M

acau is committed to attracting more Indonesian tourists to the Chinese special administrative region by appointing an official representative in the country.

The Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) appointed VFS Global in hopes of revamping tourism between Indonesia and Macau.

To ensure that Macau becomes “appealing to the largest bloc of tourists in Southeast Asia”, Macau plans to establish a “safe, versatile, culture-rich and historical” destination for Indonesian tourists, said MGTO director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes said during a press conference announcing the new partnership.

Statistics from the MGTO show that Indonesians made up less than 0.53 percent of visitors in 2015. Only 163,353 tourists were from Indonesia out of 30.7 million visitors to the former Portuguese colony. That was a far cry from the 490,000 Indonesians visiting Hong Kong in 2014, as reported by the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

Even though Hong Kong set up tourist offices almost a year earlier in Indonesia, Macau remains optimistic that the territory can cater to Indonesia’s specific needs, such as halal food and non-gaming entertainment, despite general perception that Macau is only good for gambling.

Macau has been making accommodations for Muslims by giving seminars on Muslim practices and halal dining to businesses for the past two years.

Also, restaurants in Macau are encouraged to get halal certification from Hong Kong licensing boards as Macau currently lacks the capacity to certify.

Fernandes said the MGTO strongly believes that “explaining differences between Muslim and Buddhist practices [will] create better understanding” for vendors and increase appeal for tourists.

Macau also encourages hotels to begin reconstructing their lobbies so that visitors do not have to go through casinos to have a meal, or go to their rooms, or enjoy the other non-gaming entertainment.

Fernandes added that the main focus for penetrating the Indonesian market would be a combination of social and traditional media campaigns, as well as working together with Indonesian travel agencies to increase awareness and to provide newer options.

“There are not enough packages being sold by travel agents”, said Fernandes.

“Getting them to sell more of Macau and provide easier access for Indonesian tourists is key.”

Fernandes emphasized that Macau is more than just gambling and hotels.

“We hope that the Indonesian people can see and experience what we have to offer,” she said.

“Macau hosts the Grand Prix as well as the Ruins of St. Paul, a UNESCO heritage site.”

Fernandes said reclamation projects were currently underway to build a new home for “a state-of-the-art performing arts center not unlike the Sydney Opera House”.

Designed to be iconic and modern, Macau hopes the performing arts center would increase non-gaming entertainment attractions with a higher level of musical and dramatic shows.

—The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post.