MGTO propelled diversified tourism development through various initiatives and promotions in 2024 (stock photo)
Capitalizing on the city’s competitive strengths and the series of favorable measures implemented by the Central Government for Macao, along with the concerted effort in the society, Macao’s tourism industry continues to fare well. In 2024, Macao registered over 34.90 million visitor arrivals (34,928,650), which surged year on year by 23.8% and reached 88.6% of the pre-pandemic 2019 levels. The volume of international visitors rose year on year by 66.0% to 2.42 million (2,423,093), which reached 79% of the pre-pandemic 2019 levels.
The average occupancy rate of hotel establishments increased by 4.9 percentage points to 86.4%. The average occupancy rate of five-star hotels (88.6%), four-star hotels (82.3%) and three-star hotels (83.8%) saw a rise of 6.1, 3.1 and 3 percentage points respectively. The number of overnight hotel guests climbed up year on year by 6.4% to 14.433 million. The number of international guests (1.108 million) surged by 57.4%.. The average length of hotel guests’ stay stood at 1.7 nights.
Active marketing endeavors online and offline last year
In parallel with the “1 + 4” development strategy for economic diversification, MGTO strives to deepen “tourism +” integration and foster the diverse and sustainable tourism development in Macao. 2024 marked the 75th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China and the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao SAR. The Office successfully organized a series of major events and launched a variety of online and offline promotional initiatives and special offers, to attract visitors from worldwide to Macao. In accordance with the favorable measures rolled out by the Central Government for Macao last year, MGTO made active progress in different projects to secure the Greater China market and expand international markets.
Last year, MGTO forged ahead with a series of marketing endeavors domestically and internationally. Targeting the Mainland market, the Office held the “Macao Week in Shaanxi•Xi’an” to showcase the city’s vibrant scene of “tourism +” and the Central Government’s favorable measures for Macao. Roadshows were staged in several cities newly incorporated into the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) for travel to Macao. Macao was promoted on mainstream social networks in the Mainland, while special sales were launched in partnership with e-commerce platforms.
MGTO continued to deepen Macao’s tourism cooperation with the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin and the cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, supporting tourism operators’ development of twin-destination, multi-destination and island tour products. MGTO also partnered with Guangdong and Hong Kong’s tourism departments to organize an overseas promotional event in Indonesia last year.
Targeting international markets, the Office rolled out a number of special offers in collaboration with industry partners and organized roadshows, tourism product updates and networking sessions in several overseas markets, as well as engaged in major international travel fairs overseas. Different kinds of marketing endeavors were rolled out on different online platforms as well. MGTO is now running 28 social media accounts for destination branding among 9.23 million followers. A total of seven roadshows were held in Hong Kong and numerous international markets last year, engaging over 1.27 million spectators.
Events, community projects and brand exhibition spark vitality of “tourism +” throughout the year
Last year, MGTO organized various events and community projects imbued with the elements of double celebrations to spark the vitality of “tourism + events”, including the “Fireworks Display in Celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region”. The project of “Stay Chill, Play Cool – Macao!” also set up large-scale IP installations successively at different locations in the northern and central districts as new spots for check-in on social media. Through the Financial Support Program, the Office continued to encourage community organizations to organize a diversity of tourism activities in communities monthly. 41 activities were subsidized in 2024 and engaged over 1.34 million participants and more than 2,100 directly-participating businesses, up to 15 January. The above measures created a considerable impact in bringing visitors into communities and boosting community spending and tourism.
Last year, the Office staged the “International Cities of Gastronomy Fest, Macao” for the first time. The event welcomed representatives from 29 UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy from 18 countries across the six continents. The participants represented over half of all the Creative Cities of Gastronomy around the globe, enriching the event with the diverse colors of “tourism + gastronomy”. The ten-day event engaged about 107,000 participants while the total volume of impressions exceeded 28.40 million on MGTO’s social media accounts.
On the other hand, the Macao Grand Prix Museum attracted over 156,000 museum visitors in 2024 and manifested the charm of “tourism + sports”. Last year, the Museum partnered with LEGO® HK for the first time to present a special exhibition. LEGO® Certified Professional Andy Hung specially designed and built a LEGO® model of Formula 3 race car at the scale of 1:1 as a new regular exhibit. In addition, the Museum introduced new exhibits including a Lynk & Co 03 TCR race car, which was once driven on the Guia Circuit, and the new item named “Enter the World of Racing”. A new mega LED screen wall and interactive multimedia games were installed as well to enrich the collection of exhibits. The third short film entitled “Macau Races On” was also released at the Museum, to preserve and promote the motorsport culture.
Last year, MGTO held the first interdepartmental meeting about educational tour development in Macao, to discuss the challenges of Macao’s development into an educational travel destination with the travel trade. “A Museum Journey: Macao and China Cultural Exchange Meeting”, “Travel & Learn” Itinerary Planning Competition and the Macao Educational Tourism Presentation Seminar for the Travel Trade were held to pave the way for educational tourism development in Macao in various aspects. Furthermore, 90 Hong Kong students were invited to participate in an educational group tour named “Macau Unlocked: A Journey of Discovery for Students 2023 – 2024”, to foster the development of “tourism + education”.
Promote quality tourism
Smart tourism service eases travel experience
MGTO is dedicated to enhancing tourism service quality in the industry. In 2024, the Office organized a total of 50 offline training sessions which engaged 4,427 participants, as well as six new online courses that garnered 139,820 views. TheQuality Tourism Services Accreditation Scheme went on continuously and awarded an all-time high of 390 accredited merchants. Under the umbrella of the Macao Courtesy Campaign, the Office launched new learning videos, pertinent training opportunities and a short video contest among other initiatives, to keep promoting the importance of warm hospitality delivered by the destination.
Macau Tourism AI Chatbot was launched last year. Equipped with different language options including Traditional and Simplified Chinese, English, Korean, Thai and more, the service can answer users’ written questions related to Macao travel information. In the future, the service will be expanded to support use in different languages and promote application of “tourism + technology”.
In 2024, MGTO conducted 2,742 inspections on tourism professions and business establishments, and 1,615 inspections at ports of entry and tourist attractions. For measures against the provision of illegal accommodation, the Office carried out 493 apartment inspections and sealed 186 apartments, in addition to 253 joint actions with the interdepartmental task force. To crack down on illegal tour guiding, the Office conducted patrols with Public Security Police Force and made official statements against 17 unlicensed tour guides. The Office also maintained close communication with the Mainland tourism department for timely report of irregularities.
Begin second-phase review study on Macao Tourism Industry Development Master Plan
Last year, MGTO commissioned a research entity to conduct the second-phase review study on the implementation progress of the Macao Tourism Industry Development Master Plan, which includes an analysis of the current tourism situation and trends in Macao after the pandemic, as well as a review of the progress of the action plans between 2021 and 2024. The study aims to lead to timely adjustments and planning regarding the latest tourism landscape.
Looking forward in 2025, MGTO will continue to work on different tasks vigorously, unfold a string of online and offline promotions near and far, organize different events and activities, invigorate community tourism, as well as propel Macao’s growth as a Creative City of Gastronomy. In addition, training opportunities will be continuously provided for members of the travel trade while inspections will be conducted, to enhance the quality of travel experience. Subsequent work will be made to follow up with the second-phase review study on the implementation progress of the Macao Tourism Industry Development Master Plan. The endeavors aim to deepen integration across the sectors of “tourism +”, reinforce the contribution of the Greater China market and keep expanding international markets, to enrich Macao’s offerings as a world centre of tourism and leisure and brighten the city’s golden calling card as an international metropolis, in line with the strategic planning for adequate economic diversification.
