Tourism Forum focused on ties with Latin America

Tourism Forum focused on ties with Latin America

The Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF) will take place from October 12 to 14, aiming to address cultural tourism while establishing collaborative links with Latin American countries.
Hosted by the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture, this year’s forum is expected to facilitate an international dialogue on the theme of “One Belt One Road – Unleashing New Dynamics of Cultural Tourism.” Apart from the featured Chinese province of Zhejiang, members of the Pacific Alliance – Mexico, Peru, Chile and Colombia – will join as featured partner countries. Tourism ministers from Cambodia and South Korea will also be present.
Helena de Senna Fernandes, the Director of the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), stressed in a press conference yesterday that these Pacific Alliance countries “possess world heritage that embodies significant universal values, like Macau does. Therefore, we hope to further extend the forum’s influence by establishing strategic collaboration with these Latin American countries.”
As a prelude to the forum, Pansy Ho, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the GTEF, led a delegation of influential entrepreneurs from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau to visit the Pacific Alliance countries in early June. The delegation met with Ministers of Tourism and Ministers of Foreign Affairs from the Pacific Alliance countries and attended business networking events. This experience allowed delegates to gain insights into the regions’ investment landscapes, tourism resources and market potential, while encouraging them to share their experiences in catering to the evolving trends and consumption patterns of Chinese tourists.
“GTEF started the Chinese entrepreneurs’ business mission in 2013, aiming at extending its benefit beyond the Forum period. Today, the business mission has become a crucial element that continues to inspire exchanges and cooperation between China and other countries,” she said.
At the forum, invited tourism ministers – among them, the ministers from Cambodia and South Korea – will examine the forerunner role that tourism plays in the monumental cross-regional cooperation initiative of “One Belt One Road.” In addition, industry leaders will share their insights in special sessions such as “Understanding Chinese Consumers’ Behavior,” “Exploring the Full Dimension of Cultural Tourism – Cultural Heritage and Creative Living Culture” and ”Driving Cultural Awareness through Social Media.”
Moreover, the World Tourism Organization and the GTE Research Center will present their second Joint Annual Report on Asia Tourism Trends, which will provide an in-depth analysis of the latest developments in the continent’s tourism industry, enabling decision-makers to keep their fingers on the pulse of the market.

Pansy Ho: Full smoking ban worries all concessionaires

The Executive Director of MGM China, Pansy Ho, says the government’s push for a full smoking ban within casino premises worries all six of the gaming concessionaires, as they fear losing a big chunk of their VIP gamblers.
The administration’s intention to ban smoking on all gaming floors including the retention of smoking lounges in the VIP areas has drawn operators’ dissenting views. Ms Ho, speaking on the sidelines of the Global Tourism Economy Forum press conference yesterday, argued that retaining smoking rooms is not conflicting with the intent of protecting employees’ health, as long as the premises are equipped with good ventilation.
The government has submitted a full smoking ban proposal to the Legislative Assembly. In response, Ms Ho reiterated that smoking lounges with an independent ventilation system would be just as effective and could safeguard the interests of the industry.
“We have previously suggested that there are other measures much more effective which, not implying a total smoking ban, would have the same advantages. For example, the installation of smoking rooms with independent ventilation. That is an idea to which we are all receptive. If those rooms have high quality and independent ventilation, we think that the worker’s health concerns would cease to exist”, she said.
A survey on the smoking ban’s impact released a day before says that among the 34,000 gaming workers who responded, two out of three agreed with the retention of smoking rooms. It also suggested a considerable portion of VIP customers could seek other gaming destinations if a full smoking ban is implemented.
Commenting on the survey result, Ms Ho said the casino employees were surveyed anonymously, thus were put under no pressure when choosing  answers to the questions. “The survey has been released, that’s why we think it is what it is – the information,” she said.