Macau launches Plan to Support Tourism Industry

To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the establishment of the Macau SAR, the Macau Government Tourist Office will launch - Plan to Support Macau Tourism Industry - on May 18 to attract more visitors to Macau. The plan will also include measures to support tourism development in Sichuan. The total budget of the plan is MOP172,400,000.

MGTO will join hands with the Macau Tourist Guide Association to launch the World Heritage "Historic Centre of Macau" Free Guiding Service at two major world heritage sites in Macau.

Professional tour guides will be stationed at the Ruins of St Paul's and Senado Square to offer free guiding services to individual visitors. Two English speaking and two Mandarin speaking guides from the Macau Tourist Guide Association will give free on-site explanation at each of the two world heritage sites every half an hour from 10 am to 5pm daily. Each guided tour lasts for about 15 minutes.

Interested individual visitors can enroll at the Macau Tourism & Cultural Activities Centre (at the Company of Jesus Square down the Ruins of St. Paul's) and Macau Business Tourism Centre at Senado Square on a first come first served basis. The maximum quota for each tour is 30 visitors. MGTO will distribute leaflets and set up banner stands at the Ruins of St Paul's and Senado Square to promote this service.

To support Macau land operators, MGTO will also initiate a "Celebrate Macau Tours" campaign in major source markets. To be qualified for the campaign, tour groups to Macau must be organised by travel agencies outside Macau with a minimum number of 9 members for each group. The groups must be assigned with tour buses; accompanied by local tour guides. The groups must stay in 2 to 5-star hotels in Macau for one or two consecutive nights. Name of local land operators and the itineraries of the groups must be registered with MGTO through the online system before the tour group's arrival in Macau.

The budget for supporting "Leisure Tourism" campaign is MOP51,900,000.

MGTO will introduce the "Strategic MICE Market Stimulation Program" to assist business tourism partners. The stimulation program includes three categories: Meetings and Conventions, Exhibitions and Incentives. The budget for the program is approximately MOP65 million.

To qualify and entitle for this stimulation program, the organizers or meeting planners should only use services provided by local entity registered in Macau that has at least 50% shareholding or controlling interest owned by Macau residents. The program is applicable to events with confirmed reservations by 31 December 2009.

Meetings and Conventions: a) All meetings and conventions organizers will receive the following basic package: promotional assistance, facilitation in liaison with other government authorities and bid support. b) Privileges for qualified meeting planners and convention organizers: support on accommodation, support for food and beverage, support on site inspections and bid support.

Exhibitions: a) All exhibition organizers will receive the following basic package: promotional assistance and facilitation in liaison with other government authorities. b) Privileges for qualified exhibition organizers: support on accommodation, support on venue rental charges, support on hardware, support for opening ceremony and support on site inspections.

Incentives: a) All incentives will receive the following basic package: promotional assistance and facilitation in liaison with other government authorities. b) For support to incentive groups: the incentive group should have a minimum of 100 overseas participants and spend two consecutive nights in Macau. A fixed amount of MOP300 will be granted per overseas participant for their incentive activities in Macau.

The Aviation Industry

MGTO will focus on supporting the marketing activities of the airlines in the following three aspects: support to local carriers, support to new routes to Macau and promotion budget support to 14 airlines now flying to Macau via Board of Airlines Representatives. The total budget for the plan will be MOP35 million.

Support to revive Sichuan's Tourism

MGTO will work with international and local media to promote the tourism resources of Sichuan.

Through the co-ordination of MGTO overseas representation offices, will invite travel trade and media to visit Sichuan via Macau to promote joint destination itineraries. When participating in overseas travel fairs and roadshows, especially for the target markets of Sichuan, MGTO will also showcase her promotion materials. MGTO will also assist Sichuan Province to take part in the World Heritage Travel Expo in Macau as well as the Sichuan Tourism Forum during the same period, MGTO will give full support to the proposed photo exhibition on Sichuan in Macau.

In addition to its continuous support to flights from Macau to Chengdu, which stimulates more Macau residents to travel to Sichuan, MGTO will work with travel agencies to create additional tour packages to target the teachers and students segment markets during summer holiday. The budget for the support plan to Sichuan tourism is MOP20 million.

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