Macau celebrates “World Tourism Day”

To celebrate “World Tourism Day” today (September 27), Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) organized an exciting Tray Race and the World Tourism Day banquet. Director of MGTO, João Manuel Costa Antunes and Deputy Director Manuel Gonçalves Pires Júnior presented welcome gifts to a lucky tourist from Japan at the Macau Ferry Terminal. Yoko Michiue joined a tour to visit Macau. The traditional Tray Race was held in the afternoon, where waiters and waitresses ran down the stoned-path from the Ruins of St Paul’s to Senado Square carrying a tray with a bottle of beer on it. 122 participants from 26 hotels and restaurants in Macau took part in the race. Crowds of visitors and locals were attracted and they cheered for the participants. The winner of the men’s division was Hu You Jun from Jai Alai Cantonese Restaurant and the winner of the women’s division was Wu Shun Zhen from Jai Alai Cantonese Restaurant. The Best Costume Awards went to Wang Ying Jie of Crown Macau and Chen Bi Jun of Hotel Lisboa. In the evening, MGTO held a dinner banquet, attended by Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Dr Chui Sai On, to celebrate “World Tourism Day”. ”The theme of World Tourism Day this year is “Tourism Opens Doors for Women”. Today, women are confident, professional, with great patience and they are brave in front of challenges. In the past, women have been working hard to make the tourism industry a success, and I believe, in the future, women will play an indispensably important role in the industry,” said João Manuel Costa Antunes. A launch ceremony was held during the dinner banquet where MGTO presented a “Destination Guide” book to the Association of Traders and Operators of Commercial Vehicles (ATOCV). The Guide book is the product of collaboration between MGTO and ATOCV, providing tourism information like sightseeing, hotels, casinos, shopping, restaurants and information counters in six languages, namely Chinese, Portuguese, English, Japanese, Korean and Thai. From 1st October, all taxis in Macau will be equipped with this Guide book for tourists’ use. World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in the third session of its General Assembly in Spain (September 1979), has decided to commemorate September 27 as “World Tourism Day” each year. This is the 28th year since the celebrations commenced in 1980. The main purpose of “World Tourism Day” is to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic values. Each year, World Tourism Organization selects a different theme for “World Tourism Day”. This year’s theme is “Tourism Opens Doors for Women”. The host country for “World Tourism Day” this year is Sri Lanka and official celebrations were held on September 27. Many other countries and regions also carried out activities to celebrate the day.