Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On said Sundaythat he hoped the Global Tourism Economy Forum being held in Macau for the first time will effectively promote international tourism-related exchanges and co-operation.
According to The Macau Post Daily, Chui made the comment during his speech at the three-day forum’s opening ceremony at Macau Tower, marking its inaugural meeting.
The forum is slated to be held annually from now on. Chui’s predecessor Edmund Ho Hau Wah also addressed the forum, whose secretary-general is local casino executive Pansy Ho Chiu King. While Edmund Ho is the forum’s chairman, Pansy Ho is one of its five presidents. UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Secretary General Taleb Rifai and other foreign and national dignitaries also attended the ceremony.
Chui said that he expected the forum to become a platform for tourism development, the gathering of opinions and suggestions from different perspectives for future reference.
Chui underlined his government’s commitment to develop Macau into an world-class tourism and leisure hub.
Edmund Ho said that as Macau was a bridge linking China with the rest of the world and as tourism was the city’s core industry, he expected the forum to become an important factor for the future development of Macau.
The three-day forum will start off with a host of seminars today looking at how mega events and festivals can reinforce a destination’s global footprint and how the hospitality sector attracts emerging new markets.(macaunews)
