Chinese and Macau officials attended a joint meeting
With a more diversified tourism planning, Macau is becoming the World Tourism City
Mr. Tam Chon Weng
Macau is going to apply for the Gourmet Capital
“Annual meeting of the “Promoting Macau to become the World Tourism City Joint Committee”
Source: Macao Daily News
Friday, 7th April, 2017
Initiating the Application of Macau as the Gourmet Capital
The goal of "Promoting Macau to become the World Tourism City Joint Committee" this year is strengthening regional cooperation between China and Macau. The idea of tourism routes of “One Journey Multiple Stops” has been confirmed. Information exchanges will be improved to crackdown the illegal actions in both tourism market and as to strengthen tourism industry management. Secretary Tam Chon Weng of the Department of Social and Cultural Affairs indicated that the application for “Gourmet Capital” has formally initiated. Macau is hoped to have another city brand.
Implement the policy benefiting Macau
Following the first meeting held at Zhuhai last year, the meeting this year was held at the StarWorld Hotel at 10am yesterday.
The meeting convener, Secretary Tam Chon Weng of the Department of Social and Cultural Affairs, Deputy director of the National Tourism Administration, Li Jianhong, deputy director of the China Tourism Commission, and the Macao Tourism Bureau, Public Security Police Force, Maritime and Water Bureau, Guangdong and Fujian tourism bureaus, the Zhuhai Municipal Government, the Hengqin New District Administrative Committee and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Authority and other officials have attended the meeting. The meeting is about implementing the Chinese policy benefiting Macau tourism policy to promote Macau as a world tourism city. Regional cooperation between China and Macau is expected to be improved and the discussion of the entry of international tourism markets.
Systematic Tourism Industry
Mr Tam stated that the Macau tourism industry is blooming with stable development. There was a slight increase in inbound travelers in faced with uncertain factors in surrounding economics. The inbound travelers number is over 30 million people, and for the first time realizing overnight tourists exceeding non-overnight travelers. For the first two months this year, inbound visitors increased by 5% over last year. The government is actively developing regional tourism and creating new local tourism attractions. What is worth mentioning is that under the support of the Ministry of Education, Macau has formally initiated “Macau applying for the UNESCO Creative Cities Network”, which is the application for “Gourmet Capital”. Under the five year plan and comprehensive tourism industry development to be completed this year, Macau tourism industry can be more systematic and standardized.
The Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge Integrating the Resources of Three Regions
The meeting was conducted in a closed door session. The joint committee secretary general, the Macao Government Tourist Office Director General Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes stated that the meeting is mainly about proposing new ideas based on original policies. These included how to implement Chinese policy benefiting Macau, providing support for Macau for international tourism promotions, the introduction of “One Journey Multiple Stops” travel routes. Macau needs to understand the new business opportunities in the Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau Bay Area and implementing the yacht visit scheme.
To cope the development strategy of "One Belt, One Road" and strengthen regional cooperation, the joint committee went to Indonesia and Malaysia for promoting the “One Journey Multiple Stops” along with officials from Guangdong, Guilin, Fujian, Hong Kong in April this year. With the Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo, World Travel Economic Forum, and Pacific Asia Travel Association Travel Exchange Meeting, Macau can act as a platform in the region. Guangdong and Fujian Province were invited to participate in the meeting. International travel agencies are encouraged to visit Guangdong and Fujian before those exhibitions. There were discussions on how to grasp business opportunities created after the Hong Kong - Zhuhai - Macao Bridge is completed to better integrate the travel resources of three regions. Macau can strengthen the power of being the regional tourism brand. The Hong-Kong and Macau yacht visit scheme can promote bilateral oceanic economic cooperation.
Crackdown any illegal actions in tourism industry
Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes stated that tourism industries in both China and Macau would not be responsible for any illegal actions in the past. The joint committee will strengthen joint tourism supervision in the coming year. A visit to Hainan will be organised. By improving information sharing, any illegal tourism actions can be discovered within short period of time. Through enhancing the management system of tourism industry, it is expected to crackdown any illegal actions.
China and Macau believes that in additional to the annual joint meeting, smaller meetings from time to time can be useful is discussing particular subjects in details and accelerating the project progress. China has invited Macau to visit and the tourism policy and information center operations in the second half of this year.
It is reported that the joint committee has been approved the State Council, established on June 2 2015 by the National Tourism Administration and the Macau Government. The objectives are to discuss the important subjects such as layer design of Macau tourism policy study and planning, coordinate regional tourism cooperation and implementation of tourism policies. This provide systematic support which can promote Macau as being the world tourism city. The bilateral tourism cooperation has entered into a new era.
