A briefing session on several provisions of the facilitation measures for Mainland residents to participate in tour groups in Hengqin and Macao will be held in Hengqin, and the seminar will explain the significance, content and highlights of the policies for Macao and Macao travel agencies and the MICE industry.
On the afternoon of 29 April, a briefing session on several provisions of the facilitation measures for Mainland residents to participate in tour groups in Hengqin was held in Hengqin, attended by Su Kun, Deputy Director of the Executive Committee of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, Secretary for Economic Development Li Ziwei, Deputy Director of the Economic Development Bureau Huang Zhongjian, and relevant leaders of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the Central People's Government, the Hengqin Special Task Force of the Ministry of National Ministries and Commissions, the Macao Government Tourism Office, the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, the Hengqin Border Inspection, and the Hengqin Public Security Bureau attended the event to explain the significance, content and highlights of the policy for Macao travel agencies and the MICE industry.
During the travel period, it can be used for multiple round-trips in Aoqin
With the strong support and guidance of the National Immigration Administration and other central ministries and commissions, the Co-operation Zone has always adhered to its original aspiration and mission of promoting the moderate diversification of Macao's economy, actively linked up with Macao to build a cultural tourism brand with Macao's characteristics, continuously integrated the tourism resources of the two places, and entered a faster lane for the development of the cultural tourism industry.
In 2023, the number of tourists in the main scenic spots of Hengqin will reach 11.6358 million, a year-on-year increase of 341.48%, and with the continuous improvement of customs clearance convenience at Hengqin port, people from Macao and Hengqin will come and go more closely.
The release of this policy will be conducive to promoting the sharing of tourist resources between Macao and Qinqin and promoting the complementarity, dislocation development and mutual benefit and win-win results of tourism resources between Macao and Qinqin.
In the future, the Co-operation Zone will build on the respective advantages of Macao's tourism resources, accelerate the construction of a cross-border tourism industry chain of "multi-destination, integrated operation and linkage expansion", make full use of the "group in and group out" policy, give better play to the superposition effect of Macao and Hengqin, promote the high-level construction of Hengqin International Leisure Tourism Island, and support Macao's development into a world centre of tourism and leisure.
At the meeting, Lin Yanjie, Director of the Culture, Tourism, Convention and Exhibition Business and Trade Division of the Economic Development Bureau of the In-depth Cooperation Zone, introduced the policy content in detail. Among them, he mentioned that the "Implementation Rules for the Administration of Hengqin and Macao Tour Groups in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin (for Trial Implementation)" clearly states that Mainland residents participating in "Hengqin and Macao Tour Groups" can depart from any port in the Mainland to Macao, and can travel between Macao and Hengqin several times during their visit.
The Measures for the Accreditation of Travel Agencies Operated by Hengqin and Macao Tour Groups in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone (for Trial Implementation) further clarifies the standards, procedures, supervision and management of the qualification of travel agencies engaged in the operation of "Hengqin and Macao tour groups".
A representative of a travel agency said that it would combine the content of the policy release to launch a joint tour route between Macao and Qinqin. For example, traveling in Macao during the day, staying overnight in a hotel in Hengqin at night, and visiting the scenic spots in Hengqin the next day, etc., a variety of tourist routes are designed to enhance the experience of tourists in Macao.
Multiple benefits empower the upgrading of tourism in Macao
During the interactive session, representatives of the Economic Development Bureau of the Co-operation Zone answered questions from the participating enterprises. The representative of the Economic Development Bureau of the In-depth Cooperation Zone said that the release of the facilitation measures will bring multiple benefits to tourism consumption in Macao, including:
01
Endorse the "nationwide general office" to optimize the handling process and stimulate the vitality of tourism consumption. The policy clarifies that after successful registration for a tour by mainland residents, they can apply for a Exit-entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao and a group travel endorsement (marked "Hengqin and Macao Tourism") at any public security organ exit and entry administration window across the country with the confirmation SMS, further optimizing the endorsement process and realizing the "nationwide application" for endorsements. After the group travel agency submits the application materials on the official application platform and passes the review, the system will automatically and timely send a confirmation SMS to the participating passengers. This series of innovative measures not only greatly improves the efficiency and convenience of applying for endorsements, but also helps to stimulate the enthusiasm of Mainland residents to travel to Macao, thereby enhancing the vitality of tourism consumption.
02
Expand the source market and help build the brand of "Hengqin and Macao Joint Tour" and the "multi-stop" boutique route. The convenience and frequency of travel will be increased in the form of "group in and group out" to and from Hengqin and Macao, providing tourists with more flexible travel options. According to the preferences and needs of tourists, the "Hengqin and Macao Tours" can freely formulate travel itineraries and itineraries with different themes based on the unique cultural history, natural ecology, gastronomic experience, grand events and other elements of the two places. This measure will further promote the integration and optimization of tourism resources in the region, and accelerate the creation of "Hengqin and Macao joint tours" and "multi-destination" high-quality tourism products.
03
Promote the development of tourism and related industrial chains, and promote the implementation of the innovative model of "one convention and exhibition, two places". The issuance of this policy further facilitates the participation of exhibitors between Macao and Hengqin to participate in the MICE and exhibitions of "one MICE and two places", and implements the requirements of the Master Plan for the Development of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin to facilitate the entry and exit of MICE staff, professional exhibitors and domestic and foreign tourists with exhibition ticketing certificates. Relevant personnel can travel to Macao through the "Hengqin and Macao Tour Groups" and travel to and from Macao and Hengqin several times within the specified time, so as to meet the needs of exhibitors and individuals, fully promote the effective implementation of the innovative model of "one convention and exhibition, two places", facilitate the development of business and trade exchanges between Macao and Hengqin, and promote the exchange and sharing of Macao-Hengqin convention and exhibition resources and the diversified development of the cultural and tourism industry.
04
Promote the coordinated development of multiple industries in Macao and Qinqin, and enhance the attractiveness of medium- and long-term tourists. The facilitation of the immigration process will help visitors enhance their sense of travel experience, explore the customs of Macao and Hengqin more deeply, participate in more tourism projects and activities, and promote the high-quality coordinated development of tourism, catering, hospitality, retail, transportation and other industries, which is conducive to further exploring the construction of tourism + medical care, tourism + performing arts, tourism + MICE and other industries, and jointly expanding the tourism carrying capacity. In the past, medium- and long-haul passengers travelling between Zhuhai and Macao had a relatively single itinerary due to cost and flight constraints, but the release of this policy allows passengers to have more flexible design space on the same itinerary, further enhancing the attractiveness of Macao and Qinqin to tourists.
The industry is hotly discussing the policy to benefit the development of the tourism industry
After the release of the policy, it caused a heated discussion in the tourism industry of Macao.
Mr Cheong Kin Chung, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Macao and President of the Chamber of Macao Tourist Associations, said that the six policy measures to facilitate the people and benefit enterprises in the immigration management, including allowing participants in the "Hengqin and Macao Tour Groups" to travel to and from Hengqin and Macao for multiple times, have aroused very positive repercussions in the tourism industry in Macao, and the industry is full of expectations for the implementation of the policies, which will be conducive to the development of Macao as a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure and Macao-Hengqin co-city tourism, promote the development of Macao's tourism industry, and significantly enhance Macao's tourism activity space and tourism experience. The release of this policy is conducive to increasing the space for tourism activities in Macao, enhancing the attractiveness of tourism, and driving the enrichment and diversification of many products such as guest rooms, restaurants, and scenic spots. For example, in terms of accommodation products, it is conducive to increasing hotel cooperation between Macao and Hengqin, so that there is more room for choice and innovation in accommodation categories.
Ho Hoi Meng, President of the Convention and Exhibition Industry Association of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin and President of the Macao Convention and Exhibition Travel Industry Association, said that the number of international conferences held in Macao this year is quite large, such as international academic conferences, which used to be eight or nine days of academic conferences, and the introduction of six policies and measures to facilitate the people and benefit enterprises in the entry and exit management is conducive to Macao's bidding for more international conferences, and the introduction of policies is conducive to mainland scholars to participate in the conference in Macao. Making good use of the policy of "Hengqin and Macao tourist groups" to travel back and forth to Hengqin and Macao many times is conducive to the more integrated development of Macao's convention and exhibition industry.
In order to effectively implement the relevant measures and supporting policies, Li Ziwei introduced at the meeting that the relevant departments will strengthen industry management, standardize the order of the tourism market, improve the quality of tourism services, and provide tourists with more high-quality and safe tourism services, which not only gives full play to the advantages of convenience measures, but also effectively protects the legitimate rights and interests of tourists, and works together with the industry to promote the good, healthy and stable development of the tourism economy of Macao.
Source: Hengqin Online