Macau Government Tourist Office Deputy Director Manuel Pires and Head of Research and Planning Department Cheng Wai Tong participated in the 22nd Joint Meeting of the UNWTO Commission for East Asia and the Pacific and the UNWTO Commission for South Asia held in Hanoi, Vietnam. Hundreds of participants from over 20 countries/regions in Asia and the Pacific took part in the 22nd Joint Meeting of the UNWTO Commission for East Asia and the Pacific and the UNWTO Commission for South Asia jointly organized by UNWTO and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam, held May 10 to 12. Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam Hoang Tuan Anh and Secretary-General of UNWTO Taleb Rifai delivered welcome speeches at the opening ceremony. Taleb Rifai introduced the recent situation of world tourism, the work and financial status of UNWTO and emphasized the activities held in the Asia Pacific region as well as the restructure of the UNWTO secretariat. He hoped that with the restructure of the secretariat, the connection among member countries and regions would be strengthened while allowing for more prompt and flexible responses to changes in the tourism industry. Besides the general commission discussions, the joint meeting this year added a roundtable discussion and tourism conference. The roundtable discussion offered a platform for participants to share their views on the tourism performance of the Asia-Pacific region in 2009 and prospects for 2010, with a focus on the recovery of countries’ national economies and tourism industries as well as contemporary issues of interest about international tourism in general. Manuel Pires presented the tourism performance of Macau SAR in 2009 and prospects for 2010 at the roundtable discussion, highlighting the "Plan to Support Macau Tourism Industry", a series of measures launched by the Macau SAR Government to stimulate leisure tourism, business tourism and the aviation industry as a way to maintain Macau’s momentum and competitive edge as an international destination. Themed as “Tourism as a Key Driver for Socio-economic Development in Asia and the Pacific”, the tourism conference comprised two sessions namely “Tourism as an Economic Powerhouse and its Contribution to the Local Economy” and “The Positive Social Contribution of Responsible Tourism”. The meeting also arranged a technical tour to the World Heritage, Ha Long Bay for the participants.
