With regional co-operation in tourism long pursued by Macau and neighbouring Guangdong Province, an agreement inked by the MSAR and Shaoguan City tourism authorities represents a timely step in Macau Government Tourist Office's bid to diversify tourist partnerships and 'package options'.

Shaoguan, a prefecture-level city in the north of Guangdong Province in the People's Republic of China is home to the mummified remains of the sixth Zen Buddhist patriarch Huineng and UNESCO natural World Heritage Site Mount Danxia. Rich in tourism resources, the city and Macau seek to enhance co-operation thus a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding agreements on the tourism sector was signed by both parties on 24^th June in Macau.

Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes and Shaoguan Tourism Bureau Director Wen Qingnian signed the MOU, while Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Alexis Tam Chon Weng witnessed the ceremony.

Shaoguan tourism head Wen Qingnian said he hoped that more Macau tourists would visit Shaoguan and that professionals from the tourism sector from both sides could enhance communication and launch collaborative training programmes.

Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes also indicated that both cities' World Heritage Sites as recognised by UNESCO could be a selling point, adding that both tourism offices would lead a joint delegation and promote the tourism of Macau and Shaoguan to Singapore and Malaysia in July.

She added that MGTO has been making an effort to maintain its sources of tourists from the Mainland as well as opening up the overseas market. In addition to a round-the-year promotional blitz, roadshows and trade events, MGTO is seeking to enhance business co-operation with overseas travel agencies and airlines. The 'One trip, multiple stops' tourism promotions involving co-operation with Mainland cities like Shaoguan and fellow SAR Hong Kong are key to Macau widening its tourism base, she indicated. This month, MGTO is joining hands with the tourism bureaus and trade representatives of five cities of Guangdong Province; namely Shaoguan, Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Zhongshan and Jiangmen, to conduct a 'Guangdong and Macau Sales Mission' in Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia on 7^th July, and in Singapore on 9^th July, for operators to meet and promote multi-destination tourism in the Pearl River Delta region.