During this year’s conference, Dr. Ruth Yeung of IFT revealed the major underlying factors that attract Mainland Chinese tourists to shop in Macao. These include social and leisure factors as well as product attributes like fashionable and good value. Ms. Joey Sou and Dr. Thea Vinnicombe, also from IFT, examined the spending behaviour of Mainland Chinese tourists and segmented them by expenditure. Their results showed that heavy spenders were highly distinguishable from other segments on the basis on higher income, longer length of stay, tendency to travel on package tours and place of residence. For their part, IFT researchers Ms. Catherine Li and Dr. Anthony Wong discussed their research findings on service attributes that enhance Chinese shoppers’ shopping experience in casino shopping malls, which include shopping mall assortment, shopping mall environment and shopping convenience.

For their part, researchers from Bournemouth University shared interesting developments in tourism and retail shopping. Dr. Charles McIntyre and Mr. Nick Greenwood, for example, revealed how atmospherics and the design of gaming and shopping spaces exert tremendous influence on shopper behavior.  Dr. Philip Long explored the relationship between the use of music, place identity, tourism and retail. He challenged Macao colleagues to help identify what type of music best represents its unique identity. Lastly, Dr. Jeff Bray underscored how growing concern for ethical considerations now impacts upon consumers’ purchase decisions.

The annual IFT-BU E-Conference is one of several activities manifesting the growing international research collaboration between the two institutions. Last year, IFT co-organized with BU the 2013 International Conference on Events, held at Bournemouth’s UK campus.

The School of Tourism at BU is a world-leader in tourism research and a leading provider of tourism management courses. ITRC is a research and development unit of the IFT which serves as a knowledge resource and public policy think-tank for members of the tourism and hospitality industries, relevant government agencies, and the general public and as a knowledge provider for tourism and hospitality related research in Macao and the region. 

For more information, please contact Ms. Wendy Tang of ITRC (itrc@ift.edu.mo).

The E-Conference attracted around 50 participants from industry and academia.

Speakers from IFT was discussing with BU’s participants.

ITRC periodically monitors two particular trends considered to be important indicators of the long-term success of Macao’s tourism development. These are: (1) visitors’ primary purpose for visiting and (2) identifying determinants to lengthening the stay of visitors. Both indicators help gauge efforts toward diversifying Macao’s attractions and attracting longer staying visitors. In this dispatch, we also report the full year 2013 VPS for the seasonal difference in the two indicators.

Highlights

Visitor satisfaction slightly improved as at Q4 2013

This is the second institutional research collaboration between the Oxford School of Hospitality and IFT in the last 3 years. For more details about the collaboration research, please visit here.

A public seminar related to this research was held by Dr. Chan on 7 November at IFT where he shared the methodology (Structural Equation Modelling) applied in their research.

For more details about Dr Chan and his research can be found here.  

IFT Tourism Research Centre (ITRC) is releasing today the most updated results of its Macao Visitor Profile Survey (VPS) covering the first and second quarters of 2013. Full reports are available for download here. ITRC has been collecting quarterly data on visitor profile and characteristics and analyzing visitor trends to Macao since 2008.

ITRC periodically monitors two particular trends considered to be important indicators of the long-term success of Macao’s tourism development. These are: (1) visitors’ primary purpose for visiting and (2) identifying determinants to lengthening the stay of visitors. Both indicators help gauge efforts toward diversifying Macao’s attractions and attracting longer staying visitors. In this dispatch, we report the latest analysis and figures for the two indicators.

A.  Macao becoming a popular shopping destination

1.

Although gambling remains one of the main reasons for visiting Macao, other attractions now pull visitors strongly to visit the territory. Shopping and dining have become, over time, the most popular non-gaming activities, especially of those coming from Mainland China and Hong Kong.

2.

About 26.8% of visitors surveyed in Q2 of 2013 said that they were drawn to visit Macao primarily for shopping but a significant proportion were also drawn to the culinary attractions and the World Heritage site.

3.

Table 1 below shows the trend for the second quarter over the last four years while Figure 1 shows the trend across all quarters since 2010. Although the historic Centre of Macao continues to be a top draw for visitors (mentioned by 16.6% of those surveyed in Q2 as their primary reason for visiting), most of Macao’s arts, cultural and other historical attractions seem to be declining in its appeal to visitors over time, as are the territory’s events, festivals and shows. Both attractions show declining trends.

4.

Interestingly, visiting friends and relatives has been among the main and consistent reason for drawing visitors. Finally, efforts to make Macao an international business tourism destination need to be reinforced as latest data shows that very few (2.7%) come to the territory for business purposes.

Table 1
Primary purpose for visiting Macao, % of surveyed visitors
Second quarter 2010-2013

Figure 1
Primary purpose for visiting Macao, % of surveyed visitors
Quarterly data, Q1 2010 to Q2 2013

Table 2
Profile of visitors staying two days or more compared to same day
Second quarter, 2010-2013

Figure 2
Profile of visitors staying two days or more vs. same day
Quarterly, from Q1 2010 to Q2 2013

Table 1
Sector Tourist Satisfaction Index and ranking, Q1-Q3 2013

Figure 1

Figure 2
Sectoral TSI levels over time compared to Overall MTSI

IFT Tourism Research Centre (ITRC) is releasing Q4 2012 quarterly and 2012 annual results of the Macao Tourist Satisfaction Index (MTSI). ITRC has been collecting quarterly data on visitor satisfaction in Macao since 2009 and its database now spans results covering more than three years. Reports can be downloaded from here. Highlights of the latest findings are as follows:

Visitor satisfaction barely above the ‘psychological passing mark’ as at Q4 2012

ITRC’s latest analysis of the Tourist Satisfaction Index (TSI) for Macao shows visitor satisfaction during the last quarter of 2012 was 70.2 out of the maximum 100 of the scale. Although this performance is slightly lower than the 70.7 recorded in third quarter of 2012, the index remains around the ‘psychological passing mark’ of 70, above which previous highs of the TSI were recorded during 2009 and 2010. The overall long-term trend for overall visitor satisfaction, however, continues to show a slight downward trend. Nevertheless, the TSI has been steadily improving since 2011. See Figure 1.

Figure 1

Quarterly overall Tourism Satisfaction Index, 2009Q3 – 2012Q4

Full year MTSI improved in 2012

A total of 4,616 respondents were interviewed throughout 2012 across ten tourism-related sectors in Macao. The full year MTSI score for 2012 is 69.8, which shows a slight improvement of 1.7 points compared with the 68.1 full year result of 2011. Only the year of 2010 was found to perform exceptionally well and the TSI of that year peaked at 72.1. Looking at the long-term performance of Macao’s tourism industry, the TSI of 2012 is marginally below the four-year average of 69.9 covering the period of 2009 to 2012. See Figure 2.

Figure 2

Annual MTSI from 2009 to 2012

Visitors are most satisfied with services provided by the events sector, followed by transportation and hotels in 2012; performance of the heritage sector deteriorates remarkably

Results for 2012 show the events sector (73.7) to be improving steadily and consistently outperforming other sectors. Transportation (72.3) and hotels (71.0) are ranked the second and third. Though improvements are found in restaurants (68.1), tour guides/operators (67.2) and immigration service (66.9), they continue to lag behind the other sectors.

It is encouraging that nine out of ten sectors showed improvement in visitor satisfaction in 2012 compared to 2011. Transportation (↑5.33%, 72.3), retails shops (↑4.77%, 69.7) and immigration service (↑4.03%, 66.9) score significantly higher in 2012. On the other hand, substantial decline in satisfaction in the heritage attractions (↓3.21%, 69.0) is recorded, which pulled down its ranking from the second in 2011 to the seventh in 2012. See Figure 3.

Comparing Macao’s TSI with other destinations

Because ITRC conducts the TSI research in conjunction with regional partners in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Zhuhai in Mainland China, we are able to compare Macao’s performance relative to those destinations. The comparison of TSI across different destinations allows us to determine the relative competitiveness and performance of Macao. The results for 2012 shows Hong Kong TSI to have the highest TSI score (75.1), followed by Guangzhou (73.1), and Macao (69.8) at the third place. See Figure 4.

Figure 3

Sectoral full-year TSI comparison, 2011 versus 2012

Figure 4

Tourist Satisfaction Index (TSI) across five destinations in 2012

About the MTSI

Every quarter since 2009, ITRC has been measuring the level of visitor satisfaction in Macao across various sectors. Results across all sectors are averaged to form an overall Macao Tourist Satisfaction Index (MTSI). The ten tourism- related sectors in the TSI include (a) casinos, (b) events, (c) heritage attractions, (d) hotels, (e) immigration services, (f) non-heritage attractions, (g) restaurants, (h) retail shops, (i) tour guides/ operators, and (j) transportation services. With similar studies conducted by partners in other countries, results obtained in Macao are compared, when available, with those obtained in Hong Kong, Singapore, Shenzhen, and other destinations for comparing performance and competitive benchmarking.

Methodology

The MTSI is measured using a field survey in which respondents are selected and interviewed based on a systematic random sampling technique. Interviews with visitors are conducted at major tourist sites and transport terminals in Macao. Around 1,150 interviews are conducted quarterly. The TSI is an index comprised of the responses to three major questions: overall satisfaction, performance compared with expectations and with ideal performance given TSI model estimates. Results are transformed and reported on a scale ranging from 0- to 100-points. The higher is the score on the index, the higher is the level of satisfaction. The overall TSI is the average of all ten sectoral TSIs.

For more information

Please contact Ms. Virginia Hong or Ms. Wendy Tang (itrc@ift.edu.mo).

Proportion of visitors coming primarily for gambling continues to drop

The proportion of visitors indicating gambling as the primary purpose for their visit to Macao declined from 7.2% in Q3 2012 to a low of 6.2% in the last quarter of 2012, the lowest percentage thus far recorded. See Figure 1. Visitors arriving primarily for pleasure or vacation purposes comprised 76.5% of those interviewed in Q4 2012. Shopping, cuisine and attractions remain strong pulls for visiting Macao. ITRC tracks this data as one of many indicators to determine whether Macao’s tourism is diversifying – one of the key strategies of the territory’s long-term tourism development.

Figure 1 Proportion % of visitors saying their primary visiting purpose is gambling

Other observations: Shopping and dining are the most popular non-gaming activities, especially of those coming from Mainland China and Hong Kong. However, data suggests that visiting World Heritage attractions (9.5%), attending festivals, non-business events, shows or concerts (4.2%) and visiting for business purposes (3.8%) do not show a clear trend and fluctuate over time.

Shopping activities = Shorter length of stay?

Analysis of VPS data from Q4 2012 shows that the highest proportion of same day (or short-staying) visitors is associated with cross-border shopping activities. See Figure 2. This segment (same day length and shopping) comprises 19.1% of visitors.. A slight increase in proportion of visitors coming for attractions and stay overnight was observed (16.0%); while only 3% of surveyed respondents visiting for pleasure stayed overnight.

As in previous quarters, there is no evidence of positive association between first time visitors and longer length of stay, nor between tour packages and longer length of stay. However, the data with respect to visitors from Taiwan China remains positive. This segment has a higher likelihood than others to stay overnight in Macao (6.4%). The same pattern is evident amongst tourists from other Asian countries, although numbers from these areas remain low relative to the main source markets of Mainland China and Hong Kong.  

The overall trend throughout the latest quarter shows that Macao continues to grow as a short-stop shopping destination for the Greater China areas. To develop Macao into an international tourism destination, further diversification in attractions and pleasure offerings is necessary to entice visitors from the long haul markets, therefore lengthen the overall duration of stay.

Figure 2 Profile of visitors with varying length of stay (%), Q4 2012

About the VPS

Every quarter since 2008  ITRC has been collecting relevant information with which it conducts analysis leading to identifying segments and niche profiles of visitors. We use these analyses to inform policy-making and the long term effectiveness of destination planning and marketing, for both public and private sector stakeholders.

Methodology

Data for the Macao Visitor Profile Survey comes from field surveys of visitors. Survey was conducted over nine days for each quarter and targeted to collect at least 114 samples that completed at least half of their planned visit period or activity at the time of interview on each survey date. 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. Each quarter sees around a final sample comprised of 1,026 visitors. The questionnaires used for collecting data for 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.

For more information 

Please contact Ms. Virginia Hong or Ms. Wendy Tang of ITRC at itrc@ift.edu.mo.

Dr. Edmond Wu is Lecturer in Information Systems and Business Statistics at the School of Tourism Management at Sun Yat-sen University, China, and holds a PhD i Financial Statistics and MPhill in Mathematics and data Mining from the University of Hong Kong. Dr. Edmond Wu is scholar-in-residence at IFT until August 2013. To kick off his research program, he delivered a research seminar last Tuesday, 25^th June on the challenges of forecasting tourist arrivals and the novel technique he is implementing in research in Macao. He will be working with ITRC colleagues Ms. Wendy Tang and Ms. Joey Sou, whose areas of research include forecasting and econometric modeling.  

Dr. Wu joins as the latest of a growing list of international scholars who has been granted short-term research residence at IFT under the Institute’s Residential Research Program. The purpose of the RRG is to build international research connections with leading scholars in hospitality and tourism and enable them the time, place and support necessary to undertake research endeavors that are of strategic importance to the hospitality and tourism industry of Macao. Previous resident scholars in IFT include Prof. William Gartner of the University of Michigan and Prof. Alastair Morrison of Purdue University.

The bibliography of Dr. Wu can be viewed here. The abstract of Dr. Wu's RRG can be downloaded here.

Among the information to be gathered regularly are employees' levels of job satisfaction, job stress, organizational commitment, intention-to-quit and organizational loyalty measures as well as satisfaction with a host of occupational and work conditions such as compensation, benefits, opportunities for advancement and inter-relationships at work, either with colleagues or with superiors and subordinates.

Although the MHRM primarily focuses on analyzing labor and human resource issues pertaining to the tourism, hospitality and gaming industries, findings will be compared across all categories of workers in other sectors of Macao's economy. Director of ITRC, Dr. Leonardo (Don) Dioko, notes:

"Despite the copious amount of information generated about Macao's rapid economic growth, there is little if any information resource of sufficient scale, scope and sustained collection over time, which policy makers, industry leaders and the general public can tap or rely on in regard to the important task of understanding issues surrounding labor force relations, incentives, equity and benefits as well as identifying the needs, conditions and aspirations of Macao's human resources. The MHRM project will aim to fill this gap in knowledge."

Among the major findings of the pilot survey:

1) Overall, majority of the employed labor force in Macao are moderately satisfied with their jobs. Those working in tourism related industries, however, expressed a slightly lower level of job satisfaction compared to non-tourism workers.

2) Workers from the tourism industry had lower satisfaction with practically every specific domain of their jobs (i.e., job security, supervision, treatment, recognition and pay) compared to non-tourism workers.

3) Tourism industry workers also tend to report lower intent to stay at and lower levels of commitment to their organizations, compared to non-tourism industry workers.

Considering that most of the working population of Macao are occupationally involved in tourism or tourism-related organizations and that the nominal income of workers has increased in recent years, the above findings—which echo a generally coping sentiment—should be cause for long-term concern. 

More details of the MHRM can be found here. Regular subscribers of ITRC's studies will receive an email shortly with a link to download the inaugural report while non-subscribers should register in the MHRM project page to receive a copy.

For more information

Please contact Ms. Virginia Hong or Ms. Wendy Tang of ITRC at itrc@ift.edu.mo.

Notes:

The vertical (or y-) axis of the chart represents a 5-point satisfaction scale with 5 representing high level of satisfaction and 1 representing the lowest level.

Lines are arranged from lowest on the left to highest at the right.

Hovering the mouse on any point on the line will reveal the key profile corresponding to that level of satisfaction.

A total of 525 randomly selected respondents were interviewed for the study. Interviews were conducted in the field at various intervals and locations during the second half of 2012.

Some observations from the above chart (the interactive chart can be reviewed at this link here):

Workers with the highest income per month (>MOP40,000) report the highest levels of job satisfaction and its specific aspects (pay, security and social environment).

Workers aged 58 years or above reported the second-highest level of general job satisfaction, even though they don’t rate their job pay and security as equally satisfying. One possible reason for this is suggested by the rather higher level of satisfaction they expressed regarding the social environment of their work. It is quite likely that senior workers’ job satisfaction is closely tied to the favorable social interaction they experience at work.

Non-permanent resident workers reported above-average general job satisfaction (just slightly below permanent residents, on the next data point on the right), even though they report having among the lowest levels of satisfaction with pay and job security.

The least satisfied workers were single individuals with children. In absolute terms, they reported having the lowest levels of satisfaction with job pay and security, though they seem to appreciate some degree of satisfaction with the social environment at work.

*********

Regular subscribers of ITRC's studies will receive emails with a link to download the inaugural report while non-subscribers should register in the MHRM project page to receive a copy.

For more information

Please contact Ms. Virginia Hong or Ms. Wendy Tang of ITRC at itrc@ift.edu.mo

Proportion of visitors coming primarily for gambling declining

Despite the opening of several new casino complexes in the Q2 2012, the proportion of gambling as the primary purpose of visit declined to 7.1% in Q2 and 7.2% in Q3, compared to the yearly average of 12.7% in 2010 and 8.2% in 2011. In particular, only 3.0% and 4.6% of first time visitors in Q2 and Q3 2012 respectively claimed to visit Macao for gambling. In contrast, the figures were 7.8% and 10.4% in Q2 and Q3 in 2010. Visitors arriving primarily for pleasure or vacation purposes now comprise 76.7% in Q2 and 74.7% in Q3 of visitors surveyed, and increase of 4.2% and 1.8% year-on-year. Figure 1 below shows the relative decline over time of gambling as a reported primary reason for visiting.

These latest figures most likely reflect a growing mix of visitors coming for leisure and recreational opportunities in Macao. It is quite possible that tourist diversification—seen in terms of the primary purpose or activity sought—is beginning to take hold. This is backed up by data showing non-gambling activities, particularly shopping and dining are the most popular activities among tourists, especially those from Mainland China and Hong Kong. Data from the VPS series also suggest an upward trend among visitors in visiting World Heritage attractions (60.2% and 54.6%). However, the trend for attending festivals, non-business events, shows or concerts (8.0% and 4.7%) and MICE business (3.9% and 4.0%) seems to fluctuate overtime.

Figure 1

Proportion % of visitors saying their primary purpose for visiting is gambling

Diversifying in attractions but becoming more focused rather than international in source markets

Continued analysis of visitors segmented according to their length of sty reveals that, for Q2 and Q3 2012, previously observed patterns persist. The general trend has been increasingly toward shorter stay. Looking at Figure 2 below, higher proportion of same day (or short-staying) visitors are associated with cross-border shopping activities. This segment (same day length and shopping) comprises 17.5% of all visitors for Q2 and Q3 2012. The segment with the most significant proportion of long-staying (i.e. longer than two days) visitors tends to be comprised of those visiting friends and relatives, comprising 5.7% of all visitors.

From the latest data, therefore, it appears that enticing more first time visitors to Macao does not necessarily induce longer-staying stays. Neither does promoting non-FIT (e.g. package tour) forms of travel arrangement. However, there is some promising data from Taiwanese visitors. This segment has a higher likelihood than others to stay in Macao more than two days (as 4.8% of them did), as do visitors from other Asian countries (4.0%).

Overall, what the aforementioned metrics (gambling as a primary draw for visitors and the length of stay) indicate for Macao’s tourism performance in the second and third quarters of 2012 is the general policy of diversifying Macao’s attractions seems to be having an effect. Indeed, it appears that the territory is becoming more of a shopping destination. At the same time, however, Macao seems to be developing more as a shortstop domestic tourism destination for the greater China area, with which it is greatly integrated. Hopes for lengthening visitors’ stay, and marking Macao an international destination, rests ultimately on attracting visitors from long-haul markets.

Figure 2

Profile of visitors to Macao staying with varying lengths of stay (all figures in %)

About the VPS

Every quarter since 2008 when it conducted pilot studies on the visitor profile of Macao’s visitors, ITRC has been collecting relevant information with which it conducts analysis leading to usefully identifying segments and niche profiles of visitors. We use these analysis to inform policy-making and the long term effectiveness of destination planning and marketing, for both public and private sector stakeholders.

Methodology

Data for the Macao Visitor Profile comes from field surveys of visitors. Each survey date targeted a sample size of 114 visitors who completed at least half of their planned visit period or activity. 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. Each quarter sees around a final sample comprised of 1,027 visitors. The questionnaires used for collecting data for 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 f their overall travel experience in Macao. But other questions of a relevant or ad hoc nature are also added occasionally.

For more information

Please contact Ms. Virginia Hong or Ms. Wendy Tang of ITRC at itrc@ift.edu.mo

Visitor satisfaction in Macao—slight but continuous improvement developing 

As of the end of the 3rd quarter of 2012, the Tourism Satisfaction Index (TSI) for Macao stood at 70.7 our of a highest score of 100. See Figure 1. This is slightly better than the 69.5 recorded in the 2nd quarter of 2012 and is the first time the ‘psychological ceiling’ of 70 has been surpassed. The last time the MTSI was above the 70-mark was in Q4 2010. The overall long-term trend, nevertheless, continues to point slightly toward declining overall satisfaction. The most recent result continues a slight but improving short-term trend for 2012. However, it is early to say whether 2012 will end in an overall positive territory.

Figure 1

Satisfaction Index, 2009 Q3 to 2012 Q3

The events sector holds up overall visitor satisfaction; big declines in satisfaction for heritage attractions and restaurants.

Macao’s events remains the most significant sector boosting overall visitor satisfaction. Comparing satisfaction results of the latest quarter with the second quarter, there were slight improvements for the transport and hotel sectors but significant declines in reported satisfaction in the heritage attraction and restaurant sectors. See Figure 2. Tour guides and operators, retail shops and non-heritage attractions also did not fare well, reporting declines in satisfaction. the biggest quarterly improvement was recorded in the immigration sector.

Figure 2

Sectoral TSI performance, Q3 versus Q2 2012

The long term trend shows casinos, hotels and transport to be improving; but this is counterbalanced by four sectors with declining or stagnating visitor satisfaction.

Looking at the sustained performance of all sectors over the last thirteen quarters, Macao’s events sector remains the most consistent positive performer, with visitor satisfaction for this sector being sustained above average. See Figure 3. Casinos, hotels and most significantly, the transport sector are showing ongoing, though slight, improvements. Improved results recorded by the restaurant sector last Q2 proved temporary. Overall, therefore, Macao has 3 sectors improving (casinos, hotels and transport) but 4 are showing trends toward declining or long-term stagnation in visitor satisfaction: Heritage and non-heritage attractions, restaurants, retail shops, and tour guides/ operators.

Figure 3

Sectoral TSI, Q2 2009 to Q3 2012

About the MTSI

Every quarter since 2009, ITRC has been measuring the level of visitor satisfaction in Macao across various sectors. Results across all sectors are averaged to form an overall Macao Tourist Satisfaction Index (MTSI). The ten tourism sectors in the TSI include (a) casinos, (b) events, (c) heritage attractions, (d) hotels, (e) immigration services, (f) non-heritage attractions, (g) restaurants, (h) retail shops, (i) tour guides/ operators, and (j) transportation services. With similar studies conducted by partners in other countries, results obtained in Macao are compared, when available, with those obtained in Hong Kong, Singapore, Shenzhen, and other destinations for comparing performance and competitive benchmarking.

Methodology

The MTSI is measured using a field survey in which respondents are selected and interviewed based on a systematic random sampling technique. Interviews with visitors are conducted at major tourist sites and transport terminals in Macao. Around 1,150 interviews are conducted quarterly. The TSI is an index comprised of the average responses to three questions: Overall satisfaction, performance compared with expectations and with ideal performance with results transformed and reported on a scale ranging from 0- to 100-points. The higher the score on the index, the higher the level of satisfaction. The overall TSI is the average of all ten sectoral TSIs.

For more information 

Please contact Ms. Virginia Hong or Ms. Wendy Tang of ITRC at itrc@ift.edu.mo.

IFT Tourism Research Centre (ITRC) is announcing today the results of two studies related to the new smoking ordinance. The first study, conducted by Ms. Wendy Tang and Mr. Patrick Lo, research staff members of the Centre, was a two-phase survey to collect opinions and perceptions on the smoking ordinance and its effects. The second study explored the key psychological factors affecting the smoking behavior of visitors. Results of the second study present several communication strategies that need better implementation. The second study and was conducted by IFT academics Mr. Samson Leong and Dr. Cindia Lam. (Short bios of Mr. Leong and Dr. Lam below.)

Interested parties can download the full announcement as well as the supplementary document.

About the researchers

Dr. Cindia Lam is Assistant Professor at IFT. Her research interests range from tourist behavior, service quality management and quality of life, among others. Dr. Lam is also a member of the research team (IFT) on the study of transforming Macao into a Livable and Leisure City.

Mr. Samson Leong is Lecturer at IFT teaching Economics. His research Interests include tourist behavior and labor productivity in the service sector.

Download the full announcement.

This was the core message delivered by Professor Greg Richards from University of Tilburg in the Netherlands who delivered a public seminar “Tourism, Culture and Creativity” at IFT on 24 April 2012 before a diverse audience made up of members of government agencies, professionals, scholars, students and local residents.

Download the full announcement.

Download the full announcement.

In general, the length of stay for overall visitors was the same as Q2 2011.  More visitors took a same day trip to Macao (36%) when compared with to the same period in 2010 (10% increase) while there is a drop of 6 percent of visitors staying over 3 days (5%).  Comparatively, higher percentage of non-FIT stayed 2 days or more (97%) than FIT visitors (60%) and first time visitors stayed longer than repeat visitors with 2.99 and 2.27 days in average respectively. Visitors from Taiwan, China stayed the longest (average 3.43 days) which overtook visitors from other Asian countries (average 3.07 days), and the shortest length of stay is visitors from Hong Kong (average 1.17 days) which is the same as previous quarters. Visitors came for pleasure purpose (average 2.52 days) stayed longer than past few quarters.

Results of Q3 2011 show that shopping (24%) ranked first for main purposes of visiting Macao, the same as past quarters, followed by visiting attractions (19%) which overtook cuisine (18%) as the second main purpose of visit. The results also show that more visitors came for pleasure purpose in Q3 2011 (4 percent increase compared to the previous quarter). Regarding tourism activities taken by visitors while they stayed in Macao, there is an upward trend of visiting world heritage sites since Q4 2009, but the trend of attending MICE business and attending shows, concerts and special events fluctuates throughout the quarters. It appears that the special events, such as fireworks festival, MIF held in Q3 did not make any impact on visitors’ trip planning to Macao.

Full reports

More details for trip characteristics of each major source market can be read in the full quarterly report, which are available for download here. 

About the VPS

The VPS is an ongoing project of the International Tourism Research Centre of IFT designed to inform and monitor the trend in Macao Visitor Profile and their overall perception of their visit to Macao. Reports are issued quarterly with special supplemental analysis conducted on an ad hoc basis.

For more info

Please contact Ms. Wendy Tang of ITRC at itrc@ift.edu.mo. We welcome questions and inquiries.

About 30 delegates from the hospitality and retail industries and government officials attended the seminar.

Download the full announcement.

Download the full announcement.

2011 Q1 Results

The latest update of the Macao Tourist Satisfaction Index (MTSI) showed a considerable decline in Q1 2011, to 66.1 out of a highest 100. This overall figure is much lower than the 73.7 recorded in the last quarter of 2010 (the highest level of satisfaction thus far recorded by the MTSI) and is also lower than the previous record low of 69.2 registered in Q4 2009.

This seemingly breaks a favorable trend observed throughout 2010 when all four quarterly MTSIs recorded were above 70. Notable however is that virtually ALL ten sectors which altogether make up the overall tourist satisfaction index for Macao, recorded declines in their own sectoral TSIs for Q1 2011, suggesting that the entire industry experienced considerable pressure during this period.

Of the ten sectors covered by the MTSI, satisfaction most declined with services related to immigration, retail shops, transportation, tour guides and tour operators. Even non-heritage attractions of Macao, which recorded good TSI throughout 2010, showed lukewarm overall performance. Only the heritage sector remained a satisfying sector for visitors in Macao during Q1. Readers must note that although some sectors shown above seem on average to be performing poorly, different sectors contribute in varying degrees of importance toward the overall satisfaction of visitors. Thus, a sector may perform on average very well or very poorly relative to others but this must be considered together with whether or not the sector is important to visitors or not. A combined chart showing this can be obtained in the full quarterly report.

Though further analysis is required, it is notable that the significant decline in MTSI for Q1 coincided with recent record visitor arrivals, increases in the Tourist Price Index as recently announced by the Statistics and Census Service and possible trend of increasing hotel demand.

Full reports

More details for each sector can be read in the full quarterly report, which are emailed to subscribers of the MTSI study. If you wish to receive future MTSI updates reports by email, please register your interest here.

About the MTSI

The MTSI is a long-term project of the International Tourism Research Centre of IFT designed to inform and monitor significant changes in Macao’s tourism industry and their impact on overall visitor satisfaction. Reports are issued quarterly with special supplemental analysis conducted on an ad hoc basis.

For more info

Please contact Ms. Wendy Tang of ITRC at itrc@ift.edu.mo. We welcome questions and inquiries.

It was mostly work and no play for more than 20 senior executives of Macao’s MICE industry as they grappled with a novel environmental management framework introduced by Dr. Julie Whitfield of Bournemouth University and Dr. Don Dioko of IFT.

More than 20 executives and high officials of Macao’s MICE industry attended the GREENER VENUE Knowledge Transfer Seminar held Monday, 13 September 2010, at IFT’s Taipa Campus. The GREENER VENUE is a novel environmental management framework for conference venues operated by hotels, educational institutions, as part of visitor attractions or as purpose-built facilities. The management framework is being developed by Dr. Julie Whitfield of Bournemouth University, U.K, and Dr. Leonardo (Don) Dioko of IFT.

The Knowledge Transfer Seminar was held in order to share recent data collected by Drs. Whitfield and Dioko in the U.K. showing important findings highlighting how venue size and type influence the degree to which organizations adhered to sound environmental management principles. The seminar also saw all participants measuring and “plotting” how their own organizations stood up to the framework, and giving an inkling of how the entire MICE industry in Macao performs as a whole. (Surprisingly, preliminary data from the seminar shows the industry stacking up well to environmental standards.) Participating organizations in the seminar included executives and officials from:

•  The City of Dreams
•  The Venetian
•  The Macao Tower
•  Wynn Resort
•  Altira
•  DAFOO Facilities Management Co., Ltd.
•  The University of Macao
•  Macao Tower Convention & Entertainment Centre
•  The Shun Tak Group

The GREENER VENUE research is being conducted jointly by Bournemouth University and IFT in recognition of the huge impact conference venues and the MICE industry will have not only on tourism but also on the environment of host destinations. Data is now being collected in Macao, Hong Kong and across cities in Mainland China to compare findings with the U.K. data.

For more information, on the Center for Events and Sports Research, Bournemouth University, click here. For more info on the GREENER Venue research, please click here. For inquiries as to how conference venue managers and operators can participate in this research project, please contact Ms. Wendy Tang via email at itrc@ift.edu.mo.

 

With pilot surveys for the Macao Tourism Satisfaction Index (MTSI) having been completed in the last two quarters of 2009 and followed by more thorough survey procedures conducted during the first two quarter periods in 2010, results of a full-year’s worth of data (summarized quarterly) was unveiled during a press conference on Wednesday, September 22, 2010.

Download the full announcement.

The Industry Briefing Session on the “Macao Human Resource Monitoring Survey” held by the IFT Tourism Research Centre (ITRC), will take place between 17:00-18:30 on Wednesday, 5th November 2014 at IFT’s Pousada Conference Room.

The Macao Human Resource Monitoring Survey (MHRM) regularly measures job satisfaction levels, attitudes, and opinions of Macao’s general labor force, with particular focus on those working in the hospitality, gaming and tourism industry. During the briefing session, we will be announcing the Macao’s job satisfaction level in 2012 & 2013; discussing how work-family conflict and occupational stress affects employee’s job satisfaction and intension to stay in their organization among the tourism and hospitality industry.

Please find the programme of the briefing here. The session is free and will be conducted in English. While seats are limited, please kindly register via this link https://www.ift.edu.mo/eventreg/Default.aspx?course_no=745 on or before 30th October to confirm your participation. For any enquiry, please contact ITRC's Research Assistant, Ms. Virginia Hong (Tel: 85061253 or email itrc@ift.edu.mo).

The interview with title "Turismo em Macau e Clara Ferreira Alves" can be listened at http://portugues.tdm.com.mo/radio_new.php?ra=p3

The panelists discussed whether the FIT policy should be withdrawn as it increases the economic growth of Macau and challenges the tourism carrying capacity. A recording of the discussion can be viewed here: www.tdm.com.mo/c_video/play_video.php?id=17010

The 7^th ICSM is now calling for paper with deadline of abstract submission on 10^th May 2014. The unifying theme for the 7^th ICSM is “Managing and Delivering Services in the Asian Century” which challenges delegates to address the sea-change taking place as Asian consumers lift themselves economically, boosted by their vibrant economies – thereby changing the nature of service demand and the fundamentals of services capes.

The keynote speakers of the 7^th ICSM include Prof. Charles Martin (Editor, Jornal of Services Marketing; Professor of Marketing, W. Frank Barton School of Business, Wichita State University, U.S.A.), Prof. Richard Teare (President, GULL University; Editor, Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes; Author, International Hospitality Management), Prof. Dianne Welsh (Hayes Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship University of North Carolina Greensboro; Founder, North Carolina Entrepreneurship Center), and some more distinguished keynote speakers.

Details of registration will be announced soon in the conference website. For more information about the 7^th ICSM, please visit www.ift.edu.mo/icsm-7.

The DBM Conference Series has provided a stimulating environment for practitioners, educators and researchers to discuss and debate the leading edge of research and practice in place and destination marketing and branding management since 2005. The first three DBM conferences were held in Macao. Last December 2012, DBM-IV was hosted to great success by Cardiff Metropolitan University.

DBM-V is now calling for papers with deadline for abstract submission on 3^rd May 2014. The overall theme for DBM-V is “Building Enduring Place Brands” which draws upon the myriad challenges many destinations and communities now face in a moment-obsessed, social-media savvy world and where originality and lasting authenticity of place brands becomes increasingly difficult to achieve.

Details of registration will be announced soon in the conference website. For more information about DBM-V, please visit www.ift.edu.mo/dbm-v.

The theme of this year’s meeting is “Tourism and Retail Shopping — Practical and theoretical research insights from Macao and the UK,” which recognises the increasing convergence between tourism and retail shopping as leisure activities. During the conference, which will be conducted through a live-video feed between Macao and Bournemouth, speakers from IFT and BU will be discussing their latest research insights on the conference theme and address audience questions.

We particulary welcome the attendance of colleagues from industry, academia, as well as students and the general public. Should there be any enquiry, please  feel free to contact Ms. Virginia Hong or Ms. Wendy Tang by emailing to itrc@ift.edu.mo

The aim of the research is to examine the relationships of institutional students’ attitudes toward, perceived benefits, and supports of casino gaming development in Macao and Singapore. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is used to identify and quantify the relationships among all these attitudes variables. In this seminar, the speaker will share his experiences on how this mathematical method can be used for researchers.

The seminar is free of charge and will be conducted in English. You may register on or before 5 November at the following hyperlink https://www.ift.edu.mo/eventreg/Default.aspx?course_no=744 

For any enquiry, please contact ITRC’s research assistant Ms. Virginia Hong (Tel: 85061253 or email: itrc@ift.edu.mo).

Prof. Levent Altinay and Dr. Maureen Brookes from Oxford Brookes University, U.K. and Dr. Ruth Yeung from Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao SAR are the keynote speakers of seminar. The issues of successful growth strategies for SME with examples from the UK and other countries, government policy and support, technology and innovation by SMEs will be discussed.

The seminar is free of charge and will be conducted in English with simultaneous Cantonese interpretation. You may register on or before 25 November at the following hyperlink  https://www.ift.edu.mo/eventreg/Default.aspx?course_no=743

For any enquiry, please contact ITRC’s research assistant Ms. Virginia Hong (Tel: 85061253 or email: itrc@ift.edu.mo).

Limited number of parking lot is available. Please kindly contact us in advance for reservation.

ICTM@2014 is now calling for papers until 15 November 2013, aiming to invite researchers, scholars and practitioners to present research articles, and provide a high-level international forum to discuss recent advances, new techniques and applications in the field of Travel and Tourism.

For more details, please visit http://www.skylineuniversity.ac.ae/research/ictm/index.html

For more photos and captures of the Conference, please visit ITRC facebook.

For more details of the event, please visit http://shop.brookes.ac.uk/browse/extra_info.asp?compid=1&modid=2&prodid=81&deptid=27&catid=34

Heritage and Tourism: An Unholy Alliance?

Date: Thursday, 21 March 2013

Time: 17:00 - 20:30

Venue: I-Building, IFT Main Campus

The International Conference on Events will be held during 3 to 5 July in Bournemouth University, U.K. this year!

For more information and updates, please visit the following sites.

Website http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/tourism/news-and-events/events/conferences/ice2013.html

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/events/308222849298490

IFT as one of the co-organizers of the International Conference on Events which will be held during 3 to 5 July 2013 in Bournemouth University in the UK, would like to remind you the deadline for abstract submission for the conference is 31 January 2013. See you there!

For more information and updates, please visit the following sites.

Website http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/tourism/news-and-events/events/conferences/ice2013.html

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/events/308222849298490

For more information and updates, please visit the following sites.

Website http://www.customerservice.dusit.ac.th/icttl

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/International-Conference-on-Tourism-Transport-and-Logistics-2013/429635863738452

As the DBM-IV Conference this December 5-7 draws closer, we feature the key partners and movers of the DBM Conference Series, of which ITRC-IFT is a founding member. We share info regarding the renowned Welsh Centre for Tourism Research, host of this year's meeting. WCTR is headed by Prof. Annette Pritchard, who, together with Prof. Nigel Morgan are among the leading lights of contemporary destination branding and marketing practice and theory.

For more information, please visit below site:

http://www3.uwic.ac.uk/english/cardiff-school-of-management/research/welsh-centre-for-tourism-research/pages/home.aspx

Together, the panelists discussed how the multiple-entry visa policy would no doubt increase the number of tourists visiting Macao and the key questions that need to be addressed. These include: What economic effects will the new policy bring in the long-run? At the same time, as Macao aims to establish as a world centre of tourism and leisure, should Macao be more concerned for quantity or quality in terms of tourism? How would it affect the residents’ quality of life? A recording of the discussion can be viewed here: http://new.tdm.com.mo/c_video/play_video.php?id=12629

We regret to inform the general public that the research seminar on “Assessing the Impacts of the Macau 2012 Smoking Ordinance” which was originally scheduled to take place this coming Friday, 14 September 2012 at 11:00am, will no longer take place. In lieu of the public seminar, ITRC will instead release and publish the findings of the two featured studies in the afternoon of Friday, 14 September 2012. The release and associated reports will also be made available for download from the ITRC website www.ift.edu.mo/itrc.

We would like to bring your attention to upcoming events and announcements of results of the various studies conducted by ITRC on the Centre’s website which can be accessed at www.ift.edu.mo/itrc and by subscription to our regular newsletters.

Thank you for your support!

IFT Tourism Research Centre

12 September 2012

Date: Friday, 14 September 2012

Time: 11:00 - 11:45

Venue: Conference Room, Pousada de Mong-Há, IFT

The Third International Video Conference of Bournemouth University, U.K. & Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao in 2012:

Labour Issues in Tourism Economies

Date: Tuesday, 20 March 2012

Time: 16:00 - 18:10

Venue: Room I104, Inspiration Building, IFT

Date: Friday, 2 December 2011

Time: 10:00 - 11:00

Venue: Conference Room, Pousada de Mong-Há, IFT

Want to know how to develop a successful franchise partnership? Then our seminar is for you!

A two-year research collaboration between ITRC and Oxford Brookes University, U.K. on identifying the key factors in stimulating and maintaining successful international franchise partnerships.

We welcome friends from the hospitality and retail industries, and interested parties to attend the seminar!

Date: Friday, 21 October 2011

Venue: Conference Room, Pousada de Mong-Há, IFT

Latest results of the Macao Tourist Satisfaction Index (MTSI) and MAcao Visitor Profile Study (VPS) will be announced at the press conference.

Motorsports Research

Date: Thursday, 31 March 2011

Time: 14:45 - 19:00

Venue: Garden View Conference Room, IFT

Date: Wednesday, 22 September 2010

Venue: IFT

With pilot surveys for the Macao Tourism Satisfaction Index (MTSI) having been completed in the last two quarters of 2009 and followed by more thorough survey procedures conducted during the first two quarter periods in 2010, results of a full-year’s worth of data (summarized quarterly) will be unveiled at our press conference on Wednesday, September 22, 2010.