Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) participates in the 26th Hong Kong International Travel Expo (ITE) to promote leisure and business tourism of Macau. MGTO Director João Manuel Costa Antunes led the MGTO delegation and trade partners to join the opening ceremony of the Expo today.

The 26th Hong Kong International Travel Expo takes place in Hong Kong from 14th to 17th June. Officiating the Opening this morning were Shao Qiwei, Chairman of China National Tourism Administration and the Financial Secretary of the Government of HKSAR, John Tsang Chun-wah.

MGTO being one of the supporting organizations participates in the Expo together with Macao Economic Services, Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, and 41 Macau trade representatives from hotels, travel agents, ferry companies and DMCs to showcase the latest tourism products to international exhibitors, trade buyers and public visitors. MGTO also hosted an in-booth cocktail reception today to greet over 200 Hong Kong travel trade partners, MICE organizers and media friends.

This year, MGTO employs "Touching Moments Experience Macau" as the promotional theme as well as the booth design. The traditional Portuguese style building of the booth represents the blended culture of the East and the West spanning over 400 years. Through the tunnel with light trimming effect at the frontage, audience can experience the "Enchanting", "Fascinating", "Surprising" and "Tasteful" moments of Macau. At the centre of the booth, the iconic heritage site of Macau - the Ruin's of St Paul's – stands on top of a lotus pond, which signifies the rich cultural ambience of Macau.

To strengthen the attractiveness and interaction with visitors, MGTO launched the first-ever KINECT e-book application at the Expo. By body gestures, participants can read the latest attractions and photos of Macau without using a controller. Tablets are also available for browsing Macau tourism information and the "Touching Moments Experience Macau" Facebook fan page. In addition, on 16th and 17th June, MGTO representatives in Hong Kong will organize 2 travel seminars titled "Touching Moments Experience Macau" to introduce the sightseeing options and the "Touching Moments-Bliss in Macau" campaign. Souvenirs and Macau travel guidebooks will also be distributed on site.

In recent years, pre-show activities are organized before the ITE. On 13th June this year, international buyers from Mainland China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Philippines, Czech Republic and India participated in the "Experience Macau!" familiarization tour organized by MGTO. They visited the world heritages and various tourist spots, as well as new hotels and business tourism facilities in Macau, to understand the city's potential as a quality destination for leisure and business tourism. MGTO treasures every opportunity to diversify source market and introduce the latest tourism offerings, in the effort to develop diversified tourism products and to build Macau as a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure.

The 26th Hong Kong International Travel Expo is an annual prime travel exhibition in Hong Kong, attracting over 650 exhibitors from 55 countries and regions this year. It serves as a crucial platform for international travel industry partners to exchange and develop business opportunities.