Cheng Weidong, vice president of the Macao Government Tourist Office, delivers a speech on Macao's tourism industry in at Legendale Hotel in Beijing, China. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Macao saw more than 25.3 million visitors from the Chinese mainland in 2018, a 13.8-percent year-on-year rise, making the mainland Macao's largest source of tourists.

Cheng Weidong, vice president of the Macao Government Tourist Office (MGTO) said this at a recent event at Beijing's Legendale Hotel. The event was organized to promote the special administrative region’s delicious cuisine and cultural sites. Artists rendered some colorful performances.

In this undated photo, lotus flowers are seen at Taipa Houses-Museum in Macao. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Addressing the program, Cheng Weidong summed up the performance of the Macao SAR’s tourism industry over the years. 

The MGTO had been working closely with travel agencies and airlines from the Chinese mainland to attract more visitors, he said.

According to him, the number of those who visited Macao via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge exceeded 2.5 million as of March 31. The bridge opened on Oct 24 last year.

This undated photo shows the Ruins of the Cathedral of Saint Paul in Macao. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland, there will be lucky draws on the 20th day of each month from May to November in Macao's designated tourism information centers, where tourists can win creative cultural souvenirs.