How should we embrace the era of KOL promotion for tourism?
In its latest Policy Address, Macau recently announced that it will focus on promoting its tourism to the young segment and plans to organize a large-scale international KOL grand ceremony, aiming to create a new image of Macau as an international KOL city. The Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) has already taken relevant actions by inviting KOLs from Hong Kong and overseas to come to Macau to experience the city and publicize Macau’s rich tourism resources through their social media platforms. This is regarded as an important strategy for Macau to actively develop diversified economic sectors, especially the tourism industry.
On this issue, Prof. Glenn McCartney, Associate Professor of the Department of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management, was interviewed by Ming Pao News. In the interview, Prof. McCartney pointed out that Macau’s economic structure has emphasized on the gaming industry, and the government’s tax revenue has suffered a heavy blow after the epidemic. Therefore, Macau needs to actively develop other economic sectors in order to diversify its economy. The revitalization and expansion of the tourism industry, especially in attracting young visitors, is crucial to the overall development of Macau’s economy.
Prof. Glenn McCartney further emphasized that the Macau SAR Government has now realized that the tourism industry is too reliant on Mainland China and Hong Kong tourists, and that there is still a need to broaden the source of tourists and increase tourism spending. By inviting international KOLs to Macau, not only can we showcase Macau’s rich entertainment options outside of the casino city, such as events, concerts, performances, shopping, and a rich food and beverage culture, but we can also effectively open up the international market, especially attracting visitors from neighboring regional countries. It is worth noting that Macau was selected as the “Cultural Capital of East Asia” at the recent China-Japan-ROK Culture Ministers’ Meeting, together with Huzhou City of China, Anseong City of Korea and Kamakura City of Japan. This honor further proves Macau’s attractiveness and influence in culture, and provides strong support for Macau’s development as a cultural capital.
Prof. Glenn McCartney, said, “Many cities around the world face the challenge of image, how do we have a positive and attractive image? How do we attract? I think that’s very important right now.
