Secretary Alexis Tam leads Delegation on Familiarization Visit to Bay Area

The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, Alexis Tam, led a delegation in August to visit several cities in the Bay Area with the objective of gaining a profound understanding and experience of the diverse tourism elements offered by its various cities. The mission also served to enhance the sharing of strengths and resources among the Bay Area cities, enrich multi-destination travel routes and products, and push forward the work of the Tourism Federation of cities in the Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Bay Area. In addition, Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) took the opportunity to roll out a two-day Macao travel roadshow in Shenzhen, the last stop of the mission, in tandem with its new status as a Creative City of Gastronomy.

Organized by MGTO, the delegation comprised over 50 delegates from MGTO, the Sports Bureau, Tourism Development Committee (CDT) and Macau Grand Prix Organizing Committee.

Familiarization with five Guangdong cities

The delegation led by the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture visited the first two of the five cities in the mission, Guangzhou and Foshan, on 13^th and 14^th August for a profound experience of their travel itineraries, attractions and facilities.

During the mission, Secretary Alexis Tam, Chief of Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Ip Peng Kin, and MGTO Director Senna Fernandes among others, met with the Vice Governor of Guangdong Province, Ouyang Weimin, and the member of the Standing Committee of Foshan Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China and Deputy Mayor of Foshan, Liu Junwen.

Secretary Tam remarked whilst meeting with the Vice Governor of Guangdong Province, Ouyang Weimin, that the goal of the two committees participating in the delegation was to seek more opportunities for co-operation and discover the potential of Macao's tourism, culture, sport events and so forth. The objective was to further enhance Macao's specialities and advantages, intensifying co-operation in the Bay Area, and contributing to the development of the country and Guangdong Province.

Ouyang Weimin recognised that Macao's efforts in building boutique tourism had borne fruit and was a role model in holistic tourism, rich tourism facilities, training of local talent and quality of service that Guangdong can learn from. He also hoped Macao could capitalise on its advantages by integrating into and helping generate the advancement of the Bay Area.

Secretary Tam and the delegation participated in a destination presentation and networking dinner in Guangzhou on 13^th August, hosted by the Tourism Administration of Guangdong Province and Tourism Administration of Guangzhou Municipality.

In addition, MGTO Director Senna Fernandes conferred with the Director General of the Tourism Administration of Foshan Municipality, Jiang Qing, and the Deputy Director General of the Tourism Bureau of Shunde District, Ou Weizhong, as well as other officials for constructive discussions on sharing and forging ahead with the initiatives of both destinations as UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy in addition to probing new possibilities for collaboration.

Macao travel roadshow in Shenzhen

MGTO and CDT members continued the mission with a familiarisation visit to Nansha, Dongguan, Huizhou and Shenzhen from 15^th to 18^th August, highlighted by an array of destination presentations given by the respective cities to update delegates on their latest tourism trends whilst providing opportunities for industry networking.

Rolling out a Macao travel roadshow for residents and tourists in Shenzhen, the last stop of the mission, MGTO showcased the city's diversity of tourism resources, events and gastronomy in tandem with its new status as a Creative City of Gastronomy. Set up in the much frequented Garden City Centre in Nanshan District from 18^th to 19^th August, the roadshow attracted many passersby, opening their eyes to a palette of travel experiences now offered by Macao.