Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes admitted Sunday she believes that there will be some inconvenience to the public during the 8th Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Tourism Ministers Meeting (TMM) in the city next month, vowing that the government will do its best in minimise the hassles it may cause to the public.
Senna Fernandes also said that it was not “appropriate” yet to reveal which central government leader will attend the meeting and promised to tell the public “later”.
She made the remarks on the sidelines of a public event at Rotunda de Carlos da Maia in the “Three Lamps” district. She was a guest at the event aimed at promoting the uniqueness of each city district.
Asked by reporters as to what was currently being done about the upcoming meeting, Senna Fernandes said all work preparing the meeting was being carried out as planned and scheduled.
The government has said that the 8th Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Tourism Ministers Meeting (TMM) will be held on September 12-13, while the organisation’s 45th Meeting of the Tourism Working Group will be held between on September 8-11.
It’s the first time that Macau will host an APEC meeting. The Macau Dome in Cotai is the venue for the ministers meeting while the working group meeting will be held at a nearby hotel.
Unlike the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan, Macau is not an APEC member.
APEC is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim member economies – not states – that seeks to promote free trade and economic co-operation throughout the region. About a dozen economies – such as India and Guam – are seeking APEC membership.
The government says the event will cost about 75 million patacas.
Talking to reporters, Senna Fernandes said that preparations for the meeting were “going well”.
“[During the meeting] we’ll take attending guests on visits to the city’s sightseeing spots….such as some World Heritage sites,” Macau’s’ tourism chief said.
“We’ll do our best to ensure that arrangements regarding transport and security while they visit the city’s sightseeing spots are not to obtrusive,” she said.
“We’ll do our best to minimise the impact on traffic [during the meeting period]. When we take them [attending guests] to visit the city’s special sightseeing spots, of course, there will be some inconvenience to the public, but we’ll try to minimise it.
”(macaunews/macaupost)
