As part of the fifth annual Global Tourism Economy Forum, tourism authorities in Macau have laid out plans designed to see the number of international visitors to the former Portuguese enclave increase to between four and five million a year by 2025.

According to a report from the Teledifusao De Macau television and radio broadcaster, at least 33 million vacationers are projected to visit Macau in the next nine years with 15% of these coming from abroad.

Maria Helena De Senna Fernandes, Director for the Macau Government Tourism Office, told those attending the conference held at the Studio City Macau casino resort that her office had developed a blueprint for the coming decade that would see the city of some 649,100 people reach its desired target of welcoming at least four million annual international tourists by 2025.

“This year, up until now, we have seen a 7% increase,” said Fernandes. “We will try in the future to keep up with this pace and we want to attract tourists from other parts of the world. As of now we have about three million international visitors and we want that within ten years to see if there’s a possibility for the future to grow to four or five million.”

Fernandes’ remarks came on the last day of the Global Tourism Economy Forum, which welcomed delegates from around the world to look at ways of transforming Macau into an international centre of tourism and leisure.