Hotel Lisboa at the night

BBQ pork rice became the most popular promotional scheme in September. Nearly 50,000 bowls were given out during the promotional period ofays Sept 1 to Oct 15.

This is the latest promotional package organized by Socidade de Jogos de Macau, S.A. (SJDM), a local symbol of Macau, to confront its rivals in the competitive casino market. In recent years, many foreign-invested enterprises came to Macau. Many more hotels will be open in succession in the next few years. Therefore, many local hotels have to design more attractive promotional plans to survive in the increasingly fierce competition, and SJDM decided to resort to a traditional local dish to attract visitors.

The BBQ pork rice promotion started on Sept 1. Anyone who gets on the shuttle bus from the Ferry Terminal to Hotel Lisboa can get a BBQ pork rice coupon. In addition, each tourist can receive free chips worth HK$20. This is the promotion to draw more tourists to go to the hotel, the casino and restaurants run by SJDM. The promotion will last till Oct 15.

"I was told by a friend of mine who came to Macau last time," Mr Ma, a tourist from mainland China said. "I didn't really believe him so I came here to have a look by myself today. It's unbelievable that a company can think of this to attract more tourists."

Many people get on the shuttle bus from Hotel Lisboa to the Ferry

Gardina Harton, a tourist from Germany said, "I was interested in what was said on the coupon when I first got it. It's very exciting to get it. The BBQ pork rice is quite attractive. I haven't heard of this kind of interesting promotion anywhere else. I think it's one of the successful ways to promote."

According to Chao Zhou Restaurant, which makes the famous BBQ rice, on average, there are nearly 2,000 bowls of BBQ pork rice given out in a day. It is reported that the restaurant had ordered some 600 new bowls made of aluminum alloy which can keep the BBQ pork rice warm for a longer time.

"The promotion is quite interesting and good for tourists like me. The BBQ pork rice coupon and the $20 chips are particularly attractive to us," Mr Sun, a mainland tourist said.

The newest promotion of SJDM is the Benevolent King of Gambling Competition which was held on September 24 at Casino Mona Liza. The candidates came from Southeast Asia, mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. The price for champion was HK$1 million, the second place HK$200,000 and the third place HK$100,000. Besides, the sponsor would contribute HK$300,000 to three charitable institutions. This competition attracted many tourists from different countries even though they weren't candidates.