Aligned with the Macao Special Administrative Region Government’s policy towards refinement of subsidy schemes, the Tourism Fund remodeled its current subsidy mechanism to meet the following newest principles of financial support granted by the Macao SAR’s autonomous funds, to unfold four specialized subsidy programs of 2022 at two stages. Following the former launch of the specialized subsidy program for “Development of community tourism and economy” for the first stage, three other specialized subsidy programs for “Gastronomic culture promotion”, “Maritime tourism” and “Tourism Industry Training” are now opened for the second stage to welcome applications from 15 November until 10 December 2021. Subsidized activities/projects are required to unfold between 1 March 2022 and 28 February 2023.
Adjustment of subsidy mechanism to categorize applications for pertinent subsidy programs
The Tourism Fund adjusted its current subsidy mechanism and launched four specialized subsidy programs of 2022 by stage, to meet the following newest principles of financial support granted by the Macao SAR’s autonomous funds: autonomous funds are required to collect various applications within designated periods; activities or projects of the same nature will be referred to pertinent autonomous funds for management; applicant entities cannot receive subsidies from more than one autonomous fund or public entity.
Subsidies for non-profit community organizations
Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has all along been encouraging community associations to organize events beneficial to the tourism industry while seeking to advance tourism development for driving economic progress through granting subsidies and other ways of support. By launching the three specialized subsidy programs for the second stage, the Office aims to encourage and bolster non-profit community organizations lawfully established in Macao to organize and roll out various tourism activities and projects as well as training activities and projects for the travel trade, etc.
Specialized subsidy program for “Gastronomic culture promotion”
Following the designation of Macao as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2017, MGTO has been progressively fostering Macao’s development as a Creative City of Gastronomy and its all-rounded progress towards sustainability. By presenting the specialized subsidy program for “Gastronomic culture promotion”, the Office seeks to encourage community organizations to weave together elements of tourism, gastronomy and creativity in organizing and unfolding activities/projects highlighting Macao’s unique gastronomic culture in order to promote Macao’s status as a Creative City of Gastronomy while offering visitors a rich diversity of gastronomic experiences and products, in turn steering the tourism and related industries forward. The major types of activities/projects entitled to the subsidy include culinary demonstrations or contests for Creative Cities of Gastronomy, experiences of culinary preparation, activities about wine and gastronomic culture as well as food festivals.
Specialized subsidy program for “Maritime tourism”
As the Macao SAR’s maritime territory was defined in December 2015 to cover a total area of 85 km2, MGTO has been dedicated to propelling enterprises’ development of pertinent tourism products in hope to keep enriching travelers’ experience in Macao. The specialized subsidy program for “Maritime tourism” aims to encourage community organizations to utilize Macao’s maritime territory and coast as well as maritime tours to offer a diversity of sea-themed tourism activities or leisure experiences, in order to innovate on maritime tourism projects and enhance the overall tourism value of the maritime territory, in turn spurring tourism and economic growth. The major types of activities/projects eligible for the subsidy include experiences of maritime and coastal travel, development of maritime and coastal tourism products.
Specialized subsidy program for “Tourism Industry Training”
MGTO continues to organize a wide spectrum of training opportunities for the trade in partnership with industry operators and training institutions. The specialized subsidy program for “Tourism Industry Training” aims to support community organizations in organizing and rolling out training activities/projects for the travel trade to enhance the expertise and service quality of local tourism employees. The program mainly subsidizes different aspects of travel industry training activities or projects as follows: costs of trainer recruitment, equipment/facility rental as well as utilized materials/teaching materials.
Subsidies will be granted for excellent activities after careful evaluation
The period of application for the above three specialized subsidy programs is from 15 November until 10 December 2021. Opting for excellent activities, the Tourism Fund will carefully evaluate and analyze each application based on the judging criteria specifically for each subsidy program. For details about the specialized subsidy programs of 2022, please visit the Macao Tourism Industry Net: https://industry.macaotourism.gov.mo/en/license/services.php?page_id=16600.
