Visa survey: Food and dining is the main motivation for 80 percent of Hong Kongers traveling to Macau for short getaways

10/22/2019

• Food was picked as one of the top three reasons for traveling to Macau by 80 percent of respondents, followed by sightseeing (56 percent) and luxury hotels (50 percent)
• Visa brings a myriad of offers to Hong Kongers traveling to Macau for short getaways

A recent study¹ commissioned by Visa finds that Hong Kongers mention food and dining (80 percent), sightseeing (56 percent) and luxury hotels (50 percent) as one of the top three motivations for traveling to Macau for pleasure.

Macau remains a popular destination for many. Eighty percent of respondents are likely to consider Macau as the destination for a short getaway in the next 12 months, with two-third preferring to visit over the weekend. When asked the reason for choosing Macau, about half (51 percent) credited it to close proximity while two in five (41 percent) were driven by local promotional activities.

Known for its Portuguese-influenced cuisine, Macau attracted many Hong Kongers with its culinary offers. It came as no surprise that majority of Hong Kong travelers, 74 percent of respondents, prioritize food quality when choosing a restaurant in Macau, over food variety (56 percent) and quality of service (49 percent).

With Macau gaining an increasing popularity as a destination for weekend getaways, Visa provide cardholders with an array of value-for-money offers and privileges across a variety of dining outlets, ranging from traditional Macanese favourites to authentic Portuguese cuisine to fine dining establishments, including Zi Yat Heen, the Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel.

For the first time, Visa has collaborated with Wynn Macau and Wynn Palace to launch exclusive dining privileges, ranging from special dinner set to complimentary cocktail, tailored for the exquisite needs of Visa Infinite and Visa Signature cardholders.

The growing tendency for Hong Kongers traveling to Macau for leisure is reflected in the spending behavior of consumers. According to the recent Visa Holiday Study², Macau ranks first on percentage of total face-to-face holiday spend, followed by Japan and Taiwan. Macau also records the highest average spend per customer’s Visa account and average spend per transaction at HKD 8,638 (USD 1,101) and HKD 4,669 (USD 595) respectively, and France comes second at HKD 8,049 (USD 1,026) and HKD 1,990 (USD 254) respectively.

Visa offers do not stop at dining. There are other travel privileges for accommodation and transportation.³ For examples, Visa cardholders benefit from free return ticket for every purchase of one-way Turbojet ticket through Gray Line Tours. There is also 8 percent discount when booking at Hotels.com and pay with Visa.

*Offer highlights*
Wynn Macau - exclusive dining offers
Ristorante Il Teatro (Through Dec 31, 2019)	Enjoy one (1) complimentary pre-dinner cocktail when paying for the table with Visa Signature or Visa Infinite card
Wing Lei and Mizumi (Through Dec 31, 2019)	Exclusive Visa special dinner set menu for two (2) persons for Visa Signature or Visa Infinite cardholder
Café Esplanada (Through Dec 31, 2019)	Enjoy two (2) complimentary refill drinks per afternoon tea set when paying with Visa Signature or Visa Infinite card
Wynn Palace – exclusive dining offers
SW Steakhouse (Through Dec 31, 2019)	Enjoy one (1) complimentary pre-dinner cocktail when paying for the table with Visa Signature or Visa Infinite card
Mizumi (Through Dec 31, 2019)	Exclusive Visa special dinner set menu for two (2) persons with wine and sake pairing for Visa Signature or Visa Infinite cardholder
Fontana Buffet (Through Dec 31, 2019)	Enjoy two (2) complimentary refill drinks per afternoon tea set when paying with Visa Signature or Visa Infinite card
Other dining offers in Macau
Leon Cafe (Through Dec 31, 2019)	Enjoy 10 percent off when paying with any Visa card

Panda Portuguese Restaurant (Through Dec 31, 2019)	Enjoy 10 percent off when paying with any Visa card
Zi Yat Heen (Through Mar 24, 2020)	Enjoy a complimentary glass of Champagne when ordering the “The Black Pearl” set menu when paying with Visa Platinum card or above
Transportation and hotel booking offers
Grayline (Through Dec 31, 2019)	Purchase one-way Turbojet ticket and get a return ticket for free Economy class offer applicable to Visa Platinum or above Super class and Super Premier class – applicable to Visa Signature and Visa Infinite
Hotels.com (Bookings made by Dec 31, 2019; Stays completed by Mar 31, 2020)	Enjoy 8 percent off hotel.com bookings when paying with Visa

Terms and conditions apply to all Visa offers. For more offers and details, please visit Visa website at: https://www.visa.com.hk/en_hk/visa-offers-and-perks/

Visa brings a myriad of offers to Hong Kongers traveling to Macau for short getaways

¹1,127 respondents were interviewed during a survey conducted by YouGov commissioned by Visa.

²The Holiday Study looks at eight public holiday periods including weekends: Christmas, New Year, Chinese New Year, Easter, Hong Kong SAR Day, Buddha’s Birthday, Ching Ming, and Tuen Ng. The VisaNet data analyzed are from the period of December 2018 to June 2019.

³ Terms and conditions apply.

About Visa Inc.

Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of connected commerce on any device, and a driving force behind the dream of a cashless future for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit About Visa and @VisaNews.