Macao’s New Horizons: From Casino Capital to Cultural Hub

In this exclusive interview with World Magazine, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, discusses the city's ambitious plans to diversify its tourism offering beyond gambling. From promoting cultural heritage and gastronomy to embracing sustainability and digital innovation, Macao is transforming into a world-class destination catering to a wider range of visitors.

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Macao is known for its casinos, but the government has been actively promoting diversification in the tourism sector. What are some of the initiatives being taken to attract visitors interested in culture, heritage, gastronomy, and other experiences beyond gambling?

Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes: Diversification is indeed the focus of Macao now. As we continue to evolve into a world center of tourism and leisure, synergies are being enhanced between tourism and related sectors, towards more “tourism + culture”, “tourism + gastronomy”, “tourism + conventions and exhibitions”, “tourism + sports”, and more.?

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On one hand, we want to cater for visitors of different profiles from all over the world. On the other, we want to drive visitors off the beaten path for a more in-depth experience and to ensure the distribution of tourism’s economic benefits to the whole city.

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Several historic areas and old neighborhoods are thus currently being revitalized, while local associations and small businesses are involved in community tourism activities, and the list of mega entertainment events increases to engage visitors from the world-class integrated resorts to the community areas for an all-rounded experience in Macao.

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Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in the tourism industry. How is Macao balancing environmental concerns and tourism economy growth? Could you showcase successful initiatives for these cutting-cross issues?

To keep us on track, we have a Macao Tourism Industry Development Master Plan with various key objectives and action plans, which are regularly reviewed and in line with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. Climate change and energy crisis issues are taken into consideration when formulating the action plans that range from encouraging hotels and tourism-related industries to adopt international green building standards, waste management and recycling, to continue to optimize pedestrian environment and vehicle control, among many others.

Alongside the implementation of laws to ban single use plastics and others, we have seen much success in Macao with initiatives like the Green Hotel Awards or green and low-carbon events organization, including the Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo, to help environmentally friendly practices become the norm in the city.

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Note: In addition, in accordance with the nation’s “dual carbon” goals, the Macao SAR Government has put forward multiple carbon reduction measures in terms of alternative clean energy, green transport, energy saving and carbon emissions reduction, waste reduction and recycling and other fields. As the blueprint for Macao’s cause of carbon emissions reduction, the Long-term Decarbonization Strategy of Macao, implemented in 2023, proposes six key strategies to push forward carbon reduction in all aspects in an orderly manner and lead the public to practice environmental protection. In the future, the Macao SAR Government will continue to orderly carry out carbon reduction and co-create a green, low-carbon Macao with all residents. (Source: Macao Environmental Protection Bureau)

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What are Macao's plans to attract a wider range of international visitors from emerging markets from digital platforms to smart city initiatives?

Macao’s efforts in attracting a wider range of international visitors after the pandemic are moving from this year’s focus on Southeast and Northeast Asia to progressively target markets further afield, like Europe or the Middle East.?

Plenty of in-person and online destination promotions are ongoing to reach out to travelers around the world. International visitors should particularly take note of two campaigns this year, mostly disseminated via digital platforms. One is “My Treats for You”, with 250,000 travel “gifts” like air travel packages and more being distributed in different markets in celebration of this year of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region. Another one is the newly launched “Experience Macao Limited Edition”, with an online challenge to compete for prizes to travel to our city.

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What role does innovation play in shaping the future of tourism in Macao, and how is the government supporting start-ups and new ideas in the sector?

An area where innovation is particularly relevant for Macao is in keeping its cultural heritage relevant as we move forward as a tourism city.

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The development of Macao as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy is a case in point. It has been key in inspiring, encouraging, and supporting different stakeholders’ initiatives to preserve the unique gastronomic cultural heritage of the city. This especially includes the Macanese cuisine, which is a blend of Portuguese, Chinese, African, Southeast Asia, and other influences. A major related project, the Macanese Cuisine Database, was launched, making valuable resources like recipes available online for generations to come to continue to rediscover and give their own take, hereby helping to keep this unique cuisine alive.

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Technology is also enabling to “relive” the past, such as VR and AR features added at the revamped Macao Grand Prix Museum for racing experiences, or to reconstruct how Macao’s ex-libris, the Ruins of St. Paul’s, looked in the past, while community tourism events have added technology-fueled activities to engage participants online and on site.

To encourage the youth of Macao to explore new options and opportunities other than traditional career tendencies, realize their entrepreneurship aspirations, as well as to inject new impetus into Macao’s economic development, the Young Entrepreneurs Aid Scheme provides interest-free assistance to local youths with entrepreneurship aspirations but lacking resources to help alleviate their financial pressures during the early stages of their start up. The maximum amount of assistance is MOP 300,000, with a maximum repayment period of 8 years.

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In terms of supporting start-ups and new ideas in the sector, aside from programs like the Young Entrepreneurs Aid Scheme, there are multiple initiatives to create opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises, a good example being the support for local brands to launch cultural and creative products themed after the Macao tourism mascot Mak Mak.

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Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for Macao's tourism industry in the next five to ten years? What are the key areas of focus for future development?

The main expectation for the coming years is to see the roadmaps we are following continue to lead Macao towards more diversification of tourism offerings and visitor source markets.

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A major development plan launched late last year by the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, outlining a wide array of actions leveraging the integrated tourism and leisure industry to diversify the economy in the next five years. The plan is based on a development model we call “1+4”, which places tourism and related industries at the front and center as “1”, with “4” emerging industries in focus (health and wellness; modern financial services; innovative technology; and exhibitions and conventions, commerce and trade, and culture and sports). Its implementation requires stronger coordination between the government and the city’s six integrated leisure resort enterprises, with a good example of such joint efforts being the revitalization of several areas in old districts, including the Lai Chi Vun Shipyard, which is part of Macao's shipbuilding industry and is being revamped to tell the story of the city's maritime history.

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Multi-destination tourism within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay is also slated to continue to expand, helped by cross-border major transportation infrastructures like the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and travel facilitation measures.

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What message would you like to share with potential visitors about the unique experiences and attractions that await them in Macao?

Visitors to Macao should first and foremost have a glimpse of the more than 400 years of east-meets-west historical heritage, which is better experienced by strolling around the sites of the Historic Centre of Macao, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.?

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The state-of-the-art integrated resorts are another main attraction and best enjoyed if visited with family or to attend an event or concert, given that these complexes main appeal is to have hotel, entertainment, MICE, shopping, dining, and other facilities under the same roof.

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Ideally, visitors should come during a signature event like the Light Up Macao, opening in December, to be taken across the city, and be ready to enjoy the diverse gastronomy as well, ranging from popular food stalls to Michelin-starred restaurants.

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As a woman leader in a male-dominated industry, what advice would you give to aspiring female tourism professionals?

I would like to see aspiring female tourism professionals get ready to give their contribution to the industry.

Take Macao as an example. We already have leading female figures to look up to in tourism, from government to academia and the private sector. It is only about time that we will have more, given that women are already half of the workforce in the city’s tourism and related sectors, not to mention that slightly over half of visitors are female.

My hope is that we continue to have more women willing to and have the chance to advance in their careers so that we may build an inclusive and diverse development of the tourism industry.

For Article: https://live.worldtourismforum.net/articles/11th%20Issue%20/Macaos-New-Horizons:-From-Casino-Capital-to-Cultural-Hub

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