Sports tourism in the GBA Macau Rugby

UTM comments is a partnership between Macau News Agency and Macao University of Tourism

By Mary Eddy U and Miguel Oliveira

With the aim of being a World Center for Tourism and Leisure, Macau has successfully attracted world-class sporting events such as the International Table Tennis Federations World Cup in April 2024. Looking ahead, Macau will co-host the 15^e National Games in 2025. However, not all sporting events in Macau rely on world-class international athletes. For the love of the game, participatory sporting events are also held in Macau.

Participatory sporting events involve tournaments and games where the participants are the participants. Often family members or friends attend the event as spectators. These events provide relaxation and excitement by making you part of the action rather than just passively watching. The excitement and satisfaction are separate from the sporting ability, with entry requirements accessible to many.

In the Greater Bay Area (GBA), grassroots rugby teams for children, youth and adults are demonstrating this trend. The Macau Bats Rugby Club organizes tournaments for young people aged 5 to 18, supported by volunteer coaches and corporate sponsors. Schools in Macau develop rugby teams as an extracurricular activity, and there are active mixed adult teams for both touch and contact rugby. These activities promote healthy physical activity in a friendly and supportive environment. But they are more than just fun.

Regular tournaments send Macau players and their families through the GBA. Tournaments in Macau attract teams from Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. Grass pitches, such as the area next to the Taipa Sports Stadium, are being converted into a vibrant makeshift tournament venue. Many families make these tournaments a weekend getaway and spend money on hotels, transportation, restaurants and entertainment in Macau. Local businesses also benefit from this by setting up local product fairs and selling food and drinks at these events.

With the aim of building friendship and mutual cooperation within the GBA, Macau Bats Rugby Club participates in 6 Minis Rugby Festivals in Hong Kong every season, for players under 12 years of age. In April, Macau hosted its annual Minis Rugby Festival for players up to 10 years old. , drawing teams from Hong Kong and mainland China. It is estimated that this tournament alone, including players, relatives and friends, attracts 1,500 to 2,000 visitors to Macau. Due to the limited facilities available, Macau can only host certain age groups and can only invite six different clubs each season with one team per age group. Every year more GBA rugby clubs are showing interest in participating, so the tournament could be 2 to 3 times bigger than the current version, if larger or additional facilities were available.

The Singapore Dragons also recently visited Macau with three children's teams, which underlined the international interest. The Macau Adult Rugby Club also organizes several Touch Rugby Festivals annually, including the Lusophonia Cup, the Cotai Cup and the GBA Cup, which was won by the Shenzhen Badgers in 2024. In September 2024, Hong Kong Galaxy Touch Team visited Macau for a friendly match. As Donald Shaw of the Macau Rugby Club noted: A few good matches showed that we still have a few hills to climb with our game in Macau. For contact rugby, Macau promotes both 15 a-side and 10 a-side rugby, and recently hosted a three-way tournament with University, Hong Kong Scottish and Macau, which Macau won.

Greater support and awareness of these grassroots sporting events can increase participation, develop economic potential and enable access to more facilities for their tournaments. These types of participatory events are a promising way to encourage regional tourism, increase spending and encourage overnight stays in Macau.