Nightlife and vibrant international tourist cities: a development strategy for night tours of Macao
Prof. Glenn McCartney, Associate Professor of International Integrated Resort Management at the University of Macau, was interviewed by ‘Plataforma’ on 「The Development of Nightlife in Macau」. He stated that nightlife is incredibly attractive to international visitors. At present, Macau is facing the challenge of extending the length of stay of tourists and converting more one-day tours into overnight tours. Nightlife provides more reasons for tourists to stay longer. Nightlife attracts not only leisure travellers, but also other travellers, such as business travellers from the convention and exhibition industry, for whom evening networking is an occasion to facilitate business deals and bring them closer to customers.
Prof. Glenn McCartney stated that a vibrant city nightlife can bring direct and indirect benefits to the community and economy, such as providing additional income, employment opportunities, and promoting and sustaining local cultural and musical activities. Businesses that operate tourism businesses during the day, such as restaurants and retail establishments, cabs and bus companies, are able to generate additional revenue in the evening. Venues can also hold separate sports, music, cultural and festive events in the evening.
But Prof. Glenn McCartney also noted that Macau’s nightlife development still faces some challenges. Two of the key issues are legislation and public-private partnerships. To create an exciting and vibrant city that never sleeps, the strategy of which requires the involvement of the private sector. Some venues may require improvements and upgrades to provide additional tourist experiences. Many cities use nightlife as a selling point for tourism promotion and marketing, so effectively promoting Macao’s image and message can set a vibrant city that never sleeps apart from its competitors, which is a strategy and conducive to diversifying the tourism industry.
Sources: plataformamedia.com
