Airlines successively resumes international flights to Macao following the city’s lifting of travel restrictions. Capitalizing on this opportunity, Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) marshals in-person promotions in different Southeast-Asian cities with direct flights to Macao. In March, the Office marks its presence in an international travel fair in Malaysia and a travel trade networking meeting organized by the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore for destination branding in both countries. By restarting various offline activities to raise Macao’s profile via multi-channels, unreserved efforts have unfolded to tap the potential of source markets in Southeast Asia.
8 destination presentations draw public attention to Macao in Malaysia
The 52nd MATTA Fair, Malaysia’s major international travel fair organized by the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA), currently takes place at the Malaysia International Trade & Exhibition Centre in Kuala Lumpur from 17 – 19 March. MGTO plays Macao promotional videos in a loop on the digital screen at the exhibition for three days in a row, besides organizing eight destination presentation sessions there at time slots scheduled for Macao today and tomorrow (18 and 19 March). Introducing Macao’s latest travel tips to public visitors, each session will also feature a prize-giving Q&A game and grand lucky draw, not just to enliven interaction with the audience but also to present attractive prizes. The giveaways include three-day highlight tour + hotel vacation packages for families of four, two-night hotel stays, buffet coupons for two, skywalk tickets, souvenirs and more. The above aims to attract more Malaysian visitors to Macao for a colorful experience of “tourism +”. With the exhibition space expanded to cover a total area of 37,000 square meters, the MATTA Fair is estimated to attract 250,000 visitors this year, according to the Organizer.
In-person networking resumes with Singaporean travel trade
The activities coordinated by the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore (NATAS) include two annual travel fairs for consumers, seminars, workshops and familiarization tours for members at different times in the calendar. On 30 March, MGTO will join NATAS’s General Membership Meeting, leveraging the Association’s expansive network to rebuild connections with tour operators in Singapore. At the meeting, MGTO will update trade participants with Macao’s latest tourism information such as border and travel measures, means of transportation, tourist attractions and events, along with an introduction to the concept of integration across “tourism+”. There will be a Q&A and lucky draw to engage industry operators and boost their participation.
Malaysia ranked as the 7th greatest source market before the pandemic
In 2019, Macao welcomed 206,277 visitors from Malaysia, the seventh largest source market. MGTO had participated in the past editions of the MATTA Fair in Malaysia and the NATAS Travel Fair in Singapore to promote the destination. Seizing the opportunity brought by the return of international flights, MGTO rolls out an all-rounded marketing campaign targeting different source markets and restarts a diversity of offline promotions in cities with direct flights to Macao, to showcase the colorful glamour of “tourism +” to international markets and diversify visitor sources for tourism and economic revival.
