The Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and Macau Light Rapid Transit (LRT) have jointly launched a themed train, featuring Macau’s tourism mascot “Mak Mak”* (麥麥), on the Taipa Line from today through December 14.
The launch ceremony for the Mak Mak-themed LRT train was held yesterday at the LRT’s Union Hospital station (Transfer to SPV Line).
According to an MGTO statement yesterday, the first train departs from the Taipa Ferry Terminal station at 6:30 a.m. today; thereafter, departures from other stations will be arranged according to operational needs.
Both the exterior and the interior of the entire train is adorned with “Mak Mak” in multiple poses incorporating elements of Macau’s UNESCO World Heritage sites, the Creative City of Gastronomy designation, and major mega-events’ aspects, transforming the train into a “photo spot” (known in Chinese as “da ka” 打卡), the statement said.
“Da ka” is also known in English as “insta-worthy” and “photo check-in”. It has become one of the world’s most popular activities by tourists.
The train runs on the Taipa Line, which connects Macau International Airport, the Taipa Ferry Terminal, popular tourist attractions in the Cotai area, and the peninsula’s Barra Station, the statement noted, adding that the themed train will be periodically returned to the depot for routine maintenance; such arrangements will not be separately announced, and passengers are advised to take note.
MGTO Communication and External Relations Department Chief Lau Fung Chi noted in a speech that the launch of the first ‘Mak Mak Themed Train’–with the mascot featured on both the exterior and interior of the train, brings the mascot into the LRT system and extends Macau’s tourism promotion to the daily transport of our residents, adding she hopes that both residents and visitors, while riding the themed train, will get to know Macau’s diverse ‘Tourism +’ aspects through Mak Mak and discover more community-based travel experiences.
Lau noted she hopes that more organisations, brands and creators will join in leveraging the “Mak Mak” intellectual property (IP), a key vehicle for promoting Macau tourism in more diverse forms across different everyday settings, ultimately helping to establish “Mak Mak” as a representative tourism brand of Macau.
Lau added that since becoming Macau’s tourism mascot in 2018, “Mak Mak” has served as a goodwill ambassador for Macau tourism, with the aim of bringing the mascot into local communities to boost community-based tourism development.
*Created by local illustrators and graphic designer Tou Chon Wai in 2017, Mak Mak is a black-faced spoonbill, an endangered migratory wading bird, Macau being one of their four wintering sites.
Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Communication and External Relations Department Chief Lau Fung Chi (right) and Macau Light Rapid Transit Board Administrator Ng Keng Chung pose during yesterday’s launch ceremony for the Mak Mak-themed LRT train at the Light Rapid Transit’s Union Hospital station (Transfer to SPV Line). – Photos: Ida Cheong
Both the exterior and interior of the Mak Mak-themed LRT train are adorned with the mascot in various poses, alongside elements of Macau’s UNESCO World Heritage sites.
