MGTO maintains overseas visitor target for 2024

Macau’s tourism authority says it is confident it will meet its goal.

Macau.- Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, the director of Macau’s Government Tourism Office (MGTO), has said she is confident Macau will reach its goal of 2 million overseas visitors (non-China) for the year. During a media briefing on Thursday (July 18) following the commencement of the 2024 Sands Shopping Carnival, Fernandes said authorities intend to expand promotional incentives in the second half of the year.

The MGTO plans to allocate MOP235m (US$29.2m) for promotional incentives aimed at international markets this year. The budget includes 250,000 travel offers on airfares, cross-border transport, hotel stays, dining, entertainment and show tickets. The director of MGTO mentioned plans to work with international media outlets such as CNN and BBC to promote Macau as a tourist destination. Tourism authorities are also looking to collaborate with online travel agencies such as Agoda and Booking.com.

In the first half of the year, the city received 16.73 million visitors. The figure was up by 43.6 per cent compared to the same period last year. The data indicates an average of 91,918 visitors per day, about 82.5 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in 2019. International tourist numbers rose by 146.4 per cent year-on-year, with 1.17 million visitors in the first half of the year, representing 67.2 per cent of 2019’s international visitor numbers. 

Macau’s chief executive, Ho Iat Seng, has said that Macau could attract more than 30 million tourists in 2024. 

See also: Macau receives 87,000 daily visitors in first 10 days of July