Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for cooperation in tourism with the Division of Tourism, Ministry of Tourism of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste ("East Timor") today (4 November) to strengthen their collaborative relation for mutual benefit. The officials who attended and witnessed the signing ceremony are as follow: Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macau Special Administrative Region Government, Cheong U; Minister of Tourism of East Timor, Francisco Kobualdi Lay; Minister of Trade, Industry and Environment of East Timor, António da Conceição; Secretary of State for Support and Promotion of the Private Sector of East Timor, Veneranda Lemos Martins; Secretary of State for Social Communication of East Timor, Nélio Issac Sarmento; Deputy Secretary-General of the Secretariat of China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries Economic Cooperation Forum, Marcelo D'Almeida; East-Timor Ambassador to China, Vicky Tchong; MGTO Deputy Director, Manuel Pires; MGTO Deputy Director, Cecilia Tse; and the Representative of East Timor, the Secretariat of China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries Economic Cooperation Forum, Cornélio Ferreira. Director of MGTO, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes and Director-General of the Division of Tourism, Ministry of Tourism of the Democratic Republic of East Timor, Silvino Sampaio Gonçalves signed the MOU for cooperation in tourism. Considering the friendly and collaborative relation between Macau and East Timor, both parties agreed to sign the MOU in order to begin and promote their multifaceted cooperation in tourism. For the main purpose of training talents in the tourism industry while considering its significance to the economy of Macau and East Timor, the memorandum aims at eight objectives as follow: exchange information on formulation, definition and implementation of policies in the tourism sector; share experience regarding planning, management and certification system of tourism activities; develop collaborative relations and partnership between small and medium-sized tourism enterprises of Macau and East Timor; assist the tourism sector, travel agencies and hotels in organizing promotional activities; exchange information on tourism market trends as well as other technical and statistical data; assist in establishing an incentive system for promotion of the tourism industry; tourism promotion primarily through studies on the tourism image of both destinations, promotional activities, participation in travel fairs and business forums as well as other related activities; training and skill development of technical talents in the above fields. Macau and East Timor collaborate with each other through a variety of ways including familiarization visits, information and document exchange, technical assistance, offering suggestions and training. The 4th Ministerial Conference of China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries Economic Cooperation Forum (Macau) will soon be opened in Macau. The signing of MOU for cooperation in tourism between Macau and East Timor is listed as part of the program in this year's forum.
