The “2025 International Cities of Gastronomy Fest, Macao” (referred to as the “Fest”) attracted about 100,000 participants over 9 days. The total count of impressions exceeded 7.8 million on MGTO’s social media platforms. The event manifested Macao’s glamour of “tourism + gastronomy” and the city’s impact as an international exchange platform.

Record-Breaking Participation: 62% of Creative Cities of Gastronomy gather in Macao

Organized by Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), the Fest was originally scheduled to run from 11 to 20 July, concluded one day ahead (19 July) of the scheduled date owing to the weather conditions. The Fest this year centered on the theme “Spices and Herbs”, featured three major highlights namely “International Gastronomy Promenade”, “City of Gastronomy Showcase” and “International Gastronomy Forum, Macao”. At present, there are 56 UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy around the world, among which, delegates of 35 Creative Cities of Gastronomy converged in Macao to present a splendid feast of international culinary cultures. This marked a new record, surpassing last year’s participation.

28 official social media platforms to maximize exposure

The Office launched promotional initiatives for the Fest, besides diverse promotions through television and radio stations, newspaper and magazines, bus exterior and outdoor advertisements among other channels, MGTO also spotlighted the event via its 28 official platforms on social media such as WeChat, Weibo, Douyin, Xiaohongshu, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Tiktok, Twitter, Kakao and Line. Seven promotional posts were released through the Office’s official account on WeChat and were forwarded 17.87 million times. In addition, Weibo, Xiaohongshu and Weixin Channels conducted live streams; the total volume of impressions exceeded 7.8 million on MGTO’s social media accounts, the view counts and pageviews totaled 3 million. Moreover, 37 KOLs from overseas, the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong were invited promote the Fest through live streams as well as graphics, written and video posts. A total of seven live streams and over 58 promotional posts were released, with total volume of impressions exceeded 29.4 million.

Interactive game on WeChat + special offers through e-payment platforms

MGTO presented “Spice Party”, the interactive game of the “2025 International Cities of Gastronomy Fest, Macao” on its WeChat mini-program “MGTO’s Interactive Zone”. 227,530 participants participated in the game which widened the event’s publicity. The Office also partnered with Macau Pass, Bank of China Macau Branch as well as Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Macau) to promote the event and launch special offers for consumers through e-payment platforms.

Solicit event feedback via various channels

Through questionnaires and application of the big data, MGTO collected opinions from visitors and residents, seeks to optimize the program, format and promotional campaign of the event in the future. According to the survey results, both visitors and residents rated their overall satisfaction with this year’s event as "satisfied" level, demonstrating its positive impact.

“International Gastronomy Promenade” presents delicacies from worldwide

The “International Gastronomy Promenade” featured 105 food booths presented by 15 Creative Cities of Gastronomy from across the globe, presented a variety of enchanting delicacies and unique food cultures. 1,000 dining seats were provided at five catering zones along the Promenade, alongside a Brew-and-Chill Zone by day and night and a game zone. 186 sessions of artistic and cultural performances were held to spark lively vibes at the Fest.

“City of Gastronomy Showcase” – culinary arts across territories

The “City of Gastronomy Showcase” gathered acclaimed chefs from 29 UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy around the globe echoing the theme of “Spices and Herbs”, the chefs prepared unique delicacies with an exquisite blend of spices and herbs commonly used in Macao in 52 sessions of culinary showcase. About 2,900 food samples were distributed in total to share the authentic tastes and culinary cultures of these cities.

“International Gastronomy Forum, Macao” plays an international exchange platform

Held on 14 July under the theme of “The Spice of Life: Macao’s Culinary Connections”, the “International Gastronomy Forum, Macao” (referred to as the “Forum”) brought together over 250 attendees including representatives of over 30 UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy from worldwide, four Creative Cities in other fields and two candidate cities from the Chinese mainland, two Culture Cities of East Asia 2025 (Huzhou (China) and Anseong (Korea)), representatives of the six integrated resort enterprises, culinary experts and scholars, tourism and catering professionals from near and far, together with members of the public.

Both winners of the Best Chef Awards in 2024, the two keynote speakers Jordy Navarra and Varun Totlani are internationally acclaimed for their excellence in culinary arts. Under their culinary leadership, both restaurants have won recognition in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. Besides, 15 culinary experts and leading professionals in the catering industry from near and far shared their valuable experience and insights that ignited innovative thinking from diverse angles through three panel discussion sessions.

Macao also arranged for the Exchange Meeting for UCCN Creative Cities Network Members and the Online-Offline Meeting for Creative Cities of Gastronomy on the day of the Forum, which functioned further as an international platform.

Visit community restaurants  Collaborate with chefs of IRs  Exchange with Universities

During the Fest, a total of 201 delegates of the Creative Cities of Gastronomy and Chinese member cities of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in other creative fields paid a familiarization visit to local communities to learn more about Macao’s vibrant food culture and diversity of “tourism +”. Chefs from 13 Creative Cities of Gastronomy engaged in in-depth exchanges at four restaurants in the community. In addition, MGTO facilitated collaboration projects between chefs from 6 Creative Cities of Gastronomy and 6 Macao’s integrated resort enterprises, which fostered preservation, innovation and exchange in culinary culture among Creative Cities of Gastronomy. Additionally, a Macao hotel specially invited chefs from five "Cities of Gastronomy" to collaborate and co-create a joint signature dinner. The Fest fosters multi-dimensional exchanges between Macao and other "Cities of Gastronomy," enhancing network collaboration and shared success while offering diverse benefits to participants worldwide.

Riding on their visit to Macao, delegates of 2 Creative Cities of Gastronomy, Östersund (Sweden) and Santa Maria da Feira (Portugal), met with different universities in Macao, including the Macao University of Tourism and the Macao Polytechnic University, for a dialogue on future cooperation opportunities.

Dedicated to the implementation of the “1 + 4” development strategy for adequate economic diversification, the “2025 International Cities of Gastronomy Fest, Macao” brought together delegates of UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy from worldwide, several Creative Cities in other fields and candidate cities from the Chinese mainland, along with Culture Cities of East Asia 2025. The event leveraged gastronomy as a bridge, radiated Macao’s strengths as an international exchange platform and reinforced Macao’s status as a world centre of tourism and leisure, joining hands with participants to support the implementation of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.