Tourism | 5th Travel Expo an ‘effective platform’ to seek partnerships

The 5th Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo (MITE) attracted 303 enterprises and entities from 45 countries and regions.

The three-day expo, which began last Friday, featured various exhibition zones and activities. The event covered six key elements of the tourism industry: dining, lodging, transportation, entertainment, sightseeing and shopping.

A highlight from the expo was the China – Portugal Tourism Seminar & Networking, which drew around 120 participants from the tourism industry. The seminar and networking session was launched at last year’s expo to foster cooperation and cultural exchange between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.

According to the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO), the event enhanced exchange and cooperation and showcased Macau’s advantages as a Sino-Portuguese platform.

A number of those who attended described the three-day expo as ‘an opportunity to get to know the local market’.

Among the participants was Chile-based Click Travel, which aims to work with local agencies in Macau and the south of China.

According to Click Travel’s commercial manager Marcelo Zamora, the company exchanged several business cards, which he hoped will help them reach their target market of Chinese agencies.

“We’re in the south of the world so not many Chinese people know about the country [Chile]. It’s a good opportunity for us to show the country,” he told the Times.

Zamora also noted that the MITE is an ‘effective platform’ for reaching out to mainland Chinese travelers, which studies say are the major driving force for global tourism.

Just last year, Chinese mainland tourists accounted for nearly 21 percent of global tourist consumption, which amounted to USD261 billion.

Click Travel currently expects to participate in next year’s edition of MITE, as this year’s event had exceeded their expectations.

“The expo is good because especially now, more mainlanders are going to South America. The demand is growing [and] the timing is just perfect for us,” he said.

While some are targeting mainland China, some firms are also seeking work with travel agencies elsewhere in Asia.

Romania-based agency Rome Travel was looking for possible partnerships to create new tourist packages for Asian residents. Although managing partner Eugen Andreescu admitted that there is still no clear idea how the company will achieve its aim, he implied that the expo is an efficient networking platform.

“We’re looking for possible partnerships […] to create, design and offer new tourist packages for Asian people,” he said. “We hope we can find the right partner.”

Taipa Village Destinations Ltd, a local company which promotes Taipa Village destinations, also participated in the expo, targeting international travellers.

It hosted a virtual reality (VR) experience that allowed guests to experience a village tour.

Although the company was pleased with how the expo was organized, its senior marketing manager Pamela Chan said that they may rethink joining next year’s event, as their turnout was lower than expected.

“In terms of the expo’s impact, it’s doing good because the ads are great, but we need to think about joining next year, but so far we are very happy we met with a lot of different people,” said Chan.

She added that there were more guests on the opening day than over the weekend.

MGTO director Helena de Senna Fernandes remarked on Friday that Macau is a major platform for exchange and cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.

Due to the city’s commitment to the development of China’s Belt and Road initiative, and the planning of the city cluster development in the Guangdong- Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, Macau could make an increasingly far-reaching impact as a platform and bridge.

Commenting on the upcoming introduction of direct flights between China and Portugal, the MGTO director expressed her hopes for more of such flights in future. This way, she said, Macau can develop multi-destination tourism products with other destinations in order to secure a common share in visitor markets.

The 5th MITE is supported by the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), organized by MGTO and coordinated by the Macau Travel Agency Association.