Macao’s Development

HK vows to team up with Macao on tourism

By Guo Jiaxue and Zhang Jin (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-12-19 19:50

MACAO: Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang said Hong Kong could learn from, and work closely with, Macao.

"Macao's economy grew at a brisk pace in the past decade and its experience of achieving that is worth learning," he told reporters in Macao on Saturday at celebrations of the city's 10th anniversary of the return to the motherland.

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Macao's GDP advanced, on average, by 14 percent annually from 2000 to 2008, one of the fastest in the world. Tsang said the two special administrative regions could work more closely in fields such as tourism and people's livelihood.

Tsang's remarks to promote cooperation on tourism appeared to stress the synergy between the two cities, because many holiday-goers travel to both Hong Kong and Macao in one trip.

In recent years, Macao stole some luster from Hong Kong's tourism industry, thanks to a large influx of travelers amid a gaming boom.

Last year, tourist arrivals in Macao hit 230 million, compared with Hong Kong's 290 million. Though Macao narrowed the gap with Hong Kong in terms of tourist attraction, travelers spend fewer days and less money in Macao.