The restrictions for Macau will be eased with effect from 8 January 2023, and Macau Tourism officials anticipate that the average daily tourist numbers will exceed 40,000 in 2023. Recently, Prof. Glenn McCartney, Associate Professor of International Integrated Resort Management at the University of Macau, was interviewed by ‘Platform’ for an in-depth discussion on the opportunities for tourism revival in Macau. He reiterated the local authorities’ marketing strategy for promoting roadshows in the Mainland and advised the sector to pay attention to the prospective travel demands of visitors from the Mainland and Hong Kong during the Chinese New Year.
In discussing the expectations of vistors, Prof. Glenn McCartney believed that while the number of visitors is important, the consumption power merits greater attention. As the number of visitors to Macau gradually increased again, he said, “the restructuring of the tourism industry should shift more towards the quality of visitors, for example, those who stay longer and spend more.” He added that industry players must start to focus on multifaceted indicators rather than just numbers.
Prof. Glenn McCartney also noted that the expansion of MICE events in the hotel business might successfully encourage an increase in visitor stay, using the solid example of Las Vegas. For Macau, the infrastructure for the MICE industry is in place, thus the key to revitalizing the MICE market is for the public and private sectors to convey the ‘same message’ to prospective clients. The tourism sector urgently requires adaptable changes to recover its vigor when the policy is eased. For instance, Macau was marketed throughout the epidemic as a ‘safe destination’, but it was important to reassess this positioning and implement the required modifications. In addition to the strategy of continuously expanding the scale of MICE industry, the return of entertainment activities such as shows and concerts is also of great significance to the recovery of Macau’s tourism attractiveness.
Sources: plataformamedia.com
