A group of officials assigned by tourism bureaux from Portuguese speaking countries will start today a training program at the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), carried out in cooperation with the Supporting Office to the Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation Between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries (Macau).

For the next two weeks, five government officials from tourism bureaux of Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and East Timor will do an internship at several MGTO departments related to their scope of work. In May and June, another two groups with a total of 16 officers will follow, this time also including officials from Cape Verde. The trainees will do an internship at MGTO’s Destination Marketing Department, Organisational Planning and Development Department, Licensing and Inspection Department and Administration and Finance Department. The internship also includes, among others, technical tours to Macau’s heritage, and other tourism sites and infrastructures.

The program aims to contribute to the training of tourism professionals of the participating countries, by providing participants the opportunity to learn first hand about the development of Macau’s tourism industry and the daily operation of MGTO, while reinforcing mutual learning and exchanges.

Following the signing of memorandums of understanding for tourism cooperation between MGTO and the tourism authorities of Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde in 2010, and with East Timor last year, MGTO already welcomed a total of 40 tourism bureau trainees from these Portuguese speaking countries between 2012 and 2013.