A senior government official said on Thursday that the upcoming Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF) will discuss how to take advantage of the central government’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative to improve tourism.
Lai Ieng Kit, chief-of-cabinet of the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture, made the announcement at the Tourism Activities Centre (CAT) during a press conference about the upcoming forum.
According to a statement by the office, the international forum is an annual event for the global tourism industry, where industry experts and business owners gather to mull future tourism strategies. This year, it will be held at the Venetian in Cotai from October 12 to 14. Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Vice-Chairman Edmund Ho Hau Wah will preside over the event.
Lai said as 2015 marked the 10th anniversary of the Historic Centre of Macau being added to the UNESCO World Heritage list, the government would look to the forum for new ways to take advantage of its status so as to improve local tourism under the “One Belt, One Road” initiative, as well as to strengthen cross-regional co-operation.
Answering a reporter’s question about how the drop in the city’s gaming revenue has impacted local tourism, gaming operator Pansy Ho Chiu King, who is the vice chairwoman and secretary-general of the forum, admitted that the revenue decline has caused some delays in Macau’s development, but quickly added that long-term development was not affected.
Ho said the next one or two years would see more non-gaming elements being developed in Macau, which would further diversify the tourism industry.
(macaunews/macaupost)
