In Cyprus this week, Macau tourism boss Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes continued her campaign to attract more global tourists to the Chinese SAR. Lawrence Ho’s Melco Resorts hosted the tour.
The director of the Macau Government Tourism Office made the trip as part of MGTO’s worldwide promotional crusade, “Experience Macao Limited Edition.” Its aim: to build a pipeline of new, high-value patrons from European and Arab countries.
Senna Fernandes was a guest of Melco Resorts’ “Glow Your Way to Macao” campaign, at the new City of Dream Mediterranean. Melco’s first European resort opened in Limassol 2023, joining three satellite casinos in the republic.
Attendees included representatives of travel agencies and trade associations from Europe and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) of Arab states.
Travel group picks Macau as “preferred destination”
The MTGO’s global roadshow is already bearing fruit. In April, the European Travel Agents’ and Tour Operators’ Association (ECTAA) announced that Macau is its “preferred destination” for 2025.
The ECTAA will push Macau’s “stunning blend of Portuguese and Chinese culture, world-class resorts and vibrant nightlife”. It pointed to its status as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and called it a perfect stop “for travellers seeking adventure”. Those emphases align with Beijing’s drive to wean Macau from a gaming-reliant economy by 2028.
Senna Fernandes thanked the ECTAA for “strengthening connections with overseas travel trade … to achieve Macau tourism development”. She noted “considerable interest” in the market from countries such as Romania, Hungary, and Bulgaria.
Alan Ho of the Macau Association of Convention, Exhibition & Tourism Sectors added, “In meetings, we also noted investment interest from Arab countries including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.”
One of Macau’s Big 6 casino concessionaires, Melco is an active part of the campaign. The Hong Kong-listed company just announced it will open a sales office in Cyprus to promote Macau to Cypriot patrons.
“This facility in Cyprus … can act as a gateway for more visitors to visit Macau,” Melco CEO Lawrence Ho told the Cyprus Mail. “Melco always thinks of itself as being in a public-private partnership with the Macau government.”
The gaming giant also operates an integrated resort (IR) in Manila. Next year, it will open a new LKR350tn (£752.8bn/€897.3bn/$1bn) IR in Sri Lanka, also under the “City of Dreams” brand. Melco currently has promotional offices in Singapore, Hong Kong and the Philippines.
