Tourism | MGTO showcases city in Dubai travel market

The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) participated in the Arabian Travel Market 2016, held in Dubai this week, to uncover the potential of the Middle East as a rising tourism market for Macau, according to a statement released by the MGTO yesterday.
The organization said that it is leveraging various platforms on the internet to promote Macau as a destination and further expand its international visitor market.
Beginning on Monday and ending today, MGTO deputy director Cecilia Tse and head of destination marketing Betty Fok represented the MSAR at the travel market in Dubai alongside delegates from Macau’s travel trade.
The tourism office has been running a 40-square meter booth introducing Macau’s tourism offerings, including products, facilities, events and festivals, under the often-repeated slogan, “Experience Macau your own style.”
The MGTO says that it regards the Middle East region as one of Macau’s tourism markets with great potential for future growth. As an annual major exhibition for the tourism industry of the Middle East and Pan-Arab region, the Arabian Travel Market presents an effective platform for the MGTO to showcase Macau as a travel destination.
According to the organizer, the exhibition has this year attracted over 2,800 exhibitors from across 87 countries and regions around the world, as well as more than 26,000 tourism professionals and buyers. MGTO has participated in the exhibition once again this year, hoping to tap into the potential of the visitor source markets.
During the evening event, the MGTO gave a presentation about what the region  offers to the tourism industry to expand visitor markets. Over 200 members of travel trade from around the world were invited to the evening reception.
“The MGTO has been dedicated to fostering the growth of international visitor markets and widening their diversity, with strenuous efforts to tap into the Middle East market as well,” read a statement from the entity. “In recent years, the office has been riding on the momentum of smart tourism development and different platforms on the internet to promote Macao to the world.”
This year, through “Travelport,” a global travel commerce platform, the MGTO is aiming to promote Macau to people and travel agencies in the Middle East, thereby opening up the possibility for more potential markets to gain knowledge of, and access to, Macau. The MGTO expressed that it wants to create greater diversity in international market segments.
Over the past few years, Macau has recorded a dramatic surge in visitor arrivals from the Middle East. Last year the number rose by 15.8 percent to over 12,000. DB