In a message transmitted by the public broadcaster TDM. Senna Fernandes pointed to the “European markets, such as Portugal and Spain,” as targets for this year, in connection with the Year of the Fire Horse, which begins today.
The official also mentioned Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia – a region that includes Japan, Mongolia, and the far east of Russia – and “emerging tourist markets in the Middle East and Central Asia.”
Senna Fernandes predicted that Macau would receive 41 million visitors in 2026, following last year’s near 40.1 million visitors, a new historical record. The majority (90.6%) of tourists came from mainland China or Hong Kong.
The region received 2.76 million foreign visitors, a 13.7% increase compared to 2024, but fell short of the target of more than three million set in August by the leader.
The director of the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) reminded everyone of the extension of the 10-day transit visa exemption policy to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge and the neighboring Hengqin Special Economic Zone.
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The official promised to “capitalize fully” on this change by creating tourist packages in collaboration with Hong Kong and other mainland Chinese cities to attract more international visitors.
January 28, the Macao Government Tourism Office announced that the region will be back at the Lisbon Tourism Fair (BTL) February 25 and March 1, after an absence of one year. The MGTO also stated that it will participate, in February, in Portugal, in a promotional campaign for travel agencies.
According to the portal of the “The Specialists” tourist operator group, the campaign will take place in Viseu, Porto, Braga, Coimbra, and Lisbon, between February 9 and 13.
Macau was not present at the previous edition of BTL, which took place between March 12 and 16, 2025, but at that time, MGTO assured, in a written response to Lusa, that Portugal remained “a priority market.”
At the beginning of December, the 50th congress of the Portuguese Association of Travel Agencies and Tourism (APAVT) gathered in Macau more than a thousand professionals in the sector, a record number.
During the congress, the city was chosen for the fourth time as the Preferred Destination of the APAVT in 2026, following selections in 2012, 2019, and 2024, “to direct the attention of European operators to Macau,” MGTO recalled.
The MGTO participated, between January 21 and 25, in the International Tourism Fair of Spain (FITUR, for its acronym in English), where it set up a Macau pavilion to “attract more international long-haul visitors, including from Europe.”
The region also launched a partnership with the tour operator Ávoris, which has a presence in Spain and Portugal. Ávoris began launching a series of promotions, starting before the beginning of FITUR and continuing until April.
Ávoris will also “create more tourist products that integrate the interior of China and Macau for the markets of Spain and Portugal,” MGTO noted.
