Germany

Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) will participate at ITB Berlin 2015 (4^th to 8^th March) to strengthen ties with their peers in the international travel community and promote the positioning of Macau as a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure.

MGTO's 63 square metre booth at ITB this year showcases the latest updates and tourism products in Macau to both increase destination awareness of Macau and to tap more overseas markets. During the exhibition, travel trade representatives from Macau, Germany and around the world will convene.

The world's leading travel trade show, the history of ITB Berlin spans more than four decades. This year, the gigantic display area of 160,000 square metres will welcome about 11,000 exhibitors from 180 countries and regions in the exhibition, which is hailed as one of the largest travel fairs in the world. Over 170,000 visitors, including 108,000 trade visitors and over 7,000 media representatives, are expected to attend.

Mainland China

MGTO will once again join the Guangzhou International Travel Fair (GITF) - hosted by the capital city of Guangdong Province from 6 ^th to 8^th March - promoting the territory through a 180 square metre booth themed 'Touching Moments - Experience Macau'. As one of the most influential B2B fairs focusing on outbound travel, inbound travel and M.I.C.E., GITF has continuously been patronised by the tourism industry since its inception 22 years ago.

The Fair is recognized as one of the very best ways of accessing the vast China market as well as a gateway to diversified international markets via Guangdong, the largest tourist-source market in China. Based on past figures, organizers forecast attendance this month by over 730 buyers and 780 exhibitors with interaction via more than 21,900 business meetings.

Malaysia

The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) - one of the major travel fairs in the country - specifically targets holidaymakers seeking international and domestic travel packages. MATTA vice-president of ground transportation Jayakumar S. Sinnadurai said this year: “We plan to have 120 different exhibitors at the Fair," adding that there would be a cap on the number of booths an individual exhibitor could register for. “This is to allow smaller players to join in the MATTA Fair. Accommodating more exhibitors will benefit both travel companies and consumers."

MGTO works closely with participating travel agents selling Macau & Pearl River Delta Region packages, and will be increasing awareness of Destination Macau during the 3-day travel fair in Kuala Lumpur (13 ^th to 15^th March), which is expected to attract 100,000 visitors and generate RM150 million in sales. Visitors who purchase Macau travel packages are entitled to redeem travel accessories at the Macau booth during the period of the travel fair.

Indonesia

MGTO Indonesia will participate in two events in the 22 ^nd TTC Travel Mart (Jakarta and Surabaya). In the capital city, Office representatives will attend the travel mart's activities at the Red Top Hotel on 16th March, while on 18th March they will further promote Macau at JW Marriot Hotel, Surabaya. TTC Travel Mart is a popular B2B event participated in by principals, NTO's and tourism industry representatives from around the world.

Later in the month, MGTO Indonesia personnel will attend the ASTINDO FAIR 2015 from 27 ^th to 29^th March at the Jakarta International Expo. The fair is one of the biggest tourist destination forums and expos in Indonesia, facilitating travel and tourism industry professionals meeting directly with consumers who wish to gain information on travelling to various tourist destinations in Indonesia and overseas.

Russia

From 18 ^th to 21^st March, MGTO Russia will participate in the 22^nd Moscow International Travel & Tourism Exhibition. MITT is Russia's largest and longest running travel and tourism exhibition, and one of the world's top five industry events, which traditionally marks the beginning of the region's Spring-Summer tourism season. It is expected to become a bold new step in promoting Macau as an attractive travel destination for Russian tourists via the MSAR's prominent destination stand. The international travel trade fair has been held in Moscow since 1994 and is considered a must-attend for tour operators, travel service providers and national tourism boards in the promotion of Russia's tourism market. The first two days of the show are dedicated to trade visitors only.

MITT's online matchmaking service provides an opportunity to pre-schedule appointments with key buyers, with each exhibitor and qualified visitor given access to an online networking platform, enabling attendees to arrange meetings before the event begins. Meanwhile, the Global Village Launch will be a dedicated exhibiting area reserved for international travel service providers to showcase their offerings.

Other Overseas Promotional Highlights

Portugal

MGTO, in conjunction with other entities, has helped organize, and will participate in, a Specialist Roadshow to be hosted by 10 Portuguese cities from 3 ^rd to 5^th March and 10^th to 13^th March, respectively. The locations of the event will extend from the north of Portugal - Porto, Torres Novas, Vila Real and Braga - to the central cities of Coimbra, Aveiro and Lisbon, to the southern centres of Évora, Setúbal and the Algarve. This initiative is a direct business platform whereby each tourism related company, including MGTO, will promote its own product destination or brand to travel agents in the above-mentioned cities.

The event comprises lunch and dinner workshops conducted in each city followed by lucky draws with prizes. Local tour operator Jade Travel will also conduct a workshop. The workshops will be held from 17 ^th to 19^th March in the southern Portuguese cities of Évora and Vilamoura. A co-operative activity between Macau Government Tourist Office and Jade Travel will present a destination and Macau packages presentation to enhance sales and promote Macau.

Taiwan

The Macau Government Tourist Office will host a luncheon for the media and a dinner for the tour industry - on the 12 ^th March at the Far Eastern Plaza Hotel in Taipei, and on the 13^th March at the Tempus Hotel in Taichung - in recognition of the island's ongoing media support and reportage on Macau tourism. The events are also designed to further encourage the Taiwan tourism industry to assist in Macau tourism-related marketing, planning and sales for a number of Macau tourism products.

MGTO will also participate in the Taichung City Government and Taiwan Tourism Bureau co-sponsored 2015 Taiwan Lantern Festival from 5 ^th to 15^th March; this year's Lantern Festival will be held in Taichung, in central Taiwan. The main lantern area will be located in Wuri High Speed Rail Special Zone, a 20-hectare venue in Taichung City spacious enough to accommodate visitors from across Taiwan and the world.

During the Festival, MGTO will display contemporary design lanterns and the territory's classic UNESCO-listed World Heritage sites such as the Cathedral, Guia Chapel and St. Dominic's Church. The Taiwan Lantern Festival, the biggest and most spectacular of its kind in Taiwan, attracts in excess of five million visitors. Using this event as a springboard for 2015, Macau Government Tourist Office will continue to improve and promote the brand image of Macau to prospective Taiwan visitors.

Malaysia

A Travel Agents Familiarization Trip to Macau (16 ^th to 19^th March) targets travel agents from Penang, Ipoh, Sabah, Sarawak and Johor Bahru. This trip has also been specifically designed with product planners in mind in order to familiarize them with various Macau package options. Part of the trip will include inspections of several 3 to 5-star hotels.

This will be followed later in the month by a Media Familiarization Trip to Macau (30 ^th March - 2^nd April) in which Malay / Muslim media and bloggers can explore Macau, promoting it as a Muslim-friendly holiday destination. During the course of the visit, MGTO will introduce the halal / pork-free dining places available in Macau in addition to the adventure activities available at Macau Tower, as it has been determined that this is the location that has attracted most Muslims in Malaysia. In addition, a tour of the local communities is planned to highlight the multiculturalism of the territory. Some 10,000 Muslims currently reside in Macau.

Hong Kong

MGTO is hosting the Hong Kong Incentive Agents Networking Meeting and Luncheon on 15 ^th March in Hong Kong. The event presents an opportunity to highlight current incentive travel products and hotel developments in Macau. Over 150 leading professionals in the incentive travel industries and Macau trade suppliers will join the event for business exchange. The ideal platform for bringing together Hong Kong incentive agents and Macau trade suppliers, MGTO seeks to create the synergy to propel Macau's strategy as a 'Rewarding Incentive Destination' beyond normal expectations.

Mainland China

MGTO launched the 'Parade for the Celebration of the Year of the Ram' and Lunar New Year activities promotion via Guangzhou Post Office's WePostBox in February, taking the opportunity to also promote the 'Step Out, Experience Macau's Communities' Walking Tour Routes scheduled for March and April. In addition, via 13,500 DIY Postcard consumer codes in the WePostBox and MGTO's WeChat platform, users can upload photos from their mobile phone and choose personalized postcards - just by inputting the consumer input code after payment link availability to get a printed postcard from Guangzhou Post Office.

Classroom Roll Call for Macau Travel Trade

MGTO has organized a training activity programme for the Macau travel trade via a workshop for retailers entitled 'Injecting Positive Energy for Excellent Customer Service', scheduled for 12^th March from 10:00am to 1:00pm / 2:30pm to 5:30pm at the Tourism Activities Centre. The activity, to be conducted in Cantonese, will adopt an interactive, action-oriented learning approach with role playing and case studies to enable participants to apply what they have learned in order to strengthen the competence and leadership of retail supervisors and managers. The programme will be conducted by talented communicator and human resources training expert Terence Wong from Hong Kong .

The activity will revolve around eight core elements; namely, (1) Macau - As if NOW analyses the rapid transformation of customer service and the market (2) Quality Customer Service - H.E.A.R.T. (Helping hands / Empathy / Appreciation / Respect / Trust ) (3) Ways to build a positive thinking and a harmonious workplace (4) Can Do Spirit - Embrace Change (5) Be a Chief Happiness Officer - from Routines to Fun Tasks (6) 5R Self Empowerment (Role / Responsibility / Reason / Result / Relationship) (7) How to handle difficult customers (8) Guidelines on how to handle complaints, promises, apologies, and follow-up service.