Macau looks to global, social media to boost international tourism
Macau tourism officials have announced a plan to promote the city as an international destination. It plans to achieve this through global media outlets, online social platforms including TikTok and travel websites such as Agoda and Booking.com.
The large-scale promotional push – representing an investment of MOP235m (£22.6m/€/27m/US$29m) – is set to launch sometime in August.
“We will work with major international media organisations, such as the BBC and CNN, to promote Macau,” said Helen Senna Fernandes, director of the Macau government tourism office (MGTO). “The government will work with a variety of Macau companies to participate in the programme.”
Foreigners a fraction of visitors
Last year, just 1.5 million foreign tourists – 5.17% of all visitors – traveled to Macau, which reopened its borders on 8 January. About 67.5% of arrivals continue to hail from the Chinese mainland, followed by Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines and Indonesia.
Now the city is casting its net wider. In a May interview with Travel Daily News, Senna Fernandes said promotional campaigns will be aimed at Northeast and Southeast Asia and European markets.
“We participated in travel fairs in Tokyo, Singapore and Jakarta and we have events planned in Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, India and Dubai,” she said. “We are also engaging with European travel agencies.”
Senna Fernandes emphasised attractions in the city beyond gaming, its dominant industry.
“We pride ourselves on our history and culture,” she said of the former Portuguese colony. “The historic centre of Macau, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2005, and our designation as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy in 2017 are crucial to our tourism identity.”
Casino concessionaires doing their part
As part of the plan, the city’s big six casino concessionaires have agreed to spend a collective MOP108.7bn on non-gaming attractions and promote them in overseas markets.
All this is in keeping with recommendations in a 2020 report commissioned by the MGTO. During the Covid pause, consultancy firm Deloitte was asked to assess the MGTO’s master plan through 2030.
Deloitte said that the pandemic offered “an opportunity for Macau to optimise its tourism industry structure” and create a more resilient model for the future.
Among other things, the study authors said Macau should promote maritime and ecological tours and foster “tourism-plus” development. It should reduce its reliance on gaming as a driver, improve its online media outreach and analyse the effectiveness of its marketing to high-value patrons.
Through June, Macau welcomed almost 1.17 million international visitors. This marked a 146.4% uptick from the same period last year and reaching about 67.2% of the first-half figures from 2019.
The trend would have to continue and improve in the second half to reach the goal of three million.