The Tourist Office of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) government opened its annual marketing meeting in Macao on Wednesday, convening its marketing staff in 14 countries and regions for tourism consultation.

Speaking at the meeting, Chui Sai On, secretary for social and cultural affairs, said that with a great support from the Chinese central government and a clear strategy of the Macao SAR government, the tourism industry of Macao has undergone significant changes in the past five years and achieved remarkable performances.

The Macao Tourist Office has 14 overseas marketing outlets, which mainly employ local agents to promote Macao's tourism.

Chui briefed them about Macao's tourism situation, saying that Macao welcomed 6.43 million visitors for the first five months of this year, representing an annual increase of 51 percent. Among the arrivals, 57 percent were from the mainland, up 95 percent over the year-ago period, said Chui.

As of June 3, the number of mainland tourists coming under the "Individual Visit Scheme" has reached 1.8 million since the policy stimulus was launched on July 28 last year. Currently, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong Province are designated pilots for the facilitated procedures on Hong Kong and Macao-bound tours.

Further extension of the scheme will enable residents in nine other cities in Fujian, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces to have the same right starting on July 1, according to Chui.

"We believe visitor arrivals from the mainland to Macao will continue to surge. The tourist industry of Macao is facing both opportunities and challenges," Chui told marketing specialists to the meeting.

The continuous surge in visitor arrivals has put the supporting facilities and carrying capacity in Macao to a test. The tourist authorities have placed a lot of emphasis on enhancing service standards, as service quality and hospitality play a key role in travelers' impression about a destination, said Chui.

(Xinhua News Agency June 24, 2004)