Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), in co-operation with the Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao) have embarked upon this year's training programme tailored for civil servants from the tourism offices of Portuguese-speaking countries.

In May, July and September this year, two-week training sessions will be conducted in Macao for 30 government personnel from the tourism authorities of Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and East Timor. The content of the training programme includes internship in six MGTO departments, two days of workshops at the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT), along with field trips to tourism infrastructure, the city's historic and cultural heritage and other attractions of Macao.

A welcoming luncheon for the first group of trainees this year was held on 16^th May at Pousada de Mong-Há, the educational hotel of IFT. The luncheon was attended by MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, the Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao Xu Yingzhen, the President of IFT Fanny Vong, along with MGTO Deputy Director Cheng Wai Tong, the three Deputy Secretary-Generals of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, Ding Tian, Vicente Manuel and Echo Chan, and the Head of MGTO's Training and Quality Management Department, Doris Leong, among other guests.

The internship seeks to inform trainees about the daily work of MGTO as well as the overall development of Macao's tourism industry. In addition, by conducting the training programme, MGTO hopes to enhance mutual learning and exchange between Macao and Portuguese-speaking countries in the field of tourism, while assisting the involved countries in training tourism professionals, in line with Macao's goal to become a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure and a commercial and trade co-operation service platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.

MGTO signed memoranda of understanding on co-operation in tourism with Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique in 2010, with East Timor in 2013, and Angola in 2015. In addition, in 2016 the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the MSAR Government signed a protocol on co-operation in tourism with the Ministry of Economy of Portugal. Between 2012 and 2016, MGTO trained 98 government tourism personnel from Portuguese-speaking countries.