In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao SAR, the 12th Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo (referred to as the “Expo” or “MITE”) is grandly unveiled today (26 April). Under the theme of “Meet at MITE: Discovery, Networking, Interaction!”, MITE features seven major highlights and is held on the largest scale since the inaugural edition, gathering tourism and related industry participants from near and far in Macao to foster exchange and cooperation, explore business opportunities, expand businesses and progress toward sustainability.
Supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China, the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR and the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Macao SAR, the 12th MITE is organized by Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and coordinated by Macau Travel Agency Association.
The officiating guests at the opening ceremony include Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Mr. Ho Iat Seng, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Ho Hau Wah; Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao Special Administrative Region, Zheng Xincong; Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China, Zhang Zheng; Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Macao Special Administrative Region, Liu Xianfa; Secretary for Economy and Finance of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, Lei Wai Nong; Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the People's Republic of China, Farhod Arziev; Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries (Macao), Ji Xianzheng; Chief of Office of the Secretary for Economy and Finance of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, Ku Mei Leng; Secretary of the Leading Party Members’ Group and Director of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Anhui Provincial People’s Government, Zhou Mingjie; Deputy Secretary of the Hezhou Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Mayor of Hezhou of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Peng Daiyuan; Vice Mayor of Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government, Zhanghua; Director of Macao Government Tourism Office, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes; Under Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Raistlin Lau; Level-two Inspector of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province, Huang Xizhong, and President of Macau Travel Agency Association, Alex Lao, among other guests.
Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lei Wai Nong, remarked in his speech that coming through eleven years of hard work, MITE has developed into a significant platform for international tourism exchange and cooperation that has garnered recognition from across the domestic and international tourism sectors. Built upon the successful experience of the past editions, the Expo is now held across a wider exhibition floor and brings seven key highlights into the limelight, creating a powerful confluence of “tourism +” for participants. More exhibitors and buyers from near and far, home and abroad are welcome to the event for exchange and exploration of business opportunities, manifesting Macao’s strengths to a greater extent. It is greatly anticipated that the travel trade of Macao and different destinations can capitalize on MITE as a prestigious international travel fair, to meet for discovery, networking and interaction, together transforming the vision of a great future into reality.
Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism, Zhang Zheng, indicated in his speech that over the 12 years since its inauguration in 2013, MITE has steadily developed into a tourism fair platform that connects Macao, Mainland and international markets as Macao’s only international travel industry expo and brand through professional, market-oriented and international operations. This year, cultural and tourism authorities and enterprises from 19 Mainland provinces, regions and municipalities are joining the Expo as exhibitors, along with the Palace Museum and National Museum of China. He believes that Mainland, Macao and international travel trade can capitalize on the 12th MITE to forge deeper connection, uncover business potential, share strengths and achieve mutual success through cooperation.
Largest scale since inaugural edition
The 12th MITE takes place at Halls A, B and C, Cotai Expo of the Venetian Macao from 26 – 28 April 2024. It is open to the public for free admission. The Expo is held on the largest scale ever over the 12 years since the first edition, whether in terms of the exhibition area, numbers of booths and exhibitors, participating countries and regions along the Belt and Road, as well as hosted buyers.
Participating entities from 54 countries and regions
The exhibition area is expanded to a total of 30,000 square meters and covers three halls instead of two like last year. Coming from 54 countries and regions, 668 enterprises and entities are joining the Expo as exhibitors. There are 1,353 booths including 290 in the Mainland zone, 399 in the Macao zone, 35 in the zone of Hong Kong and Taiwan Region, 218 in the international zone and 411 run by other exhibitors. There are about 500 buyers in total, including international and Mainland hosted buyers as well as buyers from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The daily opening hours of the Expo are extended for one hour longer than in the last edition, to meet the diverse demands of visitors and residents.
Seven major highlights manifest diversity of “tourism +”
The 12th MITE presents seven major highlights as follows: celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao SAR with the 25th Anniversary Pavilion, Gastronomy Pavilion and The Cellar; “1+4 Pavilion” and “New Media Matrix” foster strategic industry development; promote new tourism development in Macao and Hengqin through “one exhibition, two cities”; create a new window for display with “Belt and Road Products Pavilion”; power up the main engine for consumption by combined measures of quality, volume and yield enhancement; Themed Pavilion of Cultural Museums and Educational Tourism taps into the popularity and potential of educational travel market; and take multiple measures for a sustainable “green and low-carbon travel expo”.
New highlights along with quality and yield enhancement
For the first time, MITE features a “Belt and Road Products Pavilion” that showcases distinctive commodities from 39 countries and regions along the Belt and Road. Besides the Themed Pavilion of Cultural Museums and Educational Tourism, the “Travel & Learn” Itinerary planning Competition is launched to encourage contestants to design unique and innovative educational tour itineraries in Macao, in turn promoting local educational tourism development. Different environmental measures are conducted towards carbon reduction for a sustainable “green and low-carbon travel expo”. Furthermore, in the format of “one exhibition, two cities”, MGTO partners with the Economic Development Bureau of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, not just to present an outdoor camping exhibit zone at the Expo in Macao but also to organize the “Macao – Hengqin Outdoor Camping Industry Salon” in the In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin to promote the concerted tourism development of Macao and Hengqin. Because of the unstable weather conditions, Macao-Hengqin Camqing Fair 2024 will be postponed. As for the “1+4 Pavilion”, the exhibition area will be more than doubled from last year, with the goal to foster the development of the four key industries continuously, including health and wellness, modern financial services, innovative technology, conferences and exhibitions, commerce and trade as well as culture and sports.
Over 40 product and destination presentations, forums and other activities will be held during the Expo, to offer residents and visitors an update of tourism information and products from Macao and around the world once again.
“New Media Matrix” gathers KOLs’ wide influence to boost online sales
The “New Media Matrix” is adopted for exhibitors to present their products and services in an online format. Nine online influencers are conducting live-stream selling and promotion for exhibitors on ten social platforms to boost their online sales across multiple channels. KOLs who enjoy wide popularity online with over a million followers are invited to conduct live streams at the Pavilion of China-Portuguese-speaking Countries Commercial and Trade Service Platform, to promote distinctive products from Portuguese-speaking countries and support the launch of these products into the Mainland Market.
Advance business matching facilitates partnerships in the making
The Expo provides an online business matching system (PSA) for buyers and exhibitors to make advance appointments and conduct online business meetings within the time span (30 days in total) from 26 days ahead of the Expo until one day after the Expo. There will be an array of contract-signing ceremonies held among tourism and related enterprises to foster corporate collaboration in the sectors from across Macao and various countries and regions.
Appealing gastronomy, wine, lucky draw and special offers
Manifesting the joint momentum of different fields, the Gastronomy Pavilion and The Cellar allow visitors to sample and savor a wide selection of wines and culinary delights. Various exhibitors present MITE-limited special offers on their products. Furthermore, expo visitors can join the “MAK MAK grand lucky draw” by one single purchase of any product(s) worth 500 patacas or above on site (valid within the three days of MITE) for a chance to win attractive prices.
Free admission for the public
The daily opening hours of the 12th MITE are extended for one hour longer than last year. It will be open to the public from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on 26 April, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on 27 April and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on 28 April. Admission tickets are distributed for free at the entrances of Hall A. During the Expo, free shuttle bus service is provided between the event venue and four local points on Macao Peninsula and Taipa, including Rua do Mercado de Iao Hon (near Bairro Economico “Keep Best” Block 1), Rua do Dr. Pedro José Lobo (near The Macau Square), Avenida do Conselheiro Ferreira de Almeida (near Pak Wai Bus Stop) and Rua de Seng Tou (near Urbanização Jardim Nova Taipa Block 21). Free parking is available to the public at Hall D and E.
This edition of MITE is once again supported by different supporting entities, co-organizers, the six leading partners and sponsors. For the fascinating program and latest information, please visit MITE’s official website: www.mitexpo.mo, or follow MITE on Facebook and WeChat.
