Supported by China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), organized by Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and coordinated by Macau Travel Agency Association, 6th Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo (referred to as the “Expo” or “MITE”) will be held at Hall D, Cotai Expo of the Venetian Macao from 27 to 29 April. Advanced to April this year, exhibitors can seize the timing of MITE to promote their tourism products for summer vacation before the peak season arrives. Up to date, a total of 290 enterprises and entities from 36 countries and regions have confirmed their participation in 6th edition of the Expo. The event will present five key highlights to unleash Macao’s unique strengths and role as a platform, namely China-Portugal Tourism Networking, “Maritime Silk Road” Tourism & Culture Display, Greater Bay Area: Tourism Development and Opportunities Seminar, Macao “Tourism･Creative” Street as well as “Macao: City of Gastronomy” Feature Zone.
 

New highlight –“Macao: City of Gastronomy” Feature Zone
MGTO and Macau Travel Agency Association co-held a press conference today (21 March) to unveil the event program this year. MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Deputy Director Cheng Wai Tong and President of Macau Travel Agency Association, Alex Lao, attended the press conference along with others. In her address, Director Senna Fernandes indicated that following the designation of Macao as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, the city kicked off 2018 as the Macao Year of Gastronomy. In addition to showcasing the local cultural and creative industries, the Expo will feature “Macao: City of Gastronomy” Feature Zone as a new highlight to foster collaboration between the field of gastronomy and other realms. She added that the Expo will be staged earlier this year in April for exhibitors to promote their summer tourism products, with the aim to boost their business benefits. This new arrangement also establishes a difference in focus between the two major tourism industry events in Macao: an expo aimed at product buying and selling for trade and consumers with MITE in the first half of the year, and a forum aimed at high-level discussion and exchange with the Global Tourism Economy Forum in the second half of the year.
 

Five key highlights set off Macao’s advantages and attractions
Coming to its sixth edition, MITE is a major annual event for the Macao tourism community, dedicated to forging a platform that brings together delegates from the tourism and related industries near and afar to exchange perspectives, build partnerships and enjoy a common share in visitor markets. Providing a wealth of practical travel tips for travel enthusiasts, the event not only covers the six key elements of the tourism industry — dining, lodging, transportation, entertainment, sightseeing and shopping, but also gathers professionals and operators from tourism and other related sectors worldwide, including travel agencies, hotels, attractions, transportation as well as other travel-related services. The event aspires to demonstrate Macao’s capability to organize professional travel fairs and comprehensive strengths as an international travel destination, in line with the city’s vision to become a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. 
 

The Expo will continue to radiate Macao’s role as a platform in the field of tourism. A range of zones and sessions will be spotlighted at the Expo this year, in parallel with the Macao SAR Government’s participation in the national Belt and Road Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area development, as well as to highlight Macao’s advantages and what the city has to offer. The five key highlights of the Expo are as follows: 
1)    China-Portugal Tourism Networking: highlighting Macao’s role as a Sino-Portuguese platform to foster exchange and cooperation between tourism industries of the provinces and cities in the Mainland and Portuguese-speaking countries, to develop distinctive tourism products and explore business opportunities in the tourism markets of China and Portugal;
2)    “Maritime Silk Road” Tourism & Culture Display: the Display will highlight the strengths of Macao as one of the major hubs along the Maritime Silk Road and gather exhibitors from various countries and regions along the Maritime Silk Road for the opportunity to showcase their folk culture and traditions, thus manifesting the diversity of travel experiences and cultural charm along the Maritime Silk Road; 
3)    Greater Bay Area: Tourism Development and Opportunities Seminar: to explore opportunities for tourism development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area, discuss ways of cooperation among the city cluster of the Bay Area and promote regional tourism progress while emphasizing the role of Macao in cooperation across the Bay Area; 
4)    Macao “Tourism･Creative” Street: lining up local cultural and creative businesses as well as tourism souvenir stores to bring together tourism, cultural and creative elements, the Street will showcase the unique cultural palette of Macao and widen the perspectives of residents and visitors on Macao’s tourism and creative industry development; 
5)    “Macao: City of Gastronomy” Feature Zone: to enable spectators to experience Macao as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, the Zone features interactive sessions including showcase of hand-making skills, demonstration and tasting of special delicacies, as well as sharing of stories about Macao’s signature delicacies, thus promoting the city’s diverse gastronomic culture rooted from its centuries-old history of East and West cultural interchanges.
 

Macao Tourism Mascot manifests brand-new destination image
In the latter half of 2017, MGTO held the Design Contest for Macao Tourism Mascot to collect outstanding entries of tourism mascot designs which highlight the unique and fascinating dimensions of Macao as a travel destination, with the aim to bring out a brand-new positive tourism image of Macao as an international tourist city. A prize-giving ceremony for the Design Contest for Macao Tourism Mascot will be held at the Macao Pavilion of the Expo and the award-winning works of design will be on display.
 

Effective platform for delegates to explore business opportunities 
The exhibition floor of MITE is expanded to a total area of 11,000 square meters this year. Up to date, around 290 enterprises and entities from a total of 36 countries and regions have confirmed their participation in the Expo, including tourism departments, travel agencies, cultural and creative industries and catering industry which ride on the platform of MITE to explore business opportunities and forge partnerships with their regional and international counterparts.

Last year, the Expo gathered 303 exhibitors from 45 countries and regions, featuring 473 booths on a 10,000-square-meter exhibition floor. The 5th Expo admitted around 36,000 visitors and over 300 industry buyers from major visitor source markets, with 31 cooperative agreements signed in the event.
 

Free admission to the three-day Expo 
6th MITE is open to the public from 11:00 to 18:00 on 27th April and from 10:00 to 18:00 on 28th and 29th April. Free admission tickets will be distributed to the public on-site at Hall D, Cotai Expo of the Venetian Macao.

The co-organizers of the Expo this year include the Tourism Development Committee (CDT), Macao Chamber of Commerce, Macao Federation of Trade Unions, the General Union of Neighbors Association of Macau, the Women’s General Association of Macau, Association of Returned Overseas Chinese Macau, Travel Industry Council of Macau and Association of Macao Tourist Agents.

For more information about 6th MITE, please visit the official website: http://www.cmitc.com.
 

Press conference for 6th MITE

Press conference for 6th MITE

Press conference for 6th MITE

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