Macau Government Tourist Office Thank You Dinner “An Evening in Macau”

The Macau Government Tourist Office (“MGTO”) hosted a glittering “Thank You” dinner themed ‘An evening in Macau’ for some 120 travel trade related, media and tourism officials last night in Kuala Lumpur. Director of the Macau Government Tourist Office, Mr João Manuel Costa Antunes, thanked the Malaysia travel trade and media for their support and contribution in 2006 in his speech. The dinner was held to strengthen ties between the travel industry of Malaysia and Macau, facilitate exchange of information and further enhance mutual cooperation. At the dinner, guests also witnessed the official launch of MGTO’s Bahasa Malaysia website by Director of MGTO and Tunku Dato' Seri Iskandar bin Tunku Abdullah, Group President of MGTO’s Representative Office in Malaysia, Pacific World Travel Sdn Bhd. MGTO has supported the Malaysian travel industry and media to promote mono-Macau packages i under “2006 Macau World Heritage Year”. One of the initiatives by MGTO in Malaysia was to establish a group of travel agents who are keen to aggressively promote Macau as a destination in a programme named “Amigos Macau”. The travel agents who achieved excellent and outstanding results in promoting Macau as a tourist destination were awarded with certificates of appreciation. In his speech, Tunku Iskandar said, “The challenge put to them was to not only increase the numbers of Malaysian arrivals to Macau but also to increase the overnight stays as well.” Last year Macau welcomed 98,450 Malaysian visitors, a significant growth of 103.45% over 2004. January till October this year saw a 102.27% growth in arrivals from Malaysia. The evening, was filled with activities and live entertainment related to the mix of Portuguese and Chinese cultures, depicting the “old” Macau side-by-side with the modern new tourism infrastructures that have transformed the territory. Macau's heritage sites were also showcased in an exhibition, “The Historic Centre of Macau” in conjunction with '2006 Macau World Heritage Year'. “The Historic Centre of Macau” is a living representation of the city’s historic western settlement, comprising architectural legacies interwoven amongst the original urban fabric illustrating the first and most lasting encounter between China and the western world. Capitalizing on the effect of the Macau World Heritage brand and the promising future of Macau’s tourism development as various large-scale tourism facilities will soon be completed, MGTO strives to build Macau into a leading cultural tourism destination in the Asia Pacific region.