The number of Macao's visitor arrivals hit the record 21.99
million in 2006, the region's tourism industry chief said here on
Wednesday.
Joao Costa Antunes, director of the Tourist Office, told a press
conference that the Chinese mainland remained as Macao's largest
tourism market in 2006, occupying over 50 percent of the total
visitor arrivals, followed by China's Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Capital cities of the five Chinese mainland provinces of Hebei,
Jilin, Anhui, Henan and Hubei were included in the individual
travel scheme from January 1, raising the number of covered cities
to 49, said the official.
The plan, which aims to liberate the mainland tourists from the
group travel control, has dedicated much to the tourism industry
boom in Macao.
Macao is to explore the new tourism markets in East European and
Middle East countries in 2007, Antunes said.
(Xinhua News Agency January 18, 2007)