The Macau Food Festival was the highlight event among the promotional activities including the 2010 Travel Mart and receptions for the travel trade and media held today (13) in Seoul by the Macau Government Tourist Office to promote the tourism features of Macau. Deputy Director of MGTO, Manuel Pires led a delegation comprising 17 representatives from the Macau tourism sector to launch promotional activities in Seoul today and in Busan on April 15. Representatives from Macau’s hotels, travel agencies, airlines and MICE venues strengthened connections and discussed business opportunities with their counterparts in Seoul at the 2010 Travel Mart to further boost Macau’s tourism industry. The “Macau Food Festival” was kicked off at the MGTO-hosted dinner reception for the travel trade in Seoul tonight. The three-week long food promotion held at The Westin Chosun, Seoul features two chefs from the Westin Resort in Macau, who will present the authentic cuisines of Macau to citizens of Seoul who can get a taste of Macau from its culinary culture. Mr Pires expressed that among the appeals that Macau offers, its cuisine by itself was very much a reflection of the community’s long multicultural experience. He added that Macau was famous for its unique blend of Portuguese and Chinese cuisine, known as Macanese food, and hoped that the “Macau Food Festival”, which showcased the exquisite Macanese cuisine, would attract more Seoul citizens to visit and experience Macau. To amplify the publicity effect of the events in Korea, MGTO hosted a media luncheon on April 14 where representatives from major media in Seoul participated. Advertisements were also posted on leading tourism papers in Korea to uplift the profile of Macau as a preferred destination. The delegation will travel to Busan for another travel mart and trade luncheon on April 15, which will provide a platform for the travel trade from Macau and Busan to communicate and develop business opportunities. South Korea is the fifth largest source market of Macau. MGTO’s representative office in Korea organizes year round promotional activities to attract more visitors from Korea to the city. In the first two months of 2010, close to 58,000 visitors from South Korea visited Macau, a significant growth of 68% over the same period of last year. Currently, Air Macau operates nine flights a week between Macau and Seoul.
