Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, attended the 7th World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Global Summit on Urban Tourism in Seoul, Korea. On the sidelines of the Summit, MGTO Director also met with the General-Director of Tourism and Sports of the Seoul Metropolitan Government

The 7th UNWTO Global Summit on Urban Tourism, which opened yesterday (September 17) and was held for the past two days, brought together at the Korean capital tourism ministers, city mayors, high-level representatives of tourism organizations and companies, academics and experts from more than 50 countries and regions to zoom in on the theme ‘A 2030 Vision for Urban Tourism’.

The discussions of the Summit unfolded on a high level panel and four themed debate sessions to touch on key topics concerning this rapidly-growing tourism segment and set a vision to fulfill United Nation's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Among the topics discussed were the impact of digital technologies in shaping the future of urban destinations, the role of urban tourism in transforming cities landscape through the rejuvenation of public space, along with how to ensure residents are an integral part of urban tourism development. A UNWTO report named ‘Overtourism? Understanding and managing urban tourism growth beyond perceptions’ was also presented at the event.

After the closing of the Summit, MGTO Director met this afternoon with the General-Director of Tourism and Sports of Seoul Metropolitan Government, Joo Yong Tae, to enhance dialogue and search for opportunities of partnership in tourism. Joo Yong Tae showed his appreciation for Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes attending the Summit, with the two sides talking about Macao’s response to Super Typhoon Mangkhut that hit the city on Sunday, along with topics such as possible solutions to manage overtourism, a subject that was widely discussed during the Summit. The two tourism directors also looked into the latest tourism situation in Macao and the relevance of the Korean market for the city, while seeking for more opportunities for visit exchanges and enhancement of cooperation in tourism between Macao and Seoul. Korea is Macao’s top international visitor source market, with potential to continue to help diversify the city’s international visitor source markets.

This year’s Summit was jointly organized by UNWTO and the Seoul Metropolitan Government with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea, the Korea Tourism Organization and the Seoul Tourism Organization.

Macao is an Associate Member of UNWTO since 1981, actively participating over the years in events and projects organized by the organization, with the aim to strengthen international tourism cooperation and enhance the city’s profile and engagement with the world’s top international tourism organization.