Participants create artwork with personal style at workshop
Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) is staging a large-scale roadshow themed as “Experience Macau” at Grand Central Terminal, a famous landmark in New York City from 1 to 4 October. The Office strives to attract more international visitors to Macau through promotional projects rolled out in visitor source markets. This is the first grand roadshow presented by MGTO in New York City, the United States. To reach out to a broader range of local residents and visitors for a wider promotional effect, the four-day event was chosen to take place at Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal, the city’s major railroad station bustling with commuters. The roadshow showcases Macau as a travel destination brimming with blended cultures from the East and West, by featuring a variety of highlights from delicacies, stage performance, demonstration of Chinese silhouette paper-cutting, an art gallery, workshops to a photo booth for cultural experience. The roadshow decorations were designed to bring out the beauty of Macau’s attractions including the Ruins of St. Paul’s, A-Ma Temple, Senado Square and Macau Tower. For gourmet delights, Macanese cuisine is presented as a highlight with free samples of signature dishes offered to roadshow visitors, such as African Chicken Meatball, Shrimp Toast, Portuguese Egg Tart and more. On the other hand, workshop participants can enjoy the fun of making their own Portuguese tile or Chinese lantern, whereas the art gallery uncovers the impression of US artists on Macau. The roadshow is also enlivened by lion dance and Portuguese folk dance performances. Besides, roadshow visitors can dress themselves up in outfits of Portuguese folk dancers for photo opportunity. MGTO distributes promotional leaflets during the event while local travel agents promote their special travel packages to Macau on the spot. Situated in Manhattan, the Grand Central Station is an important transportation hub in New York City and also a world-famous railway station. According to statistics, the Station serves up to half a million commuters daily. By rolling out a diversity of promotional activities targeting a constant stream of visitors in large numbers, MGTO aims to further expand international visitor markets for Macau. Last year, Macau welcomed over 180,000 visitors from the United States, which ranked as the tenth largest source market to Macau. From this January to August, the total number of visitor arrivals amounted to a record of 20 million, of which over 1.76 million visitors came from international markets.
