Regional tourism lifts Macao

The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, said today Macao should further promote co-operation in tourism with its partners in the Pan-Pearl River Delta (PPRD) region in an attempt to craft the Special Administrative Region (SAR) into a unique regional tourist destination. Mr Ho was delivering a speech at a forum attended by the governors of the nine provinces in the PPRD region, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong SAR, and high-ranking officials in the region. He said despite successive increase in tourist arrivals in recent years, the lack of natural tourist attractions had restrained the development of Macao's mainstay industry. Developing regional tourism with the PPRD region, whose members possessed enormous natural tourism resources, would complement Macao, he said. Mr Ho said shared information and joint marketing would boost the competitiveness of the whole region's tourism industry. Macao should strengthen its uniqueness in order to integrate into the region, he said According to the 11th Five-Year Plan, the Central Government endorsed Macao's plans to develop its tourism and services industry in a bid to attain a moderately diversified economy. Mr Ho said Macao would be committed to the vertical diversification of its tourism industry, which included the integration of culture, leisure, business, retailing, sports, convention and meeting, fine food, gaming and entertainment. Moreover, Macao would spare no efforts to enhance its business environment, credibility and quality of its services. Speaking on the role of the MSAR in regional tourism co-operation, Mr Ho said Macao would welcome members of the PPRD to harness its status as a platform in tourism promotion, especially during major international events in Macao, such as the 44th Meeting of the UNWTO Commission for East Asia and the Pacific, the 48th Meeting of the UNWTO Commission for South Asia, the 2006 World Heritage Year, the 1st Lusofonia Games and the 2nd Asian Indoor Games. In addition, Mr Ho said Macao had plans to step up its promotion in various overseas markets and would welcome members of the PPRD to join in these campaigns.