• MGTO Director Senna Fernandes pays a courtesy visit to Li Yaying, Director General of the Department of Affairs on Tourism of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan of the former CNTA
  • MGTO and CICCC ink IFFAM Memorandum of Understanding
  • Beijing’s industry stakeholders enjoy an evening banquet hosted by MGTO
  • MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes meets representatives of the Beijing media

MGTO visits Former CNTA, Signs MoU with China International Culture Communication Centre

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The Director of Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, the Head of Destination Marketing Department of MGTO, Betty Fok, and others met with the former China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) - now the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China (MTC) - plus industry operators and media in Beijing on 5th and 6th March for an exchange of opinions regarding tourism projects of both cities.

Furthermore, MGTO signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding co-operation on the International Film Festival & Awards.Macao (IFFAM) with China International Culture Communication Centre (CICCC) in order to foster cultural exchange and fuel tourism development in Macao with culture the enhancer.

Macao and Beijing exchange opinions on tourism

The MGTO Director paid a courtesy visit to the former CNTA on the morning of 5th March, where she was welcomed by Li Yaying, the Director General of the Department of Affairs on Tourism of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan of CNTA. The two parties exchanged opinions regarding the Creative City of Gastronomy, development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area and the outlook of the tourism industry.

Following the courtesy visit, MGTO Director Senna Fernandes met with representatives of several mainstream media of Beijing in the afternoon to invite their in-depth coverage on Macao's tourism products and development. MGTO then hosted an evening banquet for some 20 industry stakeholders of Beijing, including leaders of various entities such as travel agency associations, travel agencies, airline companies and travel websites.

In her opening address to banquet guests, MGTO Director Senna Fernandes remarked that following the new designation of Macao as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in the last quarter of 2017, MGTO was excited to open up new channels for the city to tap into international co-operation and build sound and multilateral co-operative relationships with other member cities in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.

Celebrating 2018 as the Macao Year of Gastronomy, MGTO would promote the city's cultural profile with gastronomy the key driver as it aspired to attract visitors from Beijing to Macao for the fascinating diversity of culinary experiences offered by the UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.

MGTO and CICCC ink MoU

On 6th March, MGTO Director Senna Fernandes; Head of Destination Marketing Department of MGTO Betty Fok; representative of the Macau Films & Television Productions and Culture Association (MFTPA), the Deputy Secretary General and Chief Financial Officer of the IFFAM Organizing Committee, Lei Sou Ian; and representative of the Secretariat of the IFFAM Organizing Committee, Wong Chi Wai, visited CICCC.

During the visit, CICCC and MGTO signed a Memorandum of Understanding on co-operation regarding the International Film Festival & Awards.Macao. The three years' co-operation pact focuses on constructing a platform for propagating traditional Chinese culture worldwide, and promoting Macao tourism through cultural elements.

Having become a supporting entity of IFFAM by signing the memorandum, CICCC will recommend films produced by the Mainland to participate in IFFAM as well as TV and film celebrities starring in Mainland movies with strong influences in the market.

Throughout 2017, over 350 thousand Beijing residents travelled to Macao, rising 8.8 per cent since 2016. A total of 25 flights currently service Macao and Beijing on a weekly basis. By paying the visit to Beijing, MGTO hopes to take this opportunity to promote Macao among major industry operators and media in the capital, enhancing exchange and co-operation so that more Beijing residents will find Macao an attractive destination to visit and explore.