The Macao SAR signed a co-operation agreement on tourism with Portugal on 11^th October to strengthen understanding in multiple aspects of tourism and the relationship between Macao and Portuguese Republic.

On that day, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam, and the Minister of Economy of Portugal, Manuel Caldeira Cabral, signed the 'Protocol of Co-operation in the Field of Tourism between the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Economy of the Portuguese Republic' at Government Headquarters in Macao.

The protocol signing ceremony included among its guests Deputy Commissioner of Commissioner's Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Macao Special Administrative Region Pan Yundong; representatives from Portugal; Chief of Office for Social Affairs and Culture Ip Peng Kin; Director of Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes; Deputy Directors of MGTO Tse Heng Sai and Cheng Wai Tong; while other leaders from related fields and chambers of commerce also attended the signing ceremony.

The primary objective of this Protocol is to improve co-operation in the field of tourism, to promote foreign investment, create job opportunities, promote economic development and consolidate co-operation between Macao and Portugal.

The contents of the Protocol include encouraging co-operation among tourism agencies and organisations active in the field, mutual support of the dissemination and promotion of information in tourism markets, and promoting and supporting entrepreneurialism and innovation in tourism together, plus co-operation in the training and qualification of tourism professionals in order to boost the development of the two parts of the tourism sector. MGTO and Turismo de Portugal are the entities in charge of implementing the Protocol.

The envoy of the Portuguese Republic participated in the 5^th Ministerial Conference of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries held on 11^th and 12^th October. The signing of the Protocol between the Ministry of Finance of Portugal and Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture was one of the important results of this year's Forum.

Recalling the special ties of history and culture binding Macao and Portugal, the two parties signed the 'Framework Agreement for Co-operation between the Portuguese Republic and the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China' in Macao in May 2001. Macao has also separately signed Memoranda of Understanding for Co-operation in Tourism with several Portuguese-speaking countries, namely the Republic of Cabo Verde (2010), Republic of Guinea-Bissau (2010), Republic of Mozambique (2010), Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (2013) and Republic of Angola (2015).