47th Skål congress to be held in the SAR

The Skål International Macau Club will host the 47th Skål Asia Area
Congress – themed “gastronomy tourism” at Fisherman’s Wharf from June 21 to 24.

The main highlights of the congress will include the signing of a MoU between Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and Skål International, as well as talks by industry experts, such as PATA’s CEO Mario Hardy, who will discuss “Setting the stage for Sustainable Tourism Development.”

Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes will give a talk entitled “Macau, World Center of Tourism and Leisure;” while executive director of the Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute Irene Lau will discuss “MICE in Macau”.
The event will include a panel discussion of tourism and gastronomy, moderated by Cheng Wai Tong, deputy director of the MGTO.

Speakers on the panel include deputy governor for Policy and Planning of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, and the Creative Cities Network Project coordinator of Shunde, China, for the UNESCO Creative Cities Network Project, Fang Li.
This year’s gastronomy-themed congress also sees attention placed on the
selection of menus and restaurants, with Vic’s Restaurant, Grand Coloane
Hotel and MGM Cotai among the names featured.
Delegates will also attend internal Skål Asia Area meetings, while MGTO will invite participants to embark upon tours of the city, focusing on the city’s heritage and new tourism infrastructure.

This year will be the third time the SAR has hosted the Skål Asia Area Congress, with the 1994 and 2007 editions also held in Macau.