Mega roadshow “Journey to Experience Macao” will be staged in Akihabara, Tokyo from 17 – 20 April
【MGTO】Mega roadshow “Journey to Experience Macao” will be staged in Akihabara, Tokyo from 17 – 20 April (promotional video)
Last year, Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) progressively mapped out a series of online and offline promotional schemes for 2025. One of the goals is to continuously expand international markets. As part of the plan, the promotional event “Journey to Experience Macao” will be held in Tokyo, Japan this week. Through offline activities targeting different audiences, such as the roadshow, destination presentation, travel mart, visit and exchange, the event aims to ignite Japanese’ intention to visit Macao and tap into Japan as a visitor source market.
Anime x travel roadshow in Akihabara showcases Macao from a new angle
Frequented by many enthusiasts, Akihabara is a famous hub of electronic products and anime culture in Tokyo, Japan. To draw Japanese visitors to an experience of Macao’s diverse “tourism +” and destination glamour, MGTO will partner with the six integrated resort enterprises and Air Macau, among others, to roll out a mega roadshow in the shopping district of Tokyo, Japan from 17 to 20 April. The roadshow will appear as a “Macao tourism pop-up zone” in Akihabara, bringing together anime culture, special travel offers to Macao, limited-time co-branded commodities, distinctive “MAK MAK” souvenirs and so on. It will give a refreshing experience in diverse ways to energize Japanese visitors’ intention to visit Macao.
Anime is set as the creative theme of the roadshow. IP designers are invited to help design while the IP designer of Macao Tourism Mascot MAK MAK, Tou Chon Wai, will show up at the roadshow and unveil the story of MAK MAK, how the black-faced spoonbill character was created. Furthermore, MGTO partners with Macao cultural and creative designers and MACAU Pass, the smart card and e-payment system company, to incorporate the famous Japanese IP “Ghost in the Shell SAC2045” into the design of the main stage and launch the themed Macau Pass imbued with anime elements. The roadshow will feature a booth themed after Kamen Rider, the classic comic character in Japan. Kamen Rider will mark his presence with his iconic motorcycle for visitors’ photo moments. Toel Company Ltd, which designed Kamen Rider, partners with an enterprise from Macao to launch a co-branded wine product themed as Kamen Rider. The wine bottle cover and package designed by a Macao enterprise will be displayed at the booth.
Diverse promotions reach a wider audience
Through this overseas roadshow, MGTO not just casts the spotlight on the roadshow in advance through release of the themed promotional video but also plays other promotional videos for Macao on electronic screens at various landmarks in Tokyo successively before the opening, besides distributing leaflets at MTR entrances and exits, to spark interest and attention there.
Riding on the great opportunities brought by the roadshow, MGTO is interviewed by domestic and overseas media including J-WAVE radio station in Japan, China Central Television (CCTV) and People’s Daily, to promote Macao’s “tourism +”. In partnership with the Office, Japanese KOLs, travel influencers and online magazines release roadshow highlights and Macao travel tips on social media to unleash the synergy of online-offline publicity.
HIS Travel Agency in Ginza is transformed into Macao-themed pavilion
To promote Macao among consumers, MGTO partners with several online and offline travel agencies to launch attractive tourism products and special offers, including HIS Japan, Agoda, Japan Skyscanner and KKDAY. To immerse customers in the aroma of Macao, the outlet of HIS Japan in Ginza will be decorated into an entirely different outlook under the theme of Macao — from Portuguese tiles, posters of travel landmarks to Rooster of Barcelos, between 12 April and 30 May. Macao travel brochures will be printed for the roadshow.
Product Updates Seminar & Travel Mart unveils business opportunities
Besides the roadshow, MGTO will collaborate with Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute, Macau International Airport Co. Ltd. and Macao travel trade at the “Macao Tourism + MICE Product Updates Seminar & Travel Mart” on 16 April, to promote collaboration between Japanese and Macao tourism operators. During the promotional event in Japan, MGTO will lead a delegation of Macao travel trade to visit the city of Kamakura for deeper exchange and cooperation between Macao and the other Culture City of East Asia 2025 in Japan.
Japan has long been one of the major international visitor markets for Macao. Since Macao’s lifting of border restrictions in 2023, MGTO has been actively pursuing the Japan visitor market, including partnering with Air Macau in arranging a familiarization visit to Macao for members of the travel trade from Tokyo and Osaka in 2023. In 2024, MGTO led a delegation of Macao’s travel trade and integrated resort enterprises to Tokyo, where the Office organized a mega roadshow, product update seminar and networking session. In September, the Office participated in Tourism Expo Japan 2024 in Tokyo. In December, the Office arranged for a Japanese trade delegation to visit Macao and held a travel mart. By rolling out a series of promotions and exchange in Japan now, the Office conducts diverse marketing initiatives to keep appealing to Japanese visitors with the new travel experiences Macao has to offer, for expansion of international markets.
