The Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) collaborated with a major social media platform to host the large-scale Enchanting Macau event on Saturday and yesterday.
By inviting 200 KOLs, the two-day initiative aimed to drive traffic to Macau’s streets, boost tourism-driven economic growth, and further expand the diverse mainland Chinese tourist source market.
KOL stands for “key opinion leader”.
According to an MGTO statement, the Enchanting Macau Carnival was held at Macau Fisherman’s Wharf (澳門漁人碼頭) on Saturday. About 230 guests attended the kick-off ceremony including 200 Douyin* influencers, local KOLs and representatives of the Macau Youth Media Association, Macau Live Streaming Association, and Macau Internet Communication Association.
MGTO Director Senna Fernandes noted in a speech during the event that MGTO has in recent years invited “renowned internet influencers from near and far to fuel destination branding”. Leveraging the appeal and influence of social media influencers, MGTO has sought to draw visitors from all over the world to experience Macau.
According to the statement, the Enchanting Highlight Tour for KOLs and fans was arranged for 100 KOLs to explore different communities on the Macau peninsula, Taipa and Coloane together with their fans for two days. They visited shops and explored tourist attractions in local communities.
A KOL from the mainland who calls himself Paul on his TikTok account, told reporters covering the tour yesterday that Macau’s tourist attractions blend Chinese and Western cultural characteristics, featuring both deluxe resorts and traditional cultural sites. He also said that the “seamless” integration of diverse cultures and cuisines from around the world has created a “uniquely comfortable experience” in Macau.
Fellow mainland KOL XuanXuan, who is also a model, pointed out that she has been working for Macau’s social media industry for eight years. XuanXuan said she believed that Macau embodies a unique blend of Chinese and Western cultures, characterised by “inclusivity and openness” —qualities reflected in its culinary scene. For instance, Rua do Cunha (官也街) in Taipa packs a world of flavours along just a few dozen metres, showcasing diverse global cuisines, she said. She also expressed hope that the event will help tell Macau’s tourism story “in an engaging way”.
The statement also pointed out that the 200 KOLs collectively have over 300 million followers. The KOLs will share highlights of the event and their travel experiences in Macau through short videos, targeting younger audiences and widely promoting Macau’s image as a trendy, internet-famous city, the statement concluded.
*Douyin (抖音) is the Chinese version of the short-video sharing app TikTok, developed by the mainland Chinese company ByteDance. While TikTok is the international version of the app, Douyin operates exclusively within the Chinese mainland. “Douyin” means “vibrating sound”. – DeepSeek
Douyin KOLs pose at yesterday’s Enchanting Highlight Tour event in the sitting-out area on Rua do Pai Kok (氹仔路環排角路休憩區) in Taipa. – Photo: Armindo Neves
