Celebrations program sees record participation of F&B establishments

The annual event of the “Month of Portugal” is having this year a record participation from restaurants and food and beverage (F&B) establishments, the Macau & Hong Kong director of the Portuguese Trade & Investment Agency (AICEP Portugal Global), Bernardo Pinho, said.

During a press conference held by the organizers yesterday morning at the Portuguese Consulate in Macau, Pinho noted that, as part of the celebration program, the third edition of the Gastronomic Itinerary – Eat and Drink the Portuguese Way will feature a record number of 29 restaurants and F&B establishments.

Pinho also noted that, among these, there are establishments of all kinds, from fine dining and restaurants located in hotels and integrated resorts, to street restaurants and other F&B establishments, such as bakeries and pastry shops, making this edition the broadest one so far.

The same AICEP official also noted that a “Participant Guidebook” will be available in both printed and digital versions, providing more information about each establishment, its concept, and approach to Portuguese cuisine. This guide aims to provide detailed information about these venues.

The same official also noted that this participation is significant, as it comes at a time when many small and medium-sized enterprises in Macau are struggling with the effects of the economic downturn.

Throughout the entire month of June, participating restaurants will offer a 10.06% discount to those participating in the gastronomic itinerary.

Additionally, in partnership with BNU Bank, participants who choose to pay with the bank’s credit cards or the BNU Pay mobile application will be automatically entered into a lucky draw, offering two airplane tickets to visit Portugal.

At the same press conference, the director of the Portuguese Institute of the Orient (IPOR), Patricia Quaresma, gave some highlights of the program of the event that includes, as usual, talks, movie screenings, musical, dancing, and theatrical shows, workshops, book launchings and exhibitions, among others.

In total, Quaresma noted that the program encompasses 32 different cultural activities spanning 25 days in June, with some of them commencing as early as the last week of May.

The same official also noted that the program was not yet fully closed, which is expected to occur this week.

She also noted the increased participation of civil society associations and groups that include a total of 14 entities.

At the same time, the Consul General of Portugal in Macau and Hong Kong, Alexandre Leitão, noted that the main goal “continues to be to disclose and promote Portugal and its culture in Macau and to all those who visit Macau.”

June 10 reception is for all Portuguese people: Consul

The Consul General, Alexandre Leitão, has said that the annual reception held at the Consul’s residence at the former Bela Vista Hotel is “for all Portuguese people,” he said, noting that every Portuguese national can take part in the event independently of having received or not an invitation card.

Leitão noted that the only issue is related to logistics, venue capacity, and safety, for which he said he will soon be calling on those interested in participating in the annual event to complete a pre-registration.

“We will ask people to do the pre-registration due to security, logistics, and flow of people because we need to know how many people we can expect,” Leitao said, noting that the reception will be starting at 6:30 p.m. on June 10. The doors of the residence will only open from 6 p.m.