The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) will hold PATA Travel Mart 2016 in Jakarta, Indonesia from the 7 ^th to 9^th September. One of the highlights of the event will be the 2016 PATA Gold Award Luncheon and Presentation sponsored by the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) on 9^th eptember, at which 31 Gold Awards and Grand Awards will be presented. MGTO is among this year's awardees, as its 'Step Out, Macao' Mobile App has won the 2016 PATA Gold Award for 'Marketing Media – Mobile Travel Application'.

MGTO Director, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, will attend the PATA Travel Mart and the 2016 PATA Gold Awards Luncheon and Presentation in Jakarta, and hand the awards to this year's winners. In addition, Senna Fernandes, who is a PATA Executive Board member, will attend the PATA Board and Executive Board Meeting, scheduled for 9^th to 11^th September, among other events in Jakarta.

The 'Step Out, Macao' Mobile App awarded with a PATA Gold Award was upgraded by MGTO in February 2015 to include eight redesigned walking tour routes, covering Macao, Taipa and Coloane. The Mobile App can be downloaded for free from App Store or Google Play and is available in traditional and simplified Chinese, English and Portuguese providing maps of the eight walking tour routes, descriptions of the tourism spots, including the UNESCO-listed Historic Centre of Macao, schedule of cultural performances, restaurants, bus routes, Wi-Fi, public washrooms, and other useful information along the routes.

The PATA Gold Award recognizes exceptional achievements in seven broad categories: Marketing Campaign, Environment, Corporate Social Responsibility, Heritage and Culture, Education and Training, Marketing Media and Travel Journalism. This year's awards attracted 212 entries from 71 organizations and individuals worldwide, with the winners selected via a jury of tourism industry experts. This marks the 21^th consecutive year that MGTO has supported the PATA Gold Awards.

PATA Travel Mart is the Association's premier annual travel trade show, attracting over 1,000 international buyers, sellers and travel agencies from over 60 countries. The programme also includes talks and forums, along with business and networking sessions. MGTO will have a stand at PATA Travel Mart, with Macao travel trade representatives from the hotel, exhibition centre and travel agency sector joining MGTO to promote Macao, serving in the process as a platform for Macao trade to conduct business with their international counterparts and to tap into the Indonesian market.