The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Lei Wai Nong, said the Government would step up promotional effort to attract a greater number of tourists to Macao, especially over the coming holiday season, in a bid to boost tourist spending and local economic recovery.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday (2 December), Mr Lei noted there had been an increasing number of tourists visiting from the mainland under the facilitated individual travel scheme, which had been resumed for the whole of the mainland from 23 September.

The Government’s subsidy initiatives, covering offers including stays so far equivalent to 60,000 room nights at Macao hotels, had drawn mainland visitors’ attention, Mr Lei noted. Recently, the average length of stay of mainland visitors under the facilitated individual travel scheme had been approximately 2.8 nights, and their spending in local shops had recently amounted to 200 million patacas, he added.

Under current epidemic-control rules, foreigners visiting from overseas countries are banned from entering Macao. Foreigners might apply for exemption to visit the city on a number of public-interest grounds. They were in particular: disease prevention and control; emergency rescue; steps to ensure the proper operation of public services in the community; and matters related to meeting the basic day-to-day needs of the Macao public.

In remarks regarding gaming revenue, the Secretary said the gaming industry usually saw relatively weak revenues in the month of November compared to October, according to past records. The Government would closely monitor changes in gaming revenue, while dedicating further effort to attracting a greater number of visitors to Macao, Mr Lei added.