CNTA Chairman Li Jinzao converses with tourist police in Macao
China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) and the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government jointly held the first exchange seminar on holistic tourism and tourist police between Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao in Macao today (19 March). Representatives of various tourism entities and police authorities of Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao exchanged their perspectives on holistic tourism development as well as establishment and operation of tourist police. They also paid a site inspection to learn more about local tourism situation and on-site operation of tourist police in Macao. CNTA Chairman Li Jinzao and Chief of Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, Ip Peng Kin, attended the meeting and delivered their remarks. Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao Special Administrative Region, Yao Jian, attended the meeting as well.
As CNTA Chairman Li Jinzao expressed, the Central Government attaches great importance to tourism industry and holistic tourism development, and elaborated on the necessity to develop holistic tourism in the Mainland. He believed Macao is a tourist city that manifests openness, which can be regarded as an exemplary city implementing holistic tourism. Chairman Li especially mentioned the Macao tourist police, which have officially assumed their duties in Macao starting on 5 March, enabling an exchange of ideas and learning between tourist police and tourism market management in Mainland and Macao.
Chief of Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, Ip Peng Kin, remarked that tourism has always been one of the most important industries driving economic progress in Macao. In light of this, the tourism department of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government has been actively and progressively carrying out different tasks and projects to enhance long-term tourism development in Macao. In recent years, holistic tourism has been a model of tourism development highly regarded and promoted by the Country, while Premier Li Keqiang also clearly proposed a strong pursuit after holistic tourism development in the government work report. Through the seminar today, attendees from various parties can gain a deeper understanding of the development course of holistic tourism and the experience concerned. It will remarkably advance the development of Macao tourism industry by shedding light on its future direction in parallel with national tourism development. In addition, he believes that by launching the practice of tourist police, various tasks can be executed effectively, including crowd management and maintenance of public security and order at tourist attractions, which will remarkably contribute to Macao’s development into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure.
During the exchange session among representatives from Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes stated that regarding future development of holistic tourism, Macao lays more stress on how to optimize planning and policies on industry development, as well as how the tourism industry can benefit the society at large. In the process of formulation by MGTO, the ‘Macao Tourism Industry Development Master Plan’ has set four overall goals for Macao to attain, in order to realize the vision of becoming a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. Each overall goal includes different strategies and measures that are in parallel with the development course of holistic tourism and extend the concept of holistic tourism; the final version of the Master Plan will be launched this year. MGTO will follow the overall goals set by the Master Plan to carry out different strategies and measures. On the other hand, it is a very constructive measure to set up tourist police in Macao, which will enhance public order in local tourism districts and facilitate tourism industry development. In addition, she stated in the concluding remarks that the authorities can consider leading local tourism and police departments to visit different provinces, regions and municipalities for opportunities of exchange and learning from others’ experiences. Due to the convenience brought by transportation infrastructure and the development opportunities arouse from “tourism +”, it will steer cooperation towards a deeper and wider level of development. She also expressed gratitude to CNTA as well as various tourism entities from Mainland and Hong Kong for their great support to Macao over the years.
Over 100 participants attended the seminar including representatives of the entities as follows: the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao Special Administrative Region, the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, Macao Government Tourism Office, Public Security Police Force of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, Tourism Commission of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Hong Kong Tourism Board, the Alliance of Macau Tourism Industry, Travel Industry Council of Macau, Macau Travel Agency Association, Association of Macao Tourist Agents, The Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong as well as tourism committees, tourism authorities and tourism police teams (or sub-teams) of eleven provinces, regions and municipalities. Other attendees include tourism experts from Mainland and representatives of the related departments and offices of CNTA.
On the previous day before the exchange seminar was held, CNTA Chairman Li Jinzao, accompanied by MGTO Director Senna Fernandes, paid a site inspection to the Macao Museum, Mount Fortress, the Ruins of St. Paul’s, MGTO’s Tourist Information counters as well as the Public Security Police Force Headquarters, etc. Superintendent of Public Security Police Force of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, Cheong Sio Iam, also elaborated on the operating situation of tourist police on duty at the Ruins of St. Paul’s. Officials who joined the site inspection include Head of Department of Quality Standardization and Administration of CNTA, Liu Kezhi, Director of Asia Tourism Exchange Center, Li Jianping, Deputy Head of Department of Affairs on Tourism of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan of CNTA, Ren Jiayan, and MGTO Deputy Director Cecilia Tse, among others. After the seminar, representatives of the tourism entities and police authorities of Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao also paid a site inspection to learn about local tourism development and on-site operation of tourist police in Macao.
