Mohit Rathod – Mumbai
Macao, which is renowned for its luxury experiences, has seen a significant growth in Indian arrivals in recent years. Around 80-85 per cent of Indian arrivals in Macao consist of leisure travellers, making India an important market for Macao to promote its luxury offerings. Speaking to Express TravelWorld, Arzan Khambatta, head, India representative office, Macao Government Tourism Office, informed, “Indian travellers visit Macao to experience its luxury and grandeur, so while they might stay at three-star or four-star hotels in neighbouring countries, they would want to stay in a five-star hotel in Macao just to experience the luxury. Alongside, we have also observed the trend of celebrations; a lot of Indians are now looking at Macao to celebrate their special occasions.”
India stood as the 10th most important source country for Macao in 2015, with 167,578 Indian arrivals in Macao, contributing 0.5 per cent of total arrivals from across the world. Whereas, Mainland China and Hong Kong continue to dominate figures, Khambatta is positive about India maintaining or improving its position in 2016. He stated, “In 2016, until now, India is not on the top 10 list, primarily due to travel patterns. Our season has just started; April, May, June and July form the peak season for us, and we hope that India will appear in the top 10 list this year too.”
Elaborating on the importance of India market, Khambatta added, “India possesses tremendous growth potential for travel to Macao. India is the fastest growing country for outbound travel and Macao, with is varied offerings, will be able to attract increasing number of Indians. In fact, for the first quarter of 2016, we are already up by around 6.5 per cent. Alongside our core markets – Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, we are now entering more markets like Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Pune and Chandigarh. It’s part of our strategy for 2016; to reach out to the Tier II cities through participation in exhibitions and sales visits.”
Although Macao is dominated by the leisure travel segment, MGTO identifies MICE as a significant area and plans to grow the segment through various incentives. “MICE is one of the main segments for Macao, especially the incentive travel. Indians don’t require a visa to visit Macao, which is a big advantage for Macao to attract corporate incentive travel. Macao, with its well-developed infrastructure, rich culture and high entertainment value, offers a very attractive proposition for incentive movements. The numerous massive hotel properties offer big room inventory, which is an added advantage to cater to the big incentive movements from India. We also have an interesting incentive programme for corporates choosing Macao for minimum of two nights. Macao might not be a standalone destination for leisure travel from India, but it has definitely emerged as a standalone destination for incentive travel,” said Khambatta.
Due to most of the inbound travel taking place via Hong Kong; MGTO, as part of its strategy, is looking at promoting the region as a whole and pairing Macao with itineraries including other destinations in the region. India-specific marketing approach will highlight family oriented activities and promote various interesting facets of Macao, such as its unique culture, family attractions, entertaining shows, grandeur and more. Khambatta affirmed focus on Tier II cities of India due to their growing potential. He stated, “Responses from the Indian travel fraternity have been very positive. People recognise Macao as a prominent destination. We are working with travel agents and have been doing many promotional activties in India including trade interactions, and multiple consumer focused campaigns. Our online strategy utilises social media very effectively and extensively to reach out to consumers and inspire them about our magnificent destination.”
