Macau, China, 20 Jan – The tourism associations of Macau and Shenzhen signed a tourism co-operation agreement Thursday that aims to raise the quality of tour services in Macau The Macau Post Daily reports today.
The signing ceremony, which was witnessed by Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) Director João Manuel Costa Antunes, was held in Macau.
The signatories to the agreement comprise representatives from the Association of Macau Tourist Agents, Travel Industry Council of Macau, Macau Travel Agency Association and Travel industry Council of Shenzhen.
According to , is the first pact of its kind inked between the two cities’ travel industries, following a host of similar accords signed by the Macau and Shenzhen governments over the past few years.
“The other tourism pacts signed between the governments are more about tour policies or restrictions,” Andy Wu Keng Kuong, president of the Travel Industry Council of Macau, told reporters after the signing ceremony.
“However, this agreement is between us, the travel industries. We believe it will be more effective in improving our services,” Wu added.
According to Wu, most travel disputes are caused by misunderstandings or a lack of communication usually about tour schedules.
“[For instance] travellers are not taken to the attractions in Macau they were expecting from the schedule when they joined the tour in Shenzhen,” explained Wu.
Wu also said that since tour groups from Shenzhen account for a large proportion of the tour groups visiting Macau , it made sense to sign this pact first with the local industry’s Shenzhen counterparts.
“We shall probably expand this kind of co-operation with other (Chinese) places in the future,” Wu added, speaking on the sidelines of the signing ceremony.(MacauNews/Tourism)
