MITE seeks to boost cooperation within GBA

The 8th Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo (MITE), which concluded yesterday at Cotai Expo of The Venetian Macao, focused on advancing cooperation and production development in the Greater Bay Area.
With the Covid-19 pandemic situation relatively under control in Macau, Ao Ieong U, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government, stressed earlier in the opening ceremony that the “important mission” for the SAR now is to accelerate the economic rebound of the region.
“Despite the immense challenge brought by the global Covid-19 pandemic upon Macau’s tourism industry, […] we embrace unwavering faith in stepping up to the challenges with our industry partners, jointly steering the tourism industry towards more diverse, innovative and sustainable development,” said Ao Ieong.
To this end, there will be ongoing efforts to diversify visitor source markets in the mainland and promote Macau as a safe destination in times of health crisis, she added.
The Greater Bay Area will unlock ample opportunities for Macau in terms of tourism and the ensuing economic revival, said Zhang Xu, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China.
To capitalize on this opportunity, as mentioned, the expo this year had a specific focus on advancing the cooperation and production development in the Greater Bay Area.
During the opening ceremony, it was revealed that the “Cultural and Tourism Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area” is set to be launched in a bid for cultural and tourism exchange and cooperation between the mainland and Macau.
Under the new normal era, for the first time, the three-day expo featured a blend of both physical and virtual experiences. Online platforms and sessions were arranged to enable business discussions between international prospective buyers and on-site exhibitors.
In addition, the Expo also saw the debut of the Pavilion of Macau’s “Distinctive Shops” and other highlights, such as local and mainland tour products for sale — with a view to bringing unity and confidence to local travel trade, which has been in the doldrums for a long stretch due to the pandemic.
MITE, organized by Macao Government Tourism Office, and coordinated by Macau Travel Agency Association, was designed to foster innovative cooperation and inject energy to prop up Macau’s travel trade.
Over 130 local exhibitors participated in the expo, a tally 1.2 times that of last year — with all their registration fees exempted this year to lessen financial pressure. Staff Reporter