The Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Ho Hau Wah, plus Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam, and a Macao delegation comprising Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and over 50 business leaders from tourism, banking, trade and other industries visited the city of Phnom Phen, Cambodia, from 27^th to 31^st May, to strengthen investment and tourism ties between the two places.

During the visit, Ho Hau Wah, met with the Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Sen, and the President of the Senate of Cambodia, Say Chhum, with both sides expressing willingness to nurture exchanges.

MOU inked on tourism training

High on the agenda was a Macao - Cambodia Investment & Tourism Development Seminar on 30^th May. During the seminar, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture and the Secretary of State of Tourism of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Tith Chantha, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to co-operate in the promotion of sustainable tourism development by enhancing human capital and collaborating in the tourism education and training of Macao and Cambodia. The ceremony was witnessed by Ho Hau Wah and the Minister of Tourism of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Thong Khon.

Earlier on 12^th October 2015, the Macao SAR Government and World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Macao. The objective was to enhance co-operation between the two parties by improving the quality of human capital and increasing the competitiveness of tourism destinations (particularly in the Asia Pacific Region) in order to achieve sustainable tourism development. The Global Centre for Tourism Education and Training, soon to be inaugurated by the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT), is tasked with the responsibility of organizing training and education programmes plus other projects in collaboration with UNWTO, to achieve the objectives set forth in the Memorandum.

Following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with Cambodia, a group of 20 Cambodian heritage tour guides and four officials from the Authority for the Protection of the Site and Management of the Region of Angkor (APSARA) National Authority of Cambodia will attend a 9-day training programme from 13^th to 21^st June, offered in collaboration with UNWTO, on the topic of capacity building of tour guides for international visitors at Angkor World Heritage site, Cambodia. The training programme includes lectures, visits to the World Heritage sites of the Historic Centre of Macao, and workshops, with the objective of strengthening the professional capacity of the Cambodian heritage tour guides.

Tourism offers many opportunities for co-operation

In his speech at the seminar, attended by over 200 officials, tourism operators and businessmen from Cambodia, and over 60 from Macao, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam, highlighted that: “Tourism has brought us together. Since both Cambodia and Macao share the strength of a rich heritage and cultural offering, I see enormous room for us to work together in enabling cultural tourism to take root. Moreover, the Belt and Road Initiative opens another window of opportunity for us. Cambodia is an important member of ASEAN. The Belt and Road Initiative and the ASEAN connectivity have shared visions and convergence of interests in the region. Cambodia and Macao stand to gain from this and I believe tourism can leverage its first-mover advantage to make take it into effect."

The Secretary of State of Cambodia Ministry of Tourism, Tith Chantha, pointed out at the occasion that the country is focused on attracting more tourists, especially Chinese, saying: “in order to have a more comparative advantage and to cope with huge tourism demand in the future, we need to create and develop more attractive tourism products, services and tourism related infrastructure. Therefore, tourism investment is of key importance for the development of Cambodia, presenting opportunities for investorsas well."

During the seminar, MGTO Director, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, delivered a presentation on the work Macao has been doing to build the city into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure, while IPIM President Jackson Cheong outlined Macao's business environment, particularly the important role we are playing as the Service Platform for Commerce and Trade between China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries. The Cambodian side also presented its respective tourism resources, along with investment environment and opportunities.

On the morning of 31^st May, the MGTO Director also introduced Macao's tourism development progress at a Macao ASEAN International Chamber of Commerce-organized Business Matching and Networking Session, attended by government officials and entrepreneurs from Macao and Cambodia.