MGTO signs agreement in Beijing over int’l film festival

The director of the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO), Helena de Senna Fernandes, met with representatives of the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) and industry operators in Beijing on March 5 and 6 (yesterday) and signed a memorandum of understanding to foster cultural exchange, according to MGTO.

The memorandum concerned cooperation for the International Film Festival & Awards – Macao, with the aim of fueling the tourism development in Macau “with culture as an enhancer.”

The memorandum of understanding was signed with the China International Culture Communication Center (CICCC).

The film festival is jointly organized by MGTO and the Macau Films & Television Productions and Culture Association, with the primary aim being to showcase the city through the works of international filmmakers and thereby attract more visitors to Macau.

With the next edition of the film festival to be unveiled in December, the memorandum helps to build a “platform for cultural dissemination, help propagate traditional Chinese culture across the world as well as promote Macau’s tourism growth through cultural elements,” according to Macau’s tourism authority.

Senna Fernandes also met with the director general of the Department of Affairs on Tourism of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan of the CNTA, Li Yaying, on Monday.

The two parties exchanged opinions regarding the Creative City of Gastronomy designation bestowed on the MSAR last year. They also discussed developments regarding the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Bay Area and the outlook of the regional tourism industry.

Later, at an evening banquet hosted by MGTO, Senna Fernandes remarked that following the new designation of Macau as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, the tourism authority is keen to build relationships with other member cities in the Creative Cities Network.

Furthermore, MGTO will use the gastronomy designation as a “key driver” to attract visitors from Beijing to Macau to experience the MSAR’s culinary experiences.

According to MGTO, over 350,000 Beijing residents traveled to Macau in 2017, up by 8.8 percent compared with 2016. A total of 25 flights currently run weekly between the two cities.