As Macau celebrates its 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR), it is ramping up efforts to grow inbound tourism from Asia, particularly from Singapore, which is the destination’s eighth most valuable international visitor source market.
In 1Q2024, Macau welcomed over 25,000 visitors from Singapore, with an average daily visitor volume increase of 263.1 per cent compared to the same period in 2023.
Speaking at the Macao Tourism + MICE Product Updates Seminar & Travel Mart in Singapore on April 25, Cheng Wai Tong, deputy director, Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), observed more interest in visiting Macau among Singapore travellers, partly due to direct air routes between the two destinations.
Traveller demographics have also changed, according to a survey by MGTO. Visitors from Singapore are younger, have a high education background and income, tend to travel with family, and prefer to visit heritage sights and experience local food and culture.
“Macau has transformed from a gaming destination to a diversified destination,” he said.
Tourists are coming to experience the non-gaming aspect of Macau and to meet this changing demand, the government will continue to focus on its Tourism+ strategy to promote other aspects of the destination. It includes culture and creativity; sports; business events; public events; wellness; gastronomy; technology; e-commerce, and education.
Cheng also highlighted the increased number of concerts hosted in Macau since last year. Cantopop artistes and international acts such as Bruno Mars and Blackpink have all performed in the destination, creating a positive impact on tourism. As most concerts were held in the evening, concert-goers stayed overnight and had more opportunities to shop and dine.
Macau has also made travel arrangements more seamless. Singaporean passport holders can now use the conventional two-gate e-Channels at Macau’s various border checkpoints upon registration, which will expedite the clearance process.
There is also a bonded bus service that connects visitors to Hong Kong International Airport via the Macau side of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, launched last August.
These developments support Macau’s aim to welcome 33 million visitors in 2024.
“Looking ahead, MGTO will continue its marketing efforts in Singapore, focusing on five key pillars to position Macau as a premier travel destination. These pillars include partnerships with key airlines and online travel platforms for discounted packages, collaborations with Singapore travel agencies, utilisation of KOLs and social media, participation in major travel fairs, and organising mega offline consumer events to showcase Macau as a destination,” said Cheng.
