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Freda Wan

Macau tourism authorities, desperate after the handover to rebuild the city's reputation as an attractive travel destination,  marketed it aggressively for five years. Finally  their campaigns have paid off.

Thanks to huge  numbers  of mainland tourists, Macau is projected to outshine Las Vegas this year  and become the world's biggest gaming market.

Joao Manuel Costa Antunes,  director of the Macau Government Tourist Office, said it was time for the city to carefully consider a new promotion strategy.

'We need to consider very carefully what we have as a tourism product. It doesn't make sense to go to China and promote our Chinese side, but it makes perfect sense to go to Europe and promote that, or to promote the Portuguese or European influence,' he said.

Starting next year,  Macau tourism authorities will narrow their  focus - from merely increasing the number of tourists to attracting long-haul customers, culture aficionados and meetings and conventions.

New offices in Los Angeles, New York and Paris will open next year.  Mr Antunes said France was a particularly hopeful market because the French were attracted to cultural tourism.

Twelve sites around Macau's city centre  are likely candidates for Unesco World Heritage listing next summer.

On average, tourist arrivals increase by 40 per cent within a year of  historical sites being granted a  listing. Macau is expected to experience a lower growth rate,  but the 40 per cent figure  remains a benchmark of  potential.

Anticipating benefits from the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge and other  transport improvements within the Pearl River Delta, Mr Antunes stressed  the need to tap into the long-haul market.

'There is more and more international interest in China and in Asia-Pacific, and we need to take advantage of that,' he said.

As a city of limited size, Macau needed to have  package tour operators including the city on regional tours. Banking on Macau's Pearl River Delta connections was particularly important, Mr Antunes said.

'We should use our strongest link - our link with the region. We should combine our products with the promotion of Disneyland in Hong Kong and  other tourism products in  the delta,' he said.

Although Macau is often dubbed the 'Las Vegas of Asia', Mr Antunes said it was not aiming to imitate the American gambling  mecca, but instead  develop the  conventions sector.

'Macau had casinos before Las Vegas,' he said, referring to Macau legalising casinos in 1847, 84 years before the American city did so.  'Macau has so much more. We have 450 years of history. The whole of United States doesn't even have 450 years of history.'



Fortune shines, but city targets more diversified tourist appeal