Objectives

To provide tourism policy and decision makers, planners and members of the tourism and hospitality industry with up-to-date, regular and insightful information regarding the profile of visitors to Macao and how they evolve over time.
To supplement general visitor (tourism) data currently provided by the Macao Census and Statistics Department (DSEC), MGTO and the Immigration Service by:
- Providing greater detail and analysis of behavioral and psychological variables.
- Providing cross tabulated data analysis and presentation of practical use to managers and decision makers in both government and private organizations.
To provide a source of reference and information archive over time of the short- and long-term changes to the mix of visitors to Macao.
To provide reference data to help evaluate the impact and effectiveness of destination management and marketing efforts.

Methodology

Data for the Macao Visitor Profile comes from field surveys of visitors conducted over a 9-day period every quarter. Each survey date targeted a sample size of about 114 visitors who completed at least half of their visit at the time of interview. Interview locations included major sites and terminals including the Border Gate, Ruins of St. Paul’s, Rua do Cunha at Taipa, Senado Square, Hong Kong Macao Ferry Terminal and Macao International Airport. The target final annaul sample will consist of aboiut 4,000 visitors. The VPS seeks information from visitors primarily on (1) their purpose and reasons for visiting Macao, (2) their trip and travel characteristics, (3) travel and transportation arrangements, (4) accommodation arrangements, (5) major information source, (6) spending behavior, (7) visitor attractions visited, (8) gaming behavior, and (9) evaluation of their overall travel experience.