-to-attract-overseas-tourists.htmlmaio23
Macau-based casino operator Sands China Ltd is introducing a series of measures to attract more foreign players to its properties, said company president Wilfred Wong Ying Wai (pictured in a file photo) on Thursday. He added that the firm had around 90 percent of its hotel room inventory available during the recent five-day Labour Day break, compared to circa 70 percent in the first quarter.
“We are organising our overseas offices, expanding them, so that they recruit customers from Southeast Asia, Japan, [South] Korea,” Mr Wong told the television service of local public broadcaster TDM.
Speaking with local media, MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes noted that Macau still had some way to go in its bid to increase international visitation and reduce its reliance on greater China.
“The number of international visitors to Macau is still relatively low, with an average of only about 1,600 international visitors per day in February, rising to around 2,000 in March,” she said, adding, “The number of international visitors that can be restored this year will depend on the flight schedule.”
According to MGTO figures, the number of international visitors to Macau in 2019 was 3.1 million at a daily average of around 8,600. In addition, figures from the Gaming Coordination and Inspection Bureau (DICJ) show that just 3.6% of GGR was generated from foreign players in 2019 – a contribution the government is keen to significantly increase.
https://www.asgam.com/index.php/2023/04/20/pansy-daisy-and-lawrence-ho-among-powerhouse-delegation-touring-europe-to-boost-international-visitation-to-macau/
The head of the Macao Government Tourism Office says the territory will do “much more work in the international markets” in a bid to lure long-haul customers as the territory emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes was speaking on Wednesday to Portugal’s news agency Lusa, in an interview timed to coincide with the visit to Lisbon of Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng and the staging of a major tourism drive in the Portuguese capital.
She said that Macao was “really closed to the international market for some time” because of its zero-Covid policy and had to resume “what hasn’t been done in three years.” But she cautioned that selling Macao “will not be completely easy” because of competition from other destinations.
Macao is heavily dependent on domestic tourists to sustain its tourism industry, with travellers from mainland China and Hong Kong accounting for the vast majority of arrivals. While foreign tourists made up around 10 percent of pre-pandemic visitor volume, they only accounted for 2 percent of arrivals in January.
In March, Senna Fernandes told Lusa, “there were only 2,000 international people entering per day”.
https://macaonews.org/business/macau-macao-tourism-promotion-marketing/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=19+April+Daily+Read&utm_campaign=20230419_Daily+Newsletter
mar23
A business aviation company operating in Macau expects its business to return to half of pre-Covid sales levels this year.
TAG Aviation Asia’s Macau branch was inaugurated early 2019.
During the first two months of this year, the business aviation company has seen sales reaching the levels of its inaugural period, Rita Tam, general manager of the branch, told local media Macao Daily News.
Tam added that the company is optimistic about the development prospects of the business aviation market in Macau and the Greater Bay Area (GBA). Not long after the branch’s inauguration, the business achieved a market share of 27% in Macau. Major clientele back then comprised business and leisure travelers, sports teams and entertainment personalities.
https://macaudailytimes.com.mo/business-aviation-firm-expects-to-return-to-50-of-pre-covid-sales-volume-this-year.html
MAR23
Flight volumes at Macao’s airport are 70 percent of what they were at this point in 2019, according to the facility’s marketing chief Eric Fong.
Although passenger volumes – at less than 10,000 a day – are only 30 or 40 percent of what they were in the same pre-pandemic month, Fong believes they will begin to exceed that number in the summer as airlines add more flights.
He told the Chinese-language newspaper Macao Daily that the airport was in discussions with carriers from Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Maldives and Palau, hoping to open the latter two routes in the third quarter of the year.
https://macaonews.org/business/macau-macao-airport-flight-volume-traffic/
mar23
Private jet travel picks up as casinos roll out the red carpet for foreign punters
The airport is seeing an uptick in private jet arrivals, reports say, with one charter operator hoping the market will recover half of its pre-pandemic volume this year.
https://macaonews.org/business/macau-macao-private-jet/
mar23
As ligações aéreas entre Macau e o Nordeste e Sudeste asiático vão ser aumentadas a partir do próximo domingo, tendo a Air Macau anunciado que vai operar mais voos semanais para o Japão, Coreia do Sul, Tailândia, Singapura e Taiwan. A Air Macau revelou que a média de reserva de voos internacionais ronda recentemente sete mil por semana, com uma tendência de crescimento de 20% em termos semanais.
A Air Macau vai aumentar gradualmente a frequência de rotas a partir do próximo domingo, de forma a satisfazer a procura do mercado e cooperar com a recuperação económica e do turismo, incluindo destinos como o Japão, Coreia do Sul, Tailândia, Singapura e Taiwan. A transportadora vai ainda lançar uma nova ligação com Banguecoque para o Aeroporto Internacional Don Mueang, além da rota para o principalaeroporto da cidade, Suvarna-bhumi.
https://pontofinal-macau.com/2023/03/20/air-macau-aumenta-frequencia-das-ligacoes-internacionais-a-partir-da-proxima-semana/
mar23
Macau is seeking to expand meaningfully and soon the percentage of its visitors from overseas, beyond the 2.2 percent achieved in January, said on Wednesday the head of the city’s tourism bureau.
Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, director of Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), was speaking on the sidelines of a public event.
“This year’s effort will be focused on [attracting] international visitors, so that the 2.2 percent will soon grow,” she stated.
She noted that a stepping up of direct air services, and of links with neighbouring regional transport hub Hong Kong, should help Macau get a greater number of international visitors.
https://www.ggrasia.com/overseas-visitors-to-ramp-quickly-in-2023-macau-govt/
Fernandes said that she believed the proportion of international travellers would soon pick up to 10 per cent from January’s 2.2 per cent, with a gradual return of international flights and more convenient travel between the two SARs.
https://www.macaubusiness.com/tourism-authorities-aim-for-50000-tourists-daily-for-2023/
https://macaonews.org/business/macao-macau-tourism-international-arrivals/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=17+March+Daily+Read&utm_campaign=20230317_Daily+Newsletter
set22
Leading academics on Macau’s gaming industry have called for the creation of exclusive gaming zones providing different and specialized experiences for players as a possible way of attracting more foreign visitors.
The director of the University of Macau’s Institute for the Study of Commercial Gaming, Davis Fong Ka Chio, and the President of the Macau Responsible Gaming Association, Song Wai Kit, appeared on Radio Macau on Wednesday where they were asked about the development of Macau’s gaming industry and their suggestions for attracting foreign tourists.
Attracting more foreign tourists is a key element of the Macau Government’s re-tendering guidelines for casino concessions, with tax breaks dangled as a lure for those who can do so successfully in future. However, questions remain over the feasibility of such a plan given the prominence of visitation from mainland China and Hong Kong.
Fong said that in 2019, before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Macau had around 3 million foreign visitors per year – mainly from Korea, Japan and some Southeast Asian countries – of the nearly 40 million visitors in total.
“I think Macau’s existing gaming facilities can attract foreign visitors, but the gaming elements can be improved in the future,” he said. “Different ways of playing can be added to the gaming facilities or a dedicated gaming area for foreign visitors to give them a sense of privilege.”
On the issue of foreign visitors, Song believes that the language skills of gaming employees should be strengthened.
“The company’s staff needs to focus on strengthening their multilingual skills and to provide services that cater to visitors of different nationalities,” he said.
The academics were asked whether Macau should consider introducing an entry fee or levy on local gamblers, however both agreed that this would not work as it was likely to increase the gambling time of patrons and have an adverse effect.
They also agreed that all seven bidders competing for up to six Macau gaming concessions – the current six concessionaires plus Genting Malaysia – are competitive, suggesting that Macau is still attractive – a positive development for the industry.
https://www.asgam.com/index.php/2022/09/21/how-to-attract-foreign-tourists-macau-academics-call-for-creation-of-exclusive-gaming-area/
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