The Closing and Certificate Award Ceremony for the “Workshop on Tourism and the MICE Industry for Portuguese-speaking Countries”, which was organised by the Forum Macao Training Centre in collaboration with the City University of Macau, was held on October 26.

The workshop ran from October 15 to 26, 2018, and its was the fourth workshop organised by the Forum Macao Training Center this year. In total, 32 employees and managers enrolled for it. They hailed from relevant sectors from the eight Portuguese-speaking Countries, namely Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe and Timor-Leste, and received training in Macao.

During the workshop a series of activities was held, including thematic lectures to introduce cooperation themes relating to tourism; conventions and exhibitions covering China, Macao and Portuguese-speaking Countries; and the progress of the transformation of Macao into a world centre of tourism and leisure.

The workshop included visits to: the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao; the Macau Government Tourism Office; the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau; the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute; tourism facilities; and to Macao’s World Heritage sites. Participants also attended the 10th Cultural Week of China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, the 23rd edition of the Macao International Trade and Investment Fair, and the 2018 Portuguese-Speaking Countries Products and Services Exhibition (PLPEX), in addition to other activities.

Officials attending the workshop closing ceremony, included: the Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, Ms Xu Yingzhen; 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 Consul-General of Angola in the Macao SAR, Ms Sofia Pegado da Silva; the Consul-General of Mozambique in the Macao SAR, Mr Rafael Custódio Marques; the Rector of the City University of Macau, Professor Zhang Shuguang; and the Representatives of the Portuguese-speaking Countries in Forum Macao. Secretary-General Ms Xu, Rector Zhang Shuguang, and the Workshop’s Leader appointed on a rotational basis, Ms Lourdes Domingos, spoke at the closing ceremony.

Ms Xu pointed out in her speech that, through the activities of the Workshop, participants were able to learn about the development of tourism, and conventions and exhibitions in Mainland China and in Macao, in order to promote mutual understanding and offer an opportunity for exchange of experiences between China, Macao and Portuguese-speaking Countries in the sectors of tourism, and of conventions and exhibitions.

Participants were also guided about making the most of Macao’s advantages, in terms of its role as a Commercial and Trade Cooperation Service Platform between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries. They additionally learned about the city’s efforts to achieve the status of a world centre of tourism and leisure. This included the promotion of cooperation between Mainland China, Macao and Portuguese-speaking Countries, in tourism, and conventions and exhibitions, with the aim of expanding potential for economic and trade development.