ECTAA summit aims to strengthen ties, attract more Europeans

Taking place in Macau from June 2 to June 5, the European Travel Agents’ and Tour Operators’ Associations (ECTAA) annual summit is gathering European tourism trade representatives and local travel agencies under the same roof.

According to officials, the summit aims to reinforce connections with the European travel trade and expand international visitor source markets.

At a press conference held early yesterday afternoon, the director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, said, “The ECTAA Summit brings to Macau a very significant group of the European tourism industry. We’re referring to ECTAA members, who are representatives of national-level associations from over 30 European countries.”

“Together, they represent more than 80,000 travel agencies in Europe. So the cream of the crop is here. We’re trying to establish a long-lasting relationship starting from this summit. And we’re glad to have with us in Macau the heads of the tourism associations from Europe, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Latvia, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain, as well as an international member from Malaysia, in addition to others who could not attend in person and will be joining virtually,” she added.

Senna Fernandes noted that close contacts have already been made with Romanian tourism representatives regarding an upcoming familiarization visit to Macau.

The summit includes several sessions, visits and B2B networking opportunities for delegates to meet the local travel trade, which comprises over 60 members from travel agencies, integrated resorts, hotels, airlines, convention and exhibition venues, and destination management companies.

The summit also includes visits to Hengqin attractions, scheduled for tomorrow, as well as a gala dinner co-hosted by MGTO and SJM, a partner of the event.

At the press conference, Daisy Ho, managing director of SJM Resorts, said the company was pleased to host the summit, noting, “SJM has been a steadfast partner of MGTO in its efforts to promote Macau internationally, diversify our business base, and encourage longer stays.”

Ho noted the significant growth in visitors from Europe, which “has emerged as a promising market, with visitor arrivals rising nearly 70% in 2024 and sustaining the same strong momentum this year.”

“We strongly value this opportunity for exchange to better understand how we can serve the European market and respond to its evolving needs,” Ho remarked.