On 15th November, Chief Executive of the Macao SAR Government, Ho Iat Seng, delivered the Policy Address for the Fiscal Year 2023. Under the theme of “Making Progress Jointly, While Ensuring Stability”, he put forward seven policy priorities for the next fiscal year, with the boost of the tourism industry at the forefront of the efforts to revitalise and diversify the economy.
Overall, in the coming year, the Macao SAR Government will focus on boosting the economy, fostering economic diversification, relieving livelihood hardships, preventing and controlling COVID-19, and promoting steady overall development of Macao.
For the diversification development of the economy, the government will adopt a “1+4”, whereby it will enhance Macao’s function as a world centre of tourism and leisure for integrated tourism and leisure, while facilitating the development of four nascent industries: big health industry; modern financial services; high technology; and conferences and exhibitions, commerce and trade, and culture and sports.
Revitalising the tourism and leisure industry is a top priority
In the coming year, Macao’s government has pledged to expedite the city’s economic recovery and revitalisation while implementing the nation’s preferential measures to quickly revive the integrated tourism and leisure industry. As mentioned in the policy address, a steady recovery of the tourism industry - in the short to medium term - is the foundation for Macao’s overall economic recovery. While preventing and controlling the pandemic, Macao’s government is also effectively implementing policies and measures to welcome the resumption of the smart-travel permit and tour groups from the Mainland. These measures are designed to gradually restore the vitality of the city’s tourism industry and the economy as a whole.
The government will strengthen and optimise its promotion of Macao as a safe and quality destination, as well as deepen the promotion format to increase traffic through the use of digital tools while also attracting visitors physically through offline activities. In addition, big data technologies are to be used to create new complex community tourism products so that the tourism market is expanded both at home and abroad.
Large-scale tourism roadshows will be conducted in key Mainland cities and an array of discount tourism products will be launched following the pandemic provided the pandemic is under control, to help the industry expand its tourism resources. At the same time, the government will further expand “tourism+”, promoting the cross-integration of tourism and gastronomy, big health, science and technology, events and more. It will also promote the development of its “Educational Student Tours”.
Promoting the development of Macao’s community tourism economy
Next year, the Macao SAR Government will continue to implement a series of measures to promote the development of the city’s community tourism economy, as was outlined in the policy address. This will include supporting the organisation of a range of tourism activities in different Macao communities through a special subsidy programme and through the good use of corporate resources. Meanwhile, an array of discount overnight tourism offers on e-commerce platforms and via online travel agencies (OTAs) will be launched to attract tourists to visit Macao and extend their stay in the city so they can further explore its communities.
Precision marketing for target customer groups will be carried out in coordination with the industry, while tourism enterprises and institutions in Macao will be encouraged to participate in large-scale promotional activities that are held outside the city. The businesses and organisations will also be encouraged to jointly launch a range of tourism products and to jointly expand their customer sources.
Deepening the cross integration of “tourism+”
The policy address outlined that before, during and after any business tourism event that’s held in the city, more leisure and tourism experience activities will be added so that business tourists are encouraged to extend the length of their stay. It is hoped that this will deepen the implementation of the “Macao MICE Environment Experience Tour” programme, which promotes the city as a quality destination for MICE events. Plus, the government will assist Macao’s convention and exhibition industry in organising influential business tourism exhibitions in the city so as to strengthen communications with international convention and exhibition organisers.
Macao will continue to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with other Creative Cities, both online and offline. It will also build on the city’s status as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. The government supports and encourages Macao’s tourism industry to introduce international gastronomy list award ceremonies to Macao and conduct themed and large-scale gastronomy promotional activities.
The industry is encouraged to use Macao’s resources alongside those from the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin to help develop products related to healthcare, traditional Chinese medicine diet treatment, vaccinations and health tourism. The government will evaluate the ability of online and offline travel agencies to launch packages or customised products related to good health. It has pledged to jointly publicise the packages via tourism promotional activities and alongside hotel accommodation discounts.
The Macao government will also carry out a consultation on the development of Macao’s educational student tours market study, it was outlined at the policy address. This study is designed to encourage the tourism industry to combine local resources and provide corresponding products for students and their families to participate in “Educational Student Tours” in Macao.
For details of the “Policy Address for the Fiscal Year 2023”, please refer to www.policyaddress.gov.mo.