I am proud to say that, with collaborative effort of Macao Government Tourist Office and overseas marketing representatives, Macao's tourism has achieved spectacular performance," said Fernando Chui Sai On, secretary for social and cultural affairs of the Macao SAR government.

In the first eight months this year, a total of 6,114,875 visitor arrivals have been recorded. "It is very likely that the total visitor arrivals for year 2000 will break the record of 1996, exceeding 8 million," he said.

The blossom of tourism is also revealed on hotel occupancy rates. A 20.28 percent increase has been reported in hotel occupancy rates for the first two quarters over the same period last year.

"Tourism does not only earn Macao significant revenue but also contribute to promoting the image of Macao around the world as well as enhancing its international recognition," Fernando Chui said.

In the course of expanding the tourism market, the Tourist Office has focused on the main sources of tourists from Hong Kong, the mainland areas of China and Taiwan. At the same time, it has strengthened promotions in Japan and the Republic of Korea.

The Tourist Office has set up representative agencies in 14 countries and territories. The government is going to reorganize the structure of representatives outside Macao and set up new agencies in Indonesia and India, and in the inland areas of China, the official said.

(People’s Daily 10/10/2000)