Macao will shore up its tourism, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conference and Exhibition), aviation industries amid economic downturn with a total subsidy of about 150 million patacas (US$19 million), the Macao Daily Times reported on Saturday.

Of the 150 million patacas, 50 million patacas (US$6.3 million) will be allocated to subsidize the tourism industry, 65 million patacas (US$8.2 million) to assist the MICE industry, 35 million patacas (US$4.4 million) for the aviation industry, the daily quoted Joao Manuel Costa Antunes, director of the Macao Government Tourist Office (MGTO) as saying at a meeting of the Tourism Development Committee held on Friday.

In terms of boosting tourism, Antunes said that the government will specially subsidize tour package visitors who stay in Macao over night for at least one or two days and also visit local World Heritage sites. The tourists are required to make an online registration before they get the subsidy.

The MGTO will also assign tour guides with Chinese and English language capabilities respectively at the Ruins of St. Paul and Senado Square, both of which are Macao's landmarks and World Heritage sites, to provide assistance to individual tourists.

As for the MICE industry, Antunes said the government will provide subsidy on accommodation and the renting of exhibition venues, in a bid to attract exhibitors and participants to protract the stay in Macao and boost their consumption in the SAR.

Meanwhile, the subsidy for the aviation industry will be granted to both local and non-local airlines so as to encourage them to bring more tourists to Macao, Antunes said.

In addition to subsidizing local industries, another 20 million patacas (US$2.5 million) will be allocated to rejuvenate the tourism of China's quake-stricken Sichuan Province as the SAR government has promised before, according to the daily.

(Xinhua News Agency April 26, 2009)