In collaboration with an artist and art group from Macao, Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) organized a destination presentation session that brought together cultural creativity and vitality of communities from Macao days ago (6 March) in London, the United Kingdom. Together with Macao’s travel trade delegates, the Office offered travel trade partners and media there a renewed picture of destination appeal highlighted by new attractions and multi-destination travel products, to tap into the vast potential of the European visitor market.

Partner with local art group and artist to promote cultural community tours in Macao

The destination presentation session namely “Macao Tourism Product Updates in London” (the “Session”) was held with the support of China National Tourist Office in London. Besides a presentation about Macao’s latest travel information at the Session, President of Macao art group Myland Culture, Pal LOK Chok, was invited to share various projects weaving a tapestry of Macao’s cultural heritage, community life and art in practice. Macao artist and gastronomic representative Filipe Dores then elaborated how he transformed Macao’s tea culture in everyday life into a contemporary practice of art and culture. The Session highlighted the charm of Macao’s wet markets and cultural community travel among local tourism operators and potential visitors through cultural and creative themed elements including a special “MACAO” cocktail, “MGTO x Myland Culture” daily-item lucky bag souvenirs and limited-edition collectible paintings by the artist.

Set off by Filipe Dores’ integrative background across the spheres of art, tea culture and culinary practice alongside his connections with the British art community, the Session also exhibited his themed artwork “Timeless Voyage”, which portrays Macao as a major hub along the Maritime Silk Road.

Encourage travel trade to leverage facilitative measure for cooperation

Over 100 Macao and British trade delegates were invited to navigate the possibilities of cooperation in tourism product development and more at the Session, laying a sound foundation for market development in the United Kingdom and Europe. MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes and Director of China National Tourist Office in London, Zhang Li, attended the Session together with other guests.

Director Senna Fernandes remarked in her speech that British visitors can now travel to China for up to 30 days without a visa. Effective from February 2026, the new policy creates favorable conditions for Britons’ multi-destination travel to Macao and the Greater Bay Area as well as across the Chinese mainland. The Session carried the hope to show Macao’s vitality of “tourism + community + culture” and charm potential visitors through a blend of cultural creativity and community dynamic, while fostering closer collaboration with British tourism operators to capitalize on the facilitative measure and tailor distinctive tourism products that offer a kaleidoscope of travel experiences for British visitors.

Director of China National Tourist Office in London, Zhang Li, remarked that the Macao SAR actively forges integration with the national development and profound engagement with the Greater Bay Area’s development, being inextricable and in synchrony with the economic and social development of the Motherland. China National Tourist Office in London will shoulder the mission of branding Macao as a travel destination in the United Kingdom as well as other regions and countries within its scope of duty. Capitalizing on the Country’s new policy of granting visa-free travel for British citizens, the Tourist Office in London will strive to build seamless connectivity for exchange and attract more overseas visitors to the Greater Bay Area for sightseeing, cooperation in economy and commerce, education and interchange, in turn fostering Macao’s prosperous and stable development in the long run towards a brighter future.

Popular British content creator highlights multi-destination travel

To widen the Session’s publicity in advance, MGTO specially invited Harry Jaggard, a renowned British content creator who engages 9.50 million followers across platforms, for a journey and filming in Macao, Hong Kong and Shenzhen ahead in February. At the Session, he shared with participants his multi-destination trip experience from fresh first-person angles, followed by an introduction to the policy of visa exemption for British travelers to China. The promotional video will be released on Harry Jaggard’s social media platforms with high view rates, set to raise Macao’s visibility in the United Kingdom.

The Portuguese Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies (APAVT) commends Macao as its “Preferred Destination 2026” this year. Meanwhile, MGTO is forging ahead with various initiatives of destination marketing in Europe. Since the start of the year, the Office has joined FITUR in Spain — one of the world’s largest travel fairs in January, the roadshow “os Especialistas” and Lisbon Travel Market in Portugal in February, followed by the latest showcase in ITB Berlin this March, in unreserved efforts to expand the international visitor markets of Spain, Portugal and across Europe.