MGTO organizes seminar on Crisis Management

Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) held a “Crisis Management for the Macau Tourism Industry” seminar on February 7-8. Mr. Bert van Walbeek, expert on Crisis Management has been invited to be the guest speaker of the seminar. This seminar is targeted to leaders of tourism enterprises, tourism stakeholders, MGTO officials and related personnel. Jointly organized by MGTO and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Macau Chapter, the seminar aims to advise tourism stakeholders to be more sensitive to risks and crisis, while at the same time, strengthen their skills on crisis management, so as to reduce the damages caused by hazards. MGTO Director, João Manuel Costa Antunes, during his welcome speech pointed out that while “Macau’s tourism industry is rapidly growing, it is necessary to safeguard the industry against risks and crisis, therefore the need to set up contingency plans. This time, we specially invited Mr. Bert van Walbeek as guest speaker of the seminar. I believe his expertise will provide professional advice for the Macau tourism industry.” The four sessions on Day One include “Shock and Threats to the Tourism Industry”, “Responsibilities and Leadership”, “the 4 Phases of Crisis Management” and “Media and Information Management”, as well as a brainstorming session and suggestions on how to initiate discussions on Risk & Crisis Management. Day Two sessions “Destination Marketing: Safety First” and “Developing the Destination Plan for Risk & Crisis Management in Tourism” are tailor made for MGTO officials. Mr. Bert van Walbeek’s expertise with Crisis Management started with the First Gulf Crisis. He was a member of the PATA Bali Task Force in 2002 and afterwards, completed two manuals on Crisis Management: “Expect the unexpected” and “Do or Die”. These experiences culminated in the assignment by Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism to design and develop “The Road Map to the National Plan for Risk & Crisis Management in Tourism” and train the Hospitality and Tourism Industry accordingly. He has conducted seminars on Crisis Prevention and Reputation Management in Bali, Bangkok, Beijing, Colombo, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Taipei and Wuhan. The press release will be available at http://www.macautourism.gov.mo/en/emagazine/press.php