The 14th Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo (MITE) opened at Cotai Expo this morning, complete with destination presentations, industry forums, and workshops.
Organized by the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), this year's fair is held under the theme "Global Convergence, Future Horizons". It has attracted over 700 tourism-related enterprises and government entities from 59 countries and regions, as well as more than 600 hosted buyers, MGTO said in a statement.
Secretary for Economy and Finance Anton Tai Kin Ip said in a speech at the opening ceremony that the expo is one of Macao's largest and most recognized international tourism trade fairs, bringing together industry leaders from around the world and serving as an important platform for promoting global tourism cooperation.
He added that Macao's tourism sector has maintained steady growth this year, with visitor arrivals exceeding 10 million in the first quarter, including more than 750,000 international visitors.
During the expo, representatives from Central Asian countries, comprisinmg Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, have been invited to join a tour of Macao to raise the city's profile and visibility in Central Asia and the international tourism sector, MGTO said.
MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes noted in an interview on the sidelines of the fair that the Greater Bay Area (GBA) cities are determined to further strengthen mutual cooperation, with more multi-destination itineraries in the future. Building on the solid foundation of existing collaboration, she said, the 11-city region should further leverage its collective strengths to attract more international visitors.
The GBA consists of nine cities in Guangdong Province and the nation’s two special administrative regions – Hong Kong and Macao.
The expo concludes on Sunday.
- Xinhua, MPD
Caption: Secretary for Economy and Finance Anton Tai Kin Ip addresses this morning's opening ceremony of the 14th Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo at Cotai Expo. - Photo: GCS
