Director Senna Fernandes and industry delegates at Macao Food Truck
Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) raised Macao’s profile at the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Travel Mart 2018 held in Langkawi, Malaysia from 12 to 14 September, featuring a Macao Food Truck to share distinctive delicacies and highlight the 2018 Macao Year of Gastronomy, besides playing host to the 2018 PATA Gold Awards Lunch and Awards Presentation today (14 September), one of the highlights of the PATA Travel Mart. Following that, MGTO Director is attending the meetings of the Executive Board, Board and Committee of the Association from 14 to 16 September.
MGTO spotlights Macao and gastronomic delights at PATA Travel Mart
MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes attended the PATA Travel Mart (PTM) 2018 and the meetings of the Association in Langkawi, Malaysia, with the Head of MGTO Communication and External Relations Department, Kathy Iong, among others. In collaboration with six businesses including travel agencies, hotels, tourism facilities and transport operators from Macao, the Office promoted the destination’s appeal among Asia-Pacific delegates and tapped into the tourism market of Malaysia.
Under the theme ‘Experience Macao Your Own Style’, MGTO’s booth showcased the city’s old and new attractions at the travel mart, besides playing a platform for industry operators from Macao to explore business opportunities with their international counterparts. From 12 to 14 September, MGTO also ran a Macao Food Truck outside the venue of PTM to distribute signature delicacies to media and industry delegates for a free and unique taste of Macao and highlight the 2018 Macao Year of Gastronomy.
PATA Travel Mart attracted over 1,400 international buyers, sellers and travel agencies from 70 countries and regions this year.
MGTO hosts PATA Gold Awards Lunch
Macao tourism enterprises harvest Gold Awards again
One of the program highlights of the annual PATA Travel Mart is the PATA Gold Awards Lunch and Awards Presentation, which was held in Langkawi today. For the 23rd consecutive year, MGTO supported the prestigious initiative as an opportunity to raise the profile of Macao as a tourism destination and contribute to sustainable tourism development across the Asia-Pacific region. Once again, this year's winners include two tourism enterprises from Macao, namely Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited and MGM China Holdings Limited, each of which was presented a Gold Award.
Melco Resorts & Entertainment secured a PATA Gold Award in the category of Marketing – Hospitality for its ‘Dinosaur Hunt’, an interactive dinosaur exhibition featured and spotlighted successfully by Studio City Macau with its marketing campaign rolled out on various platforms, comprising eye-catching and realistic 3D dinosaur displays alongside print media collaterals, videos and social media activities.
MGM China Holdings Limited harvested a Gold Award in the category of Corporate Social Responsibility with its “Making Great Moment to the Community”, a project dedicated to commitments in the areas of responsible business, social responsibility and environmental sustainability. The project also rolled out volunteer and development programs for employees and the local community to make a positive impact towards sustainable development.
This year’s winners were selected among a total of 200 entries from 87 entities by an international panel of tourism experts. A total of 4 Grand Awards and 30 Gold Awards were presented to organizations and individuals with remarkable entries in seven broad categories: Marketing Campaign, Environment, Corporate Social Responsibility, Heritage and Culture, Education and Training, Marketing Media and Travel Journalism.
MGTO Director attends PATA Executive Board and related meetings
MGTO Director’s agenda in Langkawi also includes attending the PATA Board and Executive Board meetings, along with other PATA internal meetings, scheduled for 14 to 16 September. Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes was voted by PATA Board members in May this year to serve as PATA Secretary/Treasurer, undertaking the role to oversee the administration of the Association’s financial affairs and be the Chairman of the Audit and Finance Committee. PATA Executive Board determines industry policies and positions of PATA as the governing body of the association. It is also responsible for governing the corporate affairs and operations of PATA.
Founded in 1951, PATA is a non-profit membership association dedicated to building responsible development of the Asia-Pacific travel and tourism industry, with its members comprising government, state and city tourism bodies, international airlines, airports and cruise lines, educational institutions, and travel industry companies in Asia Pacific and beyond. A PATA member since 1958, Macao successfully hosted PATA Travel Mart in 2010 and 2017 and the PATA Annual Conference in 2005.
