Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) is hosting this week several promotional activities about Macau for consumers and travel trade in Seoul and Busan, to match the continuous increase in the number of visitor arrivals from Korea.
A delegation of around twenty members of the Tourism Development Committee (CDT, on its Portuguese acronym) is also in Seoul for a learning and exchange visit to learn more about Korea’s tourism development. CDT members visited the full service Gangnam Tourist Information Center, the Korea Tourism Organization, the multipurpose cultural center and Dongdaemun Design Plaza, designed by acclaimed architect Zaha Hadid.
MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes is in Seoul for the promotions and to accompany the familiarization trip of the CDT, joined by a group of more than twenty Macau travel trade representing many of the city’s well-known hotels and resorts, exhibition and entertainment venues, travel agencies, sea and air transportation companies. The trade delegates met their Korean counterparts in a travel mart in Seoul on Tuesday, which will have another round in Busan on Thursday.
Macau at Lotte World theme park
To meet Korean consumers, a Macau promotion had its official opening on Sunday at Lotte World theme park in Seoul. The occasion was officiated by Senna Fernandes, along with the CEO of Lotte World Yi Dong Wu, Adviser of the Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Olivia Lam, and Institute for Tourism Studies President Fanny Vong, among other guests.
Visitors to Lotte World will get to know more about the attractions of Macau, with the initiative being widely promoted through the theme park’s media channels network. A Macau booth, an “Experience Macau” themed display with the city’s attractions, an exhibition and lucky-draws with travel packages to Macau are the main highlights of the promotion. The initiative, which started beginning of April and lasts until end of the month, also marks the celebration of the recreational complex’s 25th Anniversary and Macau Special Administrative Region’s 15th Anniversary this year.
MGTO is the first government tourism organization to have the chance to conduct such joint promotion with the popular theme park, visited by an average of eight million people every year. Opened in 1989, Lotte World is a large complex with department store, hotel and other facilities, in addition to the theme park.
Luncheon with CEOs from Korean Travel Agencies
MGTO hosted on Monday a luncheon-reception for top management Korean travel and tourism stakeholders and CDT members to meet and exchange on both destinations’ tourism industry development. The vice-President for Marketing of Korea Tourism Organization Rhee Jae Sun, the Chairman of Korea Association of Travel Agents Yang Moo Seung and Korean travel agencies chief-executive-officers were present ad the luncheon, among other guests. During the luncheon, guests were briefed about Macau’s marketing initiatives in Korea, along with successful cases that helped to boost the promotion of the destination among Koreans, such as TV programs, as well as upcoming promotional projects.
In a speech at the occasion, Senna Fernandes highlighted the relevance of the Korean market to Macau. “Given the positive outlook, Korea is our main focus for this year among the international markets, and we are confident to see in 2014 the number of Koreans traveling to Macau reach the significant benchmark of half a million visitors.” she noted.
Korea is Macau’s number-one international visitor-source market, excluding Greater China, and the fourth largest market after Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Following a double-digit increase between 2010 and 2012, visitor arrivals from Korea to Macau reached more than 474 thousand last year, 6.6 per cent more than the previous year. In the first two months of this year, Macau already welcomed above 111 thousand Korean visitors, 21.2 per cent more than the same period last year. The frequency of air connections between Macau and Korea has also kept on increasing, with Air Macau, Jin Air and Air Busan currently providing a total of nineteen flights a week.
Travel mart and mini-seminars about Macau
For the sixth consecutive year MGTO is organizing in Seoul and Busan an annual travel mart to create business opportunities between Macau and Korean travel trade. In Seoul on Tuesday and in Busan this Thursday, MGTO organizes a travel mart and luncheon reception, along with other Macau promotional activities.
As part of the program of the travel mart in Seoul, MGTO also organized a press conference, and themed presentations to provide practical information about Macau for Korean trade and media. Food columnist Yoojin Kim conducted a talk about Macau’s gastronomy, entitled “Mr Kim’s Tasteful Macau”, travel photographer Seongbin Park shared his experience on “How to Take the Best Photo in Macau”, while blogger Niki gave her tips and opinions on “Hip & Hop Places of Macau Now”.
The travel mart in Seoul was attended by around 150 Korean travel trade, while the event in Busan is expected to attract 80 Korean travel trade, to meet the Macau trade.
This press release is available at: http://industry.macautourism.gov.mo/en/pressroom/
