Macau receives PATA’s Grand Award for Heritage

Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) was granted one of this year’s Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) “best-of-show” awards: the Grand Award for Heritage. PATA’s Grand Award for Heritage was given to MGTO for its “2006 Macau World Heritage Year” campaign “that positioned Macau as a destination offering travelers much more than entertainment and gaming”, according to the organization’s winners announcement statement. “The campaign successfully boosted the economic value of the city’s rich heritage by positioning and promoting its ‘historic centre’ as a must-see attraction”, PATA justified. MGTO’s director, João Manuel Costa Antunes, said that the award is a great honor and incentive to all MGTO’s efforts in attempting to bring more awareness to the city’s unique heritage. "The Macau Government Tourist Office is honored to receive this prestigious PATA Grand Award for Heritage for our ‘2006 Macau World Heritage Year’ campaign. The award signifies a strong recognition of MGTO’s determination and continuous effort in promoting our unique ‘Historic Centre of Macau’”, Costa Antunes said. “Macau’s living cultures and heritages will always remain as our core tourism assets, alongside other modern entertainment, leisure and business ingredients, and we look forward to sharing this unique experience with all our visitors," he added. Following the successful inscription of “The Historic Centre of Macau” on the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2005, MGTO launched the “2006 Macau World Heritage Year” campaign. Throughout the year, by means of a variety of activities organized both locally and in visitor source markets, MGTO promoted the legacy of its more than 400 years of Chinese and Portuguese cultural exchanges. The winners of this leading travel awards program were announced Wednesday (July 25) in Bangkok. PATA attributed a total of four Grand Awards in different categories and 24 Gold Awards. The winners will be honoured at a special luncheon during the PATA Travel Mart 2007 in Bali on September 28. For more information on PATA Gold Awards please check: http://www.pata.org/patasite/index.php?id=20 This is the second time that MGTO receives the PATA Grand Award, after having been granted a Grand Award for Marketing with the 2001 “’Macau Welcomes You’ Passport Campaign”.