The Tourism Development Committee (CDT from its Portuguese acronym) convened the second Plenary Meeting of 2022 - which was presided over by the Secretary for Economy and Finance and Committee Chairperson, Lei Wai Nong - on 8th November. During the meeting, the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) presented an overview of the tourism situation in the city. It also unveiled its work plan for 2023 and listened to the CDT members’ opinions on Macao’s tourism development and economic recovery.
Secretary Lei Wai Nong said that the resumption of electronic issuance of travel permits and group travel to Macao from four Mainland provinces and one municipality (Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Fujian and Shanghai) is one of the Central Government’s major supportive measures for Macao’s economic recovery (Please refer here for the details), expressing hope that the travel trade could capitalise on the opportunities expected ahead to offer high quality services and attract more visitors to the city.
Mapping out next year’s major work directions
To encourage tourists from the Mainland to visit Macao and take progressive steps to promote Macao as a quality destination to overseas markets, MGTO’s major work directions for 2023 include:
1. Attracting visitors to stay longer in Macao through a variety of initiatives
2. Tapping into overseas markets in accord with loosening of border measures
3. Pushing forward with the city’s concerted development of “tourism +”
4. Invigorating Macao’s community economy
5. Participating in the development of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin
CDT members at the meeting raised a number of issues, voiced some opinions and made several suggestions. Their comments related to the following topics: supportive measures for the travel trade, the restoration of group travel from other provinces and municipalities, optimisation of cross-border outbound transportation, shopping tourism, “tourism + health and wellness” and “tourism + gastronomy”, among others.