With the pandemic situation generally stabilized across the Mainland and Macao, the roadshow of Beijing Macao Week was held for four consecutive days (26 – 29 September) to vigorously promote the reinstatement of travel permit issuance for Mainland residents to Macao as a safe and fascinating destination, attracting visitors from across the Country. Rolled out along Wangfujing, the mega roadshow showcased Macao’s vibrant dynamic in celebrating the 15^th anniversary of the inscription of the Historic Centre of Macao on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, as well as the city’s offer of diverse travel experiences to Mainland residents in Beijing, in tandem with an array of captivating promotional highlights and a wide range of promotional campaigns carried out on different channels.

First mega offline promotional event after the pandemic situation stabilized

The Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism as well as Dongcheng District People’s Government of Beijing Municipality organized the series of promotional activities themed as “Beijing Macao Week” in the capital. As part of Beijing Macao Week, the mega roadshow along Wangfujing was the first offline promotional activity launched by Macao after the pandemic situation stabilized. An array of themed zones was set up to showcase Macao’s diverse dimensions of tourism, commerce and trade, culture, sports and entertainment. The themed zones include “Macao’s international events and cultural tourism”, “Macao’s World Heritage and Intangible Cultural Heritage”, “International sport events”, “MinM Made in Macao and local brand exhibition”, “Exhibition of products from Portuguese-speaking countries”, “Macao tourism exhibition” presented by Sands Resorts Macao, MGM, Wynn Macau, Grand Lisboa, Melco Resorts & Entertainment and Galaxy Macau, “Air Macau”, “Macau Fisherman’s Wharf”, “Macau Shopping Festival” and so forth. Performances were staged at the main stage zone to manifest Macao’s colorful culture from splendid angles, drawing many spectators to enjoy Macao’s unique performing arts and culture. Macao Tourism Mascot “MAK MAK” showed up at Tourist Information counters on the street as per schedule to attract residents for Macao travel tips and photo opportunities, spotlighting Beijing Macao Week and raising locals’ and visitors’ awareness about the destination as well as their intention to visit Macao. Besides a showcase of the city’s tourism resources, Beijing Macao Week also featured a preview of an upcoming new highlight. In tandem with the Greater Bay Area Simulator Racing Carnival, a mega virtual racing event “Motion in China” will be staged in Macao, offering another captivating experience for travelers.

The organizers leveraged a variety of online channels in the Mainland to promote Beijing Macao Week, including arranging 10 KOLs and connoisseurs of travel and gastronomy to carry out nine live streams to elaborate the event highlights on their social media platforms. One of the live streams had a peak count of over one million concurrent viewers. As of 29 September, the nine live streams received over 75 million views including playbacks. Various KOLs and connoisseurs also produced live videos and graphic posts about Beijing Macao Week for share on different online platforms including Douyin, Xiaohongshu, Weibo and Mafengwo. In addition, the hashtag “#Beijing Macao Week#” received over 15.14 million pageviews on Weibo. More media and KOLs were invited by various exhibitors to spotlight their presence on the roadshow on-site. The event was also covered by over 30 media from across the Mainland and Macao on-site, enabling more people to experience the vibrant dynamic of the promotional activities from across distance.

To further enhance cooperation between Beijing and Macao, MGTO and IPIM rode on the visit to co-organize a “Beijing – Macao tourism and MICE presentation” in Beijing on 27 September. Deputy Director General of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, Pang Wei, Director of Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, and President of the Administrative Committee of Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), Lau Wai Meng, delivered remarks at the occasion and expressed hope for further collaboration in different areas to enhance industry exchange of both sides. Over 130 industry delegates from both cities attended the occasion to discuss business opportunities and explore the development of tourism, MICE and other related industries on both sides in the wake of the pandemic.

Outdoor Café goes on until late October

As another major highlight of Beijing Macao Week, the Outdoor Café themed as “Gathering at Dusk in Senado Square – in Beijing” has been serving Macao’s culinary delights to patrons with the full support of Macau Center. Until 25 October, Beijing residents and visitors are welcome to visit the Outdoor Café at the Northern Plaza of Macau Center for a taste of the diverse culinary culture embraced by Macao as a Creative City of Gastronomy. The Outdoor Café served close to 1,000 patrons per day on the first weekend after kicking off on 26 September. Over 3,600 patrons were served at the Café from 19 to 28 September. Throughout the activity, the units involved have rigorously followed the COVID-19 prevention and control guidelines issued by the health authorities of Beijing. Proper event arrangements have been carried out to support pandemic prevention while all participants must adhere to the arrangements for pandemic prevention.

Up to present, visitors from Mainland China are required to stay in Mainland China in the past 14 days and present valid negative results of COVID-19 nucleic acid tests performed within seven days before their entry to Macao. With the above criteria fulfilled, they are not required to undergo 14-day medical observation at designated locations. In addition, they must adhere to the public health guidelines for pandemic prevention issued by the Macao SAR Government during their stay in Macao, joining hands to protect public health and safety in the city.

The organizers for the Beijing Macao Week include the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism as well as Dongcheng District People’s Government of Beijing Municipality. The coordinators include Macao Government Tourism Office, Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, Office of the Macao Special Administrative Region in Beijing and Administrative Committee of Wangfujing of Dongcheng District of Beijing Municipality. The supporting entities include Beijing Municipal Health Commission, Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, Sports Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, the Macao Chamber of Commerce, the United Association of Food and Beverage Merchants of Macao, Industrial Association of Macau, Macau Importers & Exporters Association, International Lusophone Markets Business Association as well as the Federal General Commercial Association of Macau Small and Medium Enterprises.