34 agreements signed at the Expo
Supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China, organized by Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and coordinated by Macau Travel Agency Association, the 7th Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo (referred to as the “Expo” or “MITE”) culminated in success on Sunday (28 April). The exhibition area doubled from last year to accommodate more exhibitors from a greater number of countries and regions. The three-day event drew a total of 33,944 visitors along with 318 hosted buyers and 154 industry buyers who participated in over 7,000 business matching sessions with exhibitors. 34 agreements were signed in total at MITE. Many countries, cities and tourism-related enterprises leveraged the platform to carry out their own promotions at MITE, which facilitated 29 destination promotions. The Expo will keep moving towards becoming Macao’s annual international travel fair brand, endeavoring to garner sound reputation and professional recognition to deliver more far-reaching impact internationally, in support of building Macao into a world centre of tourism and leisure.
The 7th MITE was held at Halls D-E, Cotai Expo of the Venetian Macao from 26th to 28th April. Reaching the largest scale ever since the inaugural edition, the exhibition floor occupied a doubled area of 22,000 square meters and accommodated 835 standard booths run by a total of 452 tour operators, tourism-related entities and enterprises from 54 countries and regions across Asia, Europe, the Americas, Africa and Oceania, along with tourism bodies from Japan, Thailand, Jordan, Czech Republic, Niuē and other destinations. There were 74 exhibitors from eleven cities across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and 35 exhibitors from countries and regions along the Belt and Road, while there were eight tourism bodies of Portuguese-speaking countries and 32 tourism bodies of Mainland provinces or municipalities.
34 Agreements signed
The Expo conducted a series of signing ceremonies for 34 agreements signed between enterprises from tourism and related sectors to push forward business cooperation among industry operators from Macao and other parts of the world. Assistant Director-General of Economic Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR, Xu Jun, MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes and President of Macau Travel Agency Association, Alex Lao, witnessed the signing ceremonies among other guests.
Local exhibitors boost sales performance
The Expo continues to foster partnership opportunities for industry delegates from across the world and forge a sales exhibition platform for local travel trade and residents. A total of 63 local exhibitors joined the event, including travel agency, airline, hotel, food souvenirs, cultural and creative business and telecommunication company, among others. Some exhibitors sold travel packages during the Expo to expand their business actively.
Eight Portuguese-speaking countries held Promotion Sessions of Tourism Products
MGTO and the Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao) jointly organized the "Promotion Sessions of the Tourism Products of Portuguese-Speaking Countries" on the opening day of MITE, featuring introduction of tourist spots, resources and products given by Portuguese-speaking countries including Portugal, Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe and East Timor, so as to familiarize visitors with the latest tourism products and situation of the countries concerned and strengthen tourism cooperation and exchange among various destinations.
Showcase of destination glamour from worldwide
During the three-day Expo, an array of destination promotions, tourism product presentations and performances were held to showcase the cultural and tourism landscape of various destinations among industry professionals and visitors from worldwide, including scenic spot presentation and ethnic dance and singing performance of Guizhou Province; tourism presentation of Congjiang County, Guizhou Province; scenic spot presentation of Taishan, Jiangmen Province; tourism presentation of Hainan Province; tourism presentation of Thailand, tourism presentation activity of Kumamoto Prefecture; introduction on Tochigi Prefecture; tourism presentation of Tottori Prefecture; Promotion Sessions of the Tourism Products of Portuguese-Speaking Countries; tourism presentation of the Balkan Peninsula; Russian dance performance; tourism presentation of Israel, Jordan, Turkey and Dubai; cruise along Danube River; cruise in Europe; cruise along the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River and the Worldwide Tourism Seminars, among others.
Under the close partnership between the public and private sectors as well as the support of all participating entities and collaborative partners, this edition of MITE has strengthened its role as a bridge for exchange and cooperation and created an effective platform for industry professionals from worldwide to connect and build partnerships, while bringing out the city’s unique advantages and competence to organize professional travel fairs. The organizer hopes that the Expo will forge ahead with the goal to become Macao’s annual international travel fair brand and expand tourism cooperation across sectors, fields and regions, to radiate more greater international impact and support Macao’s transformation into a world centre of tourism and leisure.
For more information about the 7th MITE, please visit the official website: www.mitexpo.mo.
