Macao now stands at the stage of regular prevention against the pandemic. To revive tourism and the economy, the Macao Special Administrative Region Government further enhances destination promotion towards Mainland visitors for travel to Macao during holidays and festivals. The Government now presents another new project “Tour Macao Carnival” to spotlight Macao as a safe destination. Weaving together the Macau Grand Prix, Macau Food Festival and other activities, the project aims to boost the destination glamour and revitalize the tourism industry in Macao.

The press conference for the “Tour Macao Carnival” was held at the Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Centre today (4 November). Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government, Ao Ieong U, delivered remarks at the press conference, followed by Director of Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, President of Sports Bureau and Coordinator of the Macau Grand Prix Organizing Committee, Pun Weng Kun, Director of Health Bureau, Lei Chin Ion, and Coordinator of the Sporting Subcommittee of Macau Grand Prix Organizing Committee, Chong Coc Veng, who took turns to introduce the tourism events, the program of Macau Grand Prix and technical information of the motor races, as well as information about pandemic prevention respectively. Chairman of the United Association of Food and Beverage Merchants of Macao, Kenneth Lei, also unveiled more information about the Macau Food Festival, one of the major highlights in November.

In her remarks at the press conference, Secretary Ao Ieong U stated that the SAR Government has been paying close attention to the progress of tourism recovery. The Beijing Macao Week has activated the first-stage plan for fostering tourism revival. To push forward the related work, the Tour Macao Carnival is now launched to capitalize on mega events such as the Macau Grand Prix and Macau Food Festival in collaboration with CCTV-5 and other media, KOLs and social media platforms in the Mainland to raise Macao’s charm as a travel destination.

Ao Ieong U added that organizing mega events in Macao not only benefits the tourism industry but also other local sectors with a range of employment opportunities created.  It is estimated that the Macau Grand Prix, Macau Food Festival and other activities in the series will create job opportunities of more than 100,000 man/day in total for the construction, catering, wholesale and retail, advertising and manufacturing industries, etc. It will generate a significant positive impact against the downward spiral of the economy. Strictly adhering to the principle of pandemic prevention to guard the city against imported cases and rebound in local cases, the SAR Government will present various events with unreserved efforts, carrying out effective promotion and joining hands with different sectors in the society to spur progressive recovery of the local tourism industry and various sectors.

Regular pandemic prevention for safe travel in Macao

As of 4 November, there has never been any community spread of COVID-19 in Macao while for 220 consecutive days, the city has not reported any local cases of COVID-19. Macao is now under regular prevention against the pandemic at this stage. While implementing strict measures to control and prevent the COVID-19 pandemic, the SAR Government is also working on how to foster economic recovery. Because of that, Health Bureau has taken into consideration the characteristics of the pandemic in different regions at different periods, to adopt corresponding preventive measures against the pandemic, as well as to make dynamic adjustments on the measures and renewal on pertinent guidelines promptly. For the upcoming events including the Macau Grand Prix and Macau Food Festival, Health Bureau has tailored respective guidelines for contestants, staffers, audiences, patrons and so forth.

Widen publicity of Tour Macao Carnival through diverse social media

With the reinstatement of travel permit issuance for Mainland residents to Macao from 23 September, the Macao SAR Government organized the promotional campaign “Beijing Macao Week” in Beijing in the same month to express a cordial welcome for Mainland residents to visit Macao. Following that, visitor arrivals from the Mainland has gradually resumed. The Tour Macao Carnival now comes into the spotlight to further encourage Mainland residents to visit Macao and join different events for an enchanting experience of the carnival vibe.

In terms of promotional strategies, MGTO capitalizes on the activities under the umbrella of the Tour Macao Carnival to promote the destination extensively. The promotional campaign will be carried out at different stages. Before the Carnival, relevant news will be released on social media in the Mainland and MGTO’s WeChat ID to create a buzz and draw attention. During the Carnival, it will be widely promoted via live broadcast and news coverage on major media platforms in the Mainland. Captivating event highlights will also be featured to widen the coverage and enable netizens to experience the lively ambience of Macao’s events. Afterwards, the Office will seize golden opportunities for positive destination branding and carry out outreach promotion by putting a spotlight on mega events in Macao, in preparation for the peak travel season around the New Year’s Day and Chinese New Year.  In addition, “MAK MAK Flash” activities will bring MAK MAK to greet residents and visitors in various local communities at different time periods.

At the press conference, MGTO Director Senna Fernandes shared that MGTO will leverage a range of leading social media and travel websites such as Wechat, Weibo, Douyin, Xiaohongshu, Ly.com and Tuniu.com to promote the Tour Macao Carnival with online games, KOLs’ posts and push notification ads to widen the Carnival’s publicity in advance. MGTO will also invite different KOLs and connoisseurs from the Mainland to conduct live streams on various platforms during the Carnival and promote the project via various TV channels so that visitors from across the Country can feel the festive vibe in Macao. The highlights of various events during the Carnival will also be filmed for outreach marketing afterwards, to bolster Mainland visitors’ confidence and intentions to travel to Macao.

With the work of pandemic prevention as the top priority, MGTO will send Mainland visitors an array of pandemic prevention information and reminders regarding travel to Macao, by graphic abstracts, short videos and other forms on media platforms such as Wechat, Weibo, Douyin and Xiaohongshu. The Office will also convey the message that visitors from low-risk regions in the Mainland are exempt from medical observation upon arrival at Macao.

Coordinator of the Macau Grand Prix Organizing Committee, Pun Weng Kun, indicated that this edition of Macau Grand Prix will present five fascinating motor races including Formula 4 Macau Grand Prix, Macau GT Cup, Macau Guia Race, Macau Touring Car Cup and Greater Bay Area GT Cup. Because of the amended program and schedule of the races, Macau Grand Prix will be held for three days from 20 to 22 November, instead of four days as in the past. A range of outreach activities will be rolled out as well including Macau Grand Prix – Family Carnival, Macau Grand Prix Racing Car Exhibition, Distinctive Racing Car Parade, Photography Competition and Touring Photo Exhibition at Schools, among others. For further information about the program of Macau Grand Prix, please visit Macau Grand Prix’s official website: www.macau.grandprix.gov.mo, download the mobile application, or follow Macau Grand Prix on Facebook, WeChat or Weibo.

Colorful community events to spark the vibes for motor race and gastronomy

MGTO and Sports Bureau support local community organizations in organizing various community events to promote gastronomy and motor racing culture respectively. Through a diversity of promotions, the two offices seek to create carnival ambience and enliven the city with a charming dynamic.

The community events are as follows: