The Macau travel industry is looking to deepen its integration with multi-destination tourism in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and expand transportation promotions in an effort to attract more international visitors.
The city's total inbound and outbound passenger traffic reached a record high of 235 million last year, marking a nearly 10 percent increase.
This figure also included over 40 million visitor arrivals, a historical high that represents a 15 percent year-on-year increase.
A tour guide noted a significant shift in tourist demographics, with international visitors now making up 90 percent of his tour groups, a contrast to the past when mainland tourists were the majority.
He believes this transition is related to China's 240-hour visa-free transit policy, which was recently extended to include five ports in Guangdong Province.
He expressed hope that Macau could integrate into a multi-stop network to encourage more international tourists to include the Hong Kong-Macau route in their itineraries.
Andy Wu Keng-kuong, president of the Macau Travel Industry Council, agreed that last year's impressive visitor numbers were a result of various supporting policies launched by the central government.
He stated that the goal for the industry and the government this year is to continue increasing the proportion of international tourists, aiming to match the pre-pandemic level of about 4 million arrivals for the full year.
Wu suggested extending the transportation incentives for foreign travellers, proposing that the current offer of a free one-way bus ticket from Hong Kong International Airport be expanded to include ferry tickets and arrivals from airports in Shenzhen and Guangzhou.
Furthermore, Wu hopes to improve transport connections between the major leisure resorts and local communities to encourage visitors to explore the unique character of different neighborhoods.
He predicts steady growth for Macau's tourism industry this year, noting that the industry is in full swing, preparing for the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday.
