The Macau government has extended for a further two years the tenure of Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes (pictured in a file photo) as head of the city’s tourism office.
According to an announcement published on Wednesday in Macau’s Official Gazette, Ms Senna Fernandes has been appointed for an additional 24-month term as director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, a body also known as MGTO. Her new term starts on December 20.
Ms Senna Fernandes was first sworn into office as director of the tourism department in December 2012, initially for a one-year term. She has been reappointed for successive terms since.
The Macau government has a stated policy aim of encouraging its casino concessionaires to draw more of their customers from markets beyond China. That effort is to be coordinated with MGTO’s own promotional activities.
Prior to Covid-19, Macau was overwhelmingly a Chinese tourism market, with mainland China and Hong Kong accounting for 89.6 percent of Macau’s 39.4-million visitor arrivals in 2019, according to Macau government data.
Ms Senna Fernandes told GGRAsia in July that Macau’s six casino firms were doing their part so far in attracting more international visitors to the city.
