A delegation of 40 tourism professionals from Hong Kong have concluded a two-day exchange visit to Macau, the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) announced yesterday.
The delegates toured around the city, “experiencing Macau’s Tourism+ elements in person,” the MGTO noted. They were shown several World Heritage sites and facilities at major resorts.
In terms of software, the delegates were introduced to Macau’s latest development directions towards tourism, meetings, incentives, convention and exhibitions, as well as commerce and trade.
The MGTO highlighted the event as the resumption of offline interactions between the tourism trades from both Special Administrative Regions (SARs).
On the second day of the group tour, the Macau government organized a lunch to welcome the delegates. They were presented with traditional Portuguese music of Fado.
At the lunch, Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong used his speech to again point out that the tourist industry in Macau had been overhauled in the past three years, but the government and the trade had managed to overcome challenges brought forward by Covid-19.
The senior official emphasized that more would be done to support a tourism revival in Macau and “open a new chapter of Macau being a World Tourism and Leisure Center.”
After the lunch, the local tourism trade joined their counterparts from Hong Kong for a 160-participants exchange forum.
At the forum, Hong Kong lawmaker Yiu Pak-leung from the tourism functional constituency highlighted the meaning of the exchange visit, describing it as “a precious opportunity for the tourism trades from both SARs to implement deeper cooperation.”
He said that tours covering both SARs have long been appealing to mainland and overseas tourists.
On the sidelines of the event, MGTO director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes reiterated the previous tourism board disclosure that the resumption of Chinese group tours is still awaiting approval from the national Culture and Tourism Ministry. She personally hoped that the resumption will occur soon.
Discussing the recent influx of tourists after nearly three years of Covid-19 restrictions, the tourism official pointed out that many mainland tourists have recently come to Macau to purchase Lunar New Year gifts. She hopes that there will be an average of 47,000 tourist arrivals per day during the Lunar New Year holiday period.
Senna Fernandes also hinted that after Lunar New Year, hotel promotions targeting Hong Kong residents may be available. She added that the tourism trades in both Macau and Hong Kong will continue working together to update tourism offerings. AL
