CE meets Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism
MACAU, September 2 - The Chief Executive, Mr Sam Hou Fai, met today with Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism, Ms Widiyanti Putri Wardhana. During the meeting, they exchanged views on deepening further tourism cooperation and exchanges between Macao and Indonesia.
On behalf of the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Government, Mr Sam first expressed his gratitude to Minister Wardhana for her efforts in promoting the resumption of visa-free entry to Indonesia for MSAR passport holders. He noted that the measure would inject fresh momentum into tourism cooperation between the two places.
The Chief Executive said Macao would further strengthen coordination between the tourism authorities and aviation sectors of both places, develop innovative tourism products, and expand visitor sources. He expressed the hope that Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism would provide strong support for these efforts. Mr Sam also urged the two sides to explore further opportunities for cooperation in the tourism sector and jointly cultivate and develop the Maritime Silk Road cultural tourism brand.
Mr Sam noted that the number of Indonesian visitors to Macao rose by 13.6 percent year-on-year in 2025, firmly establishing Indonesia as Macao’s third-largest international visitor source market. In recent years, Macao has been actively expanding its international visitor base, with a particular focus on creating a Muslim-friendly tourism environment, he added.
Through measures such as encouraging hotels, catering establishments and food producers to obtain halal certification, publishing a “Muslim Travel Guide”, and organising training programmes on hospitality for Muslim visitors, Macao has continuously enhanced its capacity to welcome visitors from Muslim communities. Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population, and the MSAR Government looks forward to welcoming more Indonesian visitors to Macao.
Mr Sam explained that the MSAR Government was actively advancing the Macao International Integrated Tourism and Cultural Zone as one of the major projects to be undertaken during the period covered by the Third Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the MSAR (2026-2030). The MSAR Government warmly welcomes the participation of Indonesian cultural and arts institutions, performing arts groups, exhibition organisers, and other relevant sectors in the development of the Zone. This could include exploring cooperation opportunities in areas such as cultural content planning and performing arts exchanges, unlocking new opportunities for cultural tourism.
During the meeting, the two sides agreed that, under the frameworks of the “Belt and Road” initiative and the China-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Dialogue Mechanism, Macao and Indonesia would continue to expand tourism cooperation and work towards implementing more concrete projects.
Also present at the meeting were: the Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia, Mr Wang Lutong; Macao’s Secretary for Economy and Finance, Ms Ng Wai Han; the Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms Chan Kak; the Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, Ms Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes; the Deputy for Resources and Institutions at the Ministry of Tourism of Indonesia, Ms Martini Mohamad Paham; and the Deputy for Marketing at the Ministry of Tourism of Indonesia, Ms Ni Made Ayu Marthini.
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