Tourism | MITE: Macau through the lens of gastronomy

The 6th edition of the Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo (MITE) closed yesterday after three event-filled days that, according to organizers, led 40,000 people to visit the Expo at the Cotai Expo Hall D of The Venetian Macao, marking an expected increase in comparison to the last edition.

In 2017 the exhibition gathered a total 36,000 visitors, according to organizers, which represented a year-on- year increase of 12.5 percent.
Taking the motto of “2018 Macao Year of Gastronomy,” the Macau expo area, one of the largest of the event and only surpassed by the mainland, was almost entirely dedicated to the topic, with several areas covering the different faces of gastronomy, as well as a large number of daily events with live cooking demonstrations and food tasting.

The exhibit area from the largest travel agency represented in the event was also busy, with many local residents taking advantage of the special, discounted prices offered for the event to book a trip to their favorite destinations.

In a brief talk to one of the agents, the Times learned that South Korea, Japan and Taiwan continue to top the local preferences. A member of staff from Sunflower Travel Service said, “although we are now promoting more destinations [namely in the mainland], the favorites of Macau people continue to be the traditional [South] Korea, Taiwan and Japan.”

Guangdong province was featured as one of the mainland’s most prominent provinces in the expo, although there was little elaboration from the province in terms of its touristic attractions. A representative told the Times that their objective was “to tell people that the Maritime Silk Road started from Guangdong.”

“We had a very important role for China in the silk road and we want to have also the same [importance] in the new road [Belt and Road initiative],” the representative said.

More obvious was the representation of countries like Myanmar, which through several events and music and dancing, were attracting visitors.

The country was mostly targeting visitors from the mainland and namely those from the country’s neighboring province of Yunnan, offering an easy border crossing into Myanmar for Chinese residents of the province, permitting them to drive across the border with their own cars, hassle-free.
As for other international destinations, their representation was very limited or even non- existent. Only a handful of companies – most of which were based in Hong Kong – were promoting destinations such as London or Paris, and only as wedding photography destinations.

Organized by the Macao Government Tourism Office and coordinated by the Macau Travel Agency Association, the 6th MITE qualifies as the largest edition so far, with the total exhibition floor area reaching 11,000 square meters and accommodating a total of 550 booths and 420 travel or tourism-related exhibitors from 50 countries and regions across the world.

It was also the most expensive edition, with a total budget of MOP16 million, for which the local government contributed a share of MOP9 million.

It has already been confirmed that the 7th edition of the expo will be held on similar dates in April 2019.