The green trees are thick and shady, and the summer days are long. Summer vacation has arrived, and the popularity of tourism in Macau has continued to rise, ushering in a peak in annual passenger volume. The recently released passenger data for the first half of the year also performed well: the number of inbound tourists exceeded 19 million, an increase of 14.9% year-on-year. This indicates that, thanks to multiple pro Macau measures and leveraging its own advantages, Macau's cultural and tourism "golden calling card" has become increasingly prominent. Macau is very clean and has good humanistic care. Especially in the old town area of the peninsula, both Chinese and Western style buildings are well preserved. ”Ms. Wang, a Shanghai tourist, said that this is her second time visiting Macau and her family loves this city very much. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the successful application of the Historic Center of Macao for World Heritage. The reporter saw in front of the conference pavilion, the memorial archway of Dasanba and other core scenic spots. Although the sun is burning, the tourists are not less excited. They enjoy taking photos, purchasing letters, and "punching in" online stores. Some people are taking photos in the specially designed themed photo area for the 20th anniversary of the successful application for World Heritage status, while others are collecting seals and stamps of World Heritage buildings as special commemorative items. World Heritage sites are important tourism products that attract tourists to visit Macau, serving as the cultural core and international calling card of Macau tourism. Li Xi, Executive Vice Dean of the School of International Tourism and Management at the City University of Macau, believes that Macau continues to operate its historic urban areas as "urban cultural life forms", and its strong appeal comes from both historical depth and constantly updated experiential methods. At the end of June, the China Tourism Research Institute announced the "Top 10 Destination for Chinese Tourists' Outbound Satisfaction in 2024", with Macau taking the top spot and receiving high praise in terms of "entertainment and leisure" and "local residents' attitudes". Recently, Macau has been focusing on creating large-scale events such as concerts, sports events, festivals, and carnivals, enriching the entertainment and leisure industry, and making the development of cultural and tourism economy more diversified. In Macau, there are sometimes hot trend IP co branding events. In order to further enhance the travel experience of tourists, Macau has launched a series of popular activities in the first half of the year: partnering with mainland trendy toy brand Pop Mart, introducing multiple well-known IPs, and creating the "Roaming Macau with POP MART"; Set up "check-in" devices and themed decorations around six popular characters under the Sanrio brand in various parts of the city, as well as game booths, dance performances, and pop-up meetings. Ms. Lin, a passenger, came specifically from Guangzhou. In front of the 7-meter-high giant Labubu device, Ms. Lin held two carefully decorated Labubu dolls and kept taking photos, feeling very happy. She said she is very interested in this series of IPs. In Macau, there is a lively International Food Capital Carnival. At Fisherman's Wharf, more than 100 stalls gather world flavors from Brazil, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Iran, the Philippines, mainland China and Macao. There are also Portuguese folk dances, band performances, fancy rope skipping, street dance and various interactive programs on site, which are overwhelming. I'm lucky to have come to the food carnival this time. There was a lot to eat and play, and the itinerary was very fulfilling. ”Guangdong Zhongshan tourist Liang Jieyan specially brought her son to Macau for a one-day trip to celebrate her birthday. Children say that Macau is a very modern and bustling city. In Macau, there is a constantly updated "list of major events". Entering the second half of the year, cultural and sports events such as the Macau Open Badminton Championships, Macau International Fireworks Display, the 15th National Games, and the Macau Grand Prix will be staged one by one, accompanied by a series of concerts and year-end activities, creating a spectacular spectacle. According to expert analysis, the "tourism+" strategy in Macau is increasingly taking effect, especially in the two directions of "tourism+exhibition" and "tourism+cultural and sports", which have formed a systematic and multi-dimensional industrial linkage and played a significant driving role in the development of tourism. The performance report for the first half of the year is impressive, and how it will develop in the second half is highly anticipated. It is expected that Macau's annual tourism will achieve breakthroughs in three aspects: overall recovery, structural upgrading, and brand deepening, injecting stronger momentum into the diversified development of the economy, "said Li Xi. (New Society)