Travel sector eager to join China’s development strategy

Alex Lao

The International Travel (Industry) Expo, which will be held from this Friday until Sunday, takes advantage of Beijing’s regional strategy, as the capital seeks to expand its targeted market from professional buyers to the general public with its strengthened offerings.
The expo committee’s head, Alex Lao, who also happens to be the Macau Travel Agency Association’s chairman and a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), told journalists yesterday afternoon that the travel and cultural sector could serve as a stepping stone for the territory to join the mainland’s highly touted strategy.
“This time, we have over one hundred routes related to the ‘one belt, one road’ strategy available for citizens,” he said, “and also over 1,000 discounted travel routes.”
Alex Lao believes that the exhibition, which will be held at the Venetian Macao’s 6,500-square-meter hall, was what Macau needed to “fill the void,” given the near absence of any similar events. “It also allows citizens to better understand the latest information and products from overseas and the mainland,” said Lao.
Hailed as one of the region’s signature events, the expo hosts exhibitors from over 30 countries. The organizer aims to attract 50,000 visitors in three days.
The organizer aims to foster the development of other auxiliary industries other than hospitality and travel through the annual exhibition.
These goals come amid the government’s efforts to turn the city into a world center for leisure and other emerging opportunities, such as development in Hengqin.