Tourism | Tam spearheads ‘mega promotion’ in Seoul

A “road show” showcasing local tourist attractions

The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam, led a delegation this week to organize what the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) describes as a “mega promotional event,” in South Korea.
The promotional activities, entitled “Experience Macau – Korea”, aim to boost tourism from Korea by exhibiting Macau’s offerings in the areas of culture, sports and gastronomy. This is a part of the MSAR government’s policy to attract more visitors.
Representatives from the Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, MGTO, the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the Sports Bureau and the Cultural Industries Fund are accompanying the Secretary Tam. Additionally, a number of private organizations including the airlines, ferry operators, hotels, travel agencies and media institutions have representatives participating in this trip.
Among the elements within the promotional event are the “Experience Macau – Your Own Style” road show, which will last until Monday, the “Taste of Macau: East meets West” food promotion, which will run for approximately a month, and the “Macau – Korea Travel Mart”, which takes place on an annual basis.
The road show features various miniature replicas of local monuments. The setting, according to MGTO, is intended to “exude the unique ambience of the city where East meets West.”
The event also marks MGTO’s first-ever partnership with LG Electronics to create a technology-fueled promotion for Koreans to experience Macau in an exciting and innovative way. By donning a “360 Virtual Reality headset”, visitors can virtually climb to the summit of Macau Tower for a breathtaking panoramic view, and even go virtual bungy jumping.
Additionally, Secretary Alexis Tam met yesterday with the Second Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea, Kim Chong.
At a media briefing on Monday in Seoul, Alexis Tam told reporters that he was looking forward to his visit with Kim Chong. “I hope to exchange views on the developments in our tourism and cultural industries,” he said, adding that there are obvious opportunities to boost the bilateral cooperation between Korea and Macau,” he said.
MGTO officials and travel trade representatives will also visit the southern city of Busan tomorrow for the annual Travel Mart event.
South Korea is currently the largest international visitor market for Macau. Last year the MSAR recorded over 554,000 visitor arrivals from Korea, placing the country as the fourth largest visitor-source market. According to MGTO, over the first two months of 2016, the number of overnight visitors from Korea surged 16.8 percent year-on-year.

Marreiros: ‘Portuguese culture sells’

It’s proven that Portuguese Culture sells in the good sense of the word,’ said Carlos Marreiros, in Seoul to Radio Macau.
The Macanese architect is part of a 70-member local delegation visiting South Korea. He considers that the visit is an opportunity to learn from the expertise of South Korea’s countrymen.
“It allows an exchange of ideas, but also of training schemes. Students from Macau can come here. It’s near and it’s a different reality, quite different from Hong Kong, Taiwan or Mainland China,” he said.
In this spirit of cultural exchange, Marreiros also expressed the belief that Macau has something to offer as Macau is a place where the European, namely the Portuguese culture, assumes a very important role. According to him, the territory should benefit from its history, putting aside superficial aspects and “invest more in the elements that hold deeper meaning.”