Macau Tourism Geared to Diversification Joint Effort with Hong Kong Travel Trade and Media

Director of Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), João Manuel Costa Antunes and Deputy Director, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes led the MGTO delegation to welcome 140 representatives from the Hong Kong travel trade and media at a Spring Luncheon held at the Renaissance Harbour View Hotel today. Mr. Costa Antunes expressed his gratitude to travel trade and media friends for bringing a fruitful year to Macau’s tourism industry in the Year 2005, with total visitor arrivals of 18.7 million. This achievement, which represents 12% growth over 2004, sets 2005 a record-breaking year. Hong Kong remains as the second largest source market for Macau, with 5.6 million Hong Kong residents, an 11% increase over the previous year, visiting Macau last year. MGTO has set promotion strategies for the year 2006, which aims at an all-rounded development of the tourism industry. On the cultural aspect, the “Historic Centre of Macau” was successfully inscribed into UNESCO’s World Heritage List in July 2005 with the tremendous support of the Central Government. To celebrate this achievement and also to strengthen Macau’s appeal as a “City of Culture”, MGTO has set 2006 as “Macau World Heritage Year”. MGTO will continue to engage the theme “Macau a world of difference, the difference is Macau” with the focus on the “Historic Centre of Macau” to promote Macau tourism in 2006. Besides, Macau has proven to the world its potential to be a metropolis capable of organizing international events, by successfully hosting the 4th East Asian Games, 2005 Macau International Kart Grand Prix, the 52nd Macau Grand Prix and many other events last year. In addition, MGTO will further develop Macau as a MICE and business travel destination. The successful hosting of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Annual Conference in April 2005 has significantly raised Macau’s profile in the MICE industry. In the year 2006, MGTO will continue to exercise its strength in the area, and is preparing for the“United Nations World Tourism.Organization Ministerial Round Table Meeting” and the “44th Meeting of the Commission for East Asia and the Pacific and the 48th Meeting of the Commission for South Asia”. To pave way for upcoming MICE business, the MICE Research and Information Centre will be opened this April to provide the latest information and support to interested parties. Since the initiation of the Pan-Pearl River Delta (PPRD) Regional Cooperation in 2004, Macau has been actively working on overall tourism cooperation with the participating provinces and cities. Recently, a growing trend has been observed of Hong Kong visitors traveling to Macau via PPRD. Thus, a close cooperation with PPRD is indeed crucial to the betterment of Macau tourism. Based on the above achievements and strategies, together with a series of new development of hotels and large-scale tourism facilities, it will be optimistic for Macau to grow into one of the key destinations in the Asia Pacific region. MGTO will continue to maintain a close and collaborative relation with the travel trade and media in Hong Kong to promote Macau tourism in the years to come.