The 21^st Session of the UNWTO General Assembly - held in Medellín, the second largest city in Colombia, from 12^th to 17^th September - convened under the theme of 'Tourism: Fostering Inclusive Development and Social Transformation'. During the Associate Members Meeting, it was confirmed that Macau would continue to participate in the 'UNWTO Committee on Statistics and Tourism Satellite Account' until 2017. Moreover, the promotional video 'Vibrant Moments Experience Macau' was awarded 'Winner of the UNWTO Tourism Video Competition for East Asia and the Pacific' at the General Assembly.

An Associate Member of UNWTO since 1981, Macau has actively and regularly participated in the Organization's meetings. This year, Deputy Director of Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), Cheng Wai Tong, attended the Opening, Regional Committee Meeting for East Asia and Pacific, UNWTO Associate Members Meeting as well as Plenary sessions and other professional dialogue sessions.

Held every two years, the UNWTO General Assembly is the most important international meeting attended by senior tourism officials and high-level representatives of the private sector from around the world. The meetings and activities this year included an opening ceremony, High-level Forum, Plenary sessions, Regional Committee Meetings for different regions, Tourism and Sustainability Committee Meeting, Tourism and Competitiveness Committee Meeting, and so forth.

The Secretary-General of UNWTO, Taleb Rifai, said that this was one of the best attended General Assemblies ever, with close to 1,000 participants - including over 72 Ministers and State Secretaries and delegations from 115 countries/regions - gracing the event.

MGTO wins UNWTO Tourism Video Competition for East Asia and the Pacific

MGTO's promotional video 'Vibrant Moments Experience Macau' was chosen as the 'Winner of the UNWTO Tourism Video Competition for East Asia and the Pacific' in the UNWTO Tourism Video Competition held during the 21^st session of the UNWTO General Assembly. Launched for the first time, the Competition seeks to recognize creative works by UNWTO Member States in the field of destination promotion. Over 50 video clips were submitted for the Competition. The judging panel assessed and chose the best promotional video among submitted works for each of the regions including East Asia and the Pacific, Africa, Europe, the Americas, South Asia as well as the Middle East. A total of seven awards were presented in the Competition including the People's Choice Award, the winner of which was voted by the general public in a poll.