Macao, May 26 (IANS): Nearly 40,000 Indian tourists visited Macao in the first four months of this year, registering a steep hike of 67.8 percent from the last year, the Macao Government Tourist Office (MGTO) has said.

Last year, Macao received over 100,000 visitors from India, up 30 percent compared to 2008. During the first four months of this year, the figure reached nearly 40,000, with an increment of 67.8 percent over the same period of last year, the MGTO said.

In order to explore tourism market in India and South Asia, the MGTO organised mini marts in Mumbai and New Delhi, May 18 and May 20 respectively, which was attended by 145 local tourism representatives, Xinhua reported.

Some seven representatives of Macao tourism industry, including business leaders from aviation, hotels and entertainment sectors joined MGTO to promote their products and seek business opportunities in India, the MGTO said in a statement.