20th December 2009 marks the 10th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Macau Special Administrative Region, and the Macau Government Tourist Office is exhibiting once again at London’s World Travel Market, from 9th to 12th November, to showcase the exciting developments that have taken place in Macau during the past decade and others in the pipeline, and to encourage increased tourism to the destination from the UK and around the world. Held at London’s ExCel exhibition venue, World Travel Market is one of the global events for the travel industry. Staged annually in London, WTM is a four day business to business event, showcasing destinations and travel suppliers from around the world to industry buyers and media. It is a unique opportunity for the travel trade to meet, network, negotiate and conduct business under one roof and to keep abreast of the latest developments within the industry. The 2008 show played host to an amazing 49,963 travel industry professionals from every corner of the globe. This year’s event opened on Monday 9th November and concludes on Thursday 12th November 2009. The 27m² MGTO booth is located within the Asia section and is shared by the Venetian Macao Hotel Resort and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), which is promoting the PATA Travel Mart 2010 to be held in Macau next September. Representatives for the MGTO include: Deputy Director, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Isabela A. Trabuco and Alorino Noruega, as well as representatives from MGTO’s UK representative office: Sue Whitehead, Becky Smith and Claire Winsor. On the evening of Monday 9th November, the MGTO is sponsored a PATA dinner, held at the House of Commons for travel trade and media guests. This is the fourth time that the MGTO has sponsored this prestigious event, hosted within the world famous Houses of Parliament on the banks of the River Thames. Deputy Director, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes said, “The MGTO is delighted to, once again, be involved with this fantastic event. World Travel Market is a hugely important global occasion and PATA’s annual House of Commons dinner is a ‘must’ for the cream of the travel trade. Our association with both places Macau firmly on the world map, raising the profile of our destination and further endorsing our position within the global travel community”. The MGTO is highlighting a number of exciting initiatives at WTM 2009, including a fantastic new online training programme for UK travel agents. The training scheme, named Macau Specialist, aims to enhance travel agents’ product knowledge of the destination and increase their selling power. UK agents will be encouraged to visit the stand throughout the show and try the scheme for themselves to find out what puts the wow into Macau! Visitors to WTM are also likely to see a number of MGTO branded taxis on their journeys to and from the show. The UK Representation Team has branded 50 London taxis with vibrant Macau imagery and these vehicles have been driving on routes throughout Greater London from 1st October, right through until the end of the year, ensuring fantastic exposure for Macau! On the eve of the 10th anniversary celebrations, 2009’s World Travel Market is set to be a rewarding and exciting show for Macau, showcasing the best of the destination on a truly global platform!
