The Presentation on Tourism Products from the Portuguese-speaking Countries, organised by the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and the Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao), took place at 3pm on April 26 at the Venetian Macao’s Convention and Exhibition Centre. The activity aims at promoting tourism cooperation between Mainland China, Macao and Portuguese-speaking Countries, and to facilitate the implementation in Macao of the “One Centre, One Platform” policies.

Officials attending the opening ceremony, included: the Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, Ms Xu Yingzhen; the Macao Government Tourism Office Director, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes; the Deputy Director-General of the Economic Affairs Department and Head of the Commercial Office of the Economic Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR, Ms Li Huaying; the Deputy Director of the Department of Policy Research of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macao SAR, Mr Jiang Xiaofan; the Consul-General of Angola in the Macao SAR, Ms Sofia Pegado da Silva; and the Consul-General of Portugal for Macao and Hong Kong, Mr Paulo Cunha Alves. The opening ceremony was also participated by business people, buyers from China and representatives of the Macao tourism industry, as well as by the participants of the Workshop on Tourism and the MICE Industry for Portuguese-speaking Countries.

MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, and the Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, Ms Xu Yingzhen, each delivered a speech during the presentation session. The representatives from Portuguese-speaking Countries made presentations on several topics related to tourism, in particular their respective tourism products and services, as well as the investment and business environment of their respective countries.

As cooperation in tourism is one of the focal sectors under the “Strategic Plan for Economic and Trade Co-operation” signed at the 5th Ministerial Conference of Forum Macao, the Presentation on Tourism Products from the Portuguese-speaking Countries was of significant and particular importance to highlighting Macao’s role as a Commercial and Trade Co-operation Service Platform between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries. The Presentation Session took place at the 7th Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo.

The presentation was aimed at making the most of China’s “Belt and Road” initiative and the new opportunities created by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as well as utilising Forum Macao’s multilateral mechanism and Macao’s role as a Financial Services Platform between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, in order to introduce and promote the tourism products and services to officials and business people that attended the session, as well as to engage further the representatives of the tourism industry from Mainland China, Macao and Portuguese-speaking Countries.

The presentation provided a platform for business exchanges, which are beneficial to foster closer cooperation and exchange in tourism between Mainland China, Macao and Portuguese-speaking Countries, under the implementation in Macao of the “One Centre, One Platform” policies.