The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) organized a Macao Business Breakfast and other destination promotional initiatives at one of the worlds leading international travel fairs, FITUR 2024, held January 24 to 28 in Madrid, Spain, to enhance cooperation with Spanish travel trade and increase European travelers’ intention to visit Macao, as part of the work to diversify international visitor source markets.

Macao tourism promoted in cooperation with Portuguese and Spanish travel associations

MGTO held the Macao Business Breakfast on January 25 at FITUR, organized in partnership with the Portuguese Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies (APAVT) and the Spanish Confederation of Travel Agents (CEAV), to promote Macao’s diverse tourism resources as a world center of tourism and leisure.

Macao “tourism+” offerings showcased at top European platform

During the Macao Business Breakfast, held at the CEAV booth, the vice president of APAVT, Carlos Baptista, conducted a presentation about Macao’s potential as a travel destination, highlighting its new “tourism +” offerings, the world heritage, gastronomy, wedding tourism, signature events like the Light Up Macao and the Macau Grand Prix, and more.

CEAV vice-president, José Manuel Lastra, expressed the confederation’s enthusiasm for promoting the Macao destination together with APAVT and welcomed the more than 60 guests present, including Spanish travel agencies and tour operators, who learned about the latest Macao tourism developments.

Macao tourism information and souvenirs were also distributed at FITUR, along with advertisement at online and print media, to highlight the destination at the Spanish travel expo that attracted this year 250,000 visitors (153,000 professionals and 97,000 general public) from 152 countries and regions.

Lisbon Travel Market is next stop to expand European market

MGTO’s next major Macao destination promotion in Europe will be in Portugal at the Lisbon Travel Market (BTL), running February 28 to March 3, where MGTO will join APAVT pavilion at the event to promote Macao’s diverse “tourism +” offerings.

Following APAVT’s election of Macao as its “Preferred International Destination” for 2024, and the announcement that it will hold its Annual Congress 2025 in Macao, the association will also especially highlight Macao at this year’s BTL, in another cooperation between the two sides.

Organization of European travel trade fam group visit to Macao in April

In addition, MGTO is working with APAVT to invite travel trade members from APAVT, CEAV, and the European Travel Agents' and Tour Operators' Associations as a familiarization group to join the 12th Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo, scheduled for April 26 to 28, helping to continue to expand Macao’s international visitor source markets from Europe, in line with to the “1+4” development strategy for adequate diversification.