The Tourist Office of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) government will make more promotional efforts this year to boost the region's tourism sector.

On the basis of the pleasing record of nine million tourists in 2000, the government's tourism policy this year is to make tourists spend more time and more money in Macao, local tourism officials said at a press conference Tuesday.

With the fact that China's inland areas, Hong Kong and Taiwan and southeast Asia have been the major sources of tourists to Macao, the Tourist Office will conduct a series of promotion activities in these areas, said Joao Manuel Antunes, director of the Tourism Office.

In order to expand the tourism market in Japan and Singapore, the Tourist Office strengthened contacts with airline companies from the two countries last year to facilitate the come-and-go of tourists.

In the meantime, the Tourist Office will try to attract more tourists from Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, the United States, Canada, as well as European and Oceanian countries.

On the other hand, Macao residents are required to make concerted efforts to maintain a good tourism image of the region, so that all tourists feel welcome here. In addition, the government will provide more colorful tourism facilities and services.

(People’s Daily 01/09/2001)