• This is the third time that Macao will have hosted the Skål Asia Area Congress, bringing together delegates from different branches of tourism to meet and experience the city
  • Macau Fisherman’s Wharf will be the main venue of the Congress with the programme also including visits to other tourism infrastructures and attractions

Macao to Welcome 47th Skål Asia Area Congress this Month

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The 47th Skål Asia Area Congress - to be held from 21st to 24th June in Macao - will bring delegates from multiple branches of the tourism industry from Skål clubs across Asia to congregate in and experience the city. With Macau Fisherman's Wharf Convention & Exhibition Centre the main venue of the Congress, participants will also take the opportunity to visit various tourism infrastructures and attractions of the city, while learning more about the tourism development of the destination during the Congress, which will run under the theme of Gastronomy Tourism, highlighting the recent designation of Macao as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.

The Congress includes a presentation about sustainable tourism development conducted by the CEO of Pacific Asia Travel Association, Mario Hardy, as well as insights on tourism and gastronomy with a discussion that will feature as speakers the Deputy Governor for Policy and Planning of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, and the focal point of Shunde, China, for UNESCO Creative Cities Network Project, Fang Li, moderated by Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Deputy Director Cheng Wai Tong.

MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes will introduce to participants how the territory is transforming itself into a world centre of tourism and leisure, while the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) Executive Director, Irene Lau, will present the development of the MICE sector in Macao; meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of MGM China Holdings Limited, Grant Bowie, will share his company's vision on the development of integrated resorts in the city. Delegates will also attend several internal Skål Asia Area meetings, while MGTO will invite participants to embark upon tours of Macao, focusing on the city's heritage and new tourism infrastructure.

This is the third time Macao has hosted the Skål Asia Area Congress, with the first editions held in 1994 and 2007. Established in 1979, Skål International Macau will host this year's Congress with the support of Skål International, Skål Asia Area, MGTO and IPIM. Last year's Skål Asian Area Congress was hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Headquartered in Spain, Skål International is an international organisation that brings people together from all sectors of the tourism industry. Its objective is to promote tourism and enhance business contacts whilst promoting friendship in the tourism sector. Currently, there are close to 400 Skål Clubs in over 80 countries and regions around the world supported by approximately 14000 members.

For more information about the event, please visit: www.skalmacau.org/macau-skal-congress.