The Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo (MITE) will continue to host its activities both onsite and online this year. Following the experience of last year, and due to continuing Covid restrictions, the ninth edition of the Expo will rely even further on the online component with enhanced “Cloud Series” events, the director of the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, said yesterday in a press conference presenting the event.
In her address, Senna Fernandes noted that this year’s MITE will once again feature a “confluence of cloud virtual and physical exhibitions to connect Macau’s travel trade and related sectors with their international counterparts.”
Speaking about the enhancement of the online component, she explained that the event has extended its “Cloud B2B” period from two days last year to two full weeks this year, creating a longer period for exhibitors to encounter potential buyers.
The “Cloud Series” also has additional features such as live broadcast and the ability to formalize agreements through the “Cloud Contract-signing.” These features mitigate the disadvantages of the physical absence of many of the usual participants.
The Expo will also make virtual connections between the global travel trade with the on-site exhibition through live interaction in the “Cloud Live Promotion” session, which will also be live-streamed on MITE’s official website during the event.
Besides the added functionalities of the online component, the MITE also selected the expansion of the local tourism economy as a major highlight, dedicating a larger area to the “Macao Street” where exhibitors can promote and sell their products to attendees (a majority of which are expected to be local), including local tours, dining packages, and hotel staycations.
MITE is also doing more to promote local cuisine, with the inclusion of a Gastronomy Pavilion commensurate with UNESCO’s classification of Macau as a creative city of gastronomy.
The highlights conclude with the cultural and creative products and the continued promotion of Distinctive Shops.
For the first time, the event will be jointly organized by the Macau Travel Agency Association. During his address, Alex Lao, the president of the association, noted this fact, justifying it with a new three-party bid on event hosting including the government, the sector, and the market.
Lao also noted the growth in floor area of the Expo which now covers about 23,000 square meters and hosts around 710 booths.
The president of the Travel Agency Association also observed that several exhibitors and buyers who have already registered to participate in the exhibition anticipate its success.
According to MGTO’s deputy director Ricky Hoi, around 365 exhibitors have registered to participate including 99 local exhibitors, 243 mainland exhibitors and 23 international exhibitors. As for the buyers, there are 363 already registered, including 205 hosted buyers from the mainland and 158 online buyers from different countries around the world, including Malaysia, Tunisia and others.
Hoi noted that in coordination with several “Macau Week” events that have been recently hosted in several cities in the mainland, the MITE would continue “to promote Macau as a healthy and tourism-friendly city.”
The MITE will take place between July 9 and 11 at the Halls A and B of Cotai Expo at the Venetian Macao.
Tourism bureau expects more visitors for MITE
The organizers of the Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo (MITE) expect the number of on-site visitors to grow from last year’s exhibition, the director of the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, said.
“I hope the total number of visitors [to MITE] will increase but we still have restrictions. Last year we had around 23,000. I can say we are expecting much more,” she said, advancing an expected figure of around 30,000.
Questioned on the pandemic situation in the Guangdong province, the director said that organizers expect that the representatives from the different cities comprising the Guangdong exhibition area will still be able to come to Macau.
“We hope that Guangdong exhibitors can come but if not, we have a Plan B with local staff that will help to provide information at their booths. They have a total of 15 booths which is just 3% of the exhibition area so it won’t make a huge difference if they cannot come at all,” Senna Fernandes said, adding, “The pandemic situation is dynamic and conditions change often and quickly but we are prepared for that.”
As for visitors, she said that it is expected that these will be mostly local. RM
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