Macao was awarded with three Gold Awards and one Grand Award at the PATA Gold Awards 2021, organized by Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA). Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) representative office in the United States was bestowed with a PATA Grand Award, while three Macao tourism operators received one PATA Gold Award each, for initiatives in different areas of marketing, sustainability and social responsibility. Ahead of the awards ceremony, PATA brought together travel trade from around the world to attend PATA Travel Mart 2021.

MGTO, Melco, Galaxy and MGM among this year’s winners

The list of this year’s PATA Gold Awards winners was announced today (September 8) in an online live ceremony. MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes joined the new PATA Chief Executive Officer Liz Ortiguera to reveal at the ceremony the list of the awardees.

Macao tourism industry received four of the eighteen Gold Awards plus two Grand Awards presented this year by PATA, in this initiative that aims to recognize exceptional and innovative initiatives in the tourism industry.

One of the two top awards, the PATA Grand Award in Marketing, went to MGTO representative office in the United States for the initiative “Dream Now and Travel Later”. Launched in response to the pandemic, the integrated campaign series tapped into the power of social media to provide a string of educational and dynamic contents about Macao to inspire consumers to “Dream Now and Travel Later” to the city.

Melco Resorts & Entertainment was awarded with a PATA Gold Award in the category of Climate Change Initiatives for its “Above & Beyond - Melco's Sustainability Strategy”, aimed to help the tourism operator achieve carbon neutrality and zero waste across its resorts by 2030.

Galaxy Entertainment Group received a PATA Gold Award for Culture (Traditional Performance and Visual Arts) with its initiative “Promoting Cultural Tourism through our Foundation” that emphasizes local arts and cultural development in order to cultivate the next generation’s interest in exhibitions, the arts and cultural traditions.

“MGM Youth Empowerment and Engagement Initiative” set by MGM China to create learning opportunities for the youth and young professionals within the company and in the community received a PATA Gold Award in the category of Youth Empowerment Initiative.

Awards received 114 entries from 51 organizations

PATA Gold Awards 2021 received a total of 114 entries from 51 organizations and individuals worldwide, including 12 from Macao. The winners were selected by an independent judging committee of 18 personalities from around the world.

The awards aim to set standards for excellence and innovation in the tourism industry across the Asia-Pacific. MGTO supports the awards since 1995, as a contribution to help foster a sustainable tourism industry in the region.

MGTO joins Virtual PATA Travel Mart

PATA Travel Mart (PTM) 2021 was held September 2 to 5 in a virtual format as well due to the COVID-19 pandemic. MGTO participated in PATA Travel Mart (PTM) 2021, MGTO along with Macao travel trade joined the travel mart to build connections with global business partners. Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes also shared about Macao’s tourism industry recovery plans at one of the forums of the event.

MGTO participated with a virtual booth, hosting ten representatives from Macao hotels, resorts and travel agencies to promote the city, conduct pre-matched appointment meetings, and for an up-to-date about the latest products and trends in preparation for post-COVID travel.

Macao was also featured among the destinations at one of PTM Forums, themed “Destination Recovery Insight from Pacific & Northeast Asia”. MGTO Director joined tourism chiefs from Guam and Kiribati, in a panel to share about the experience in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination programs and preparation towards recovery. In addition, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes engaged in a networking session afterwards, to answer questions from PTM participants about Macao’s marketing efforts to attract visitors from Mainland China to visit the city in the “new normal”, among other topics.

PATA Travel Mart 2021 was held in conjunction with the Sichuan International Travel Expo, with Leshan, in Sichuan Province, Mainland China, as this year’s PTM feature destination. For decades, PATA and events like PTM have been a significant platform for Macao to connect with the global travel trade and raise its destination profile in the world.