On the morning of April 25, the opening ceremony of the 13th Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo was held. Ji Xianzheng, Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao), led Secretariat members to attend and visit the “Pavilion of Portuguese-speaking Countries”. Participants of the Colloquium on Cooperation in the Tourism Sector between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries.

As a supporting organization, the Permanent Secretariat set up the “Pavilion of Portuguese-speaking Countries” during the expo. On the same afternoon, in collaboration with the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), the Secretariat co-hosted the “Presentation on Tourism Products from the Portuguese-speaking Countries” at the Naples Room of Cotai Expo, The Venetian Macao. Secretary-General Ji Xianzheng and Cheng Wai Tong, Deputy Director of the MGTO, attended and delivered speeches. Representatives from the Colloquium on Cooperation in the Tourism Sector between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries presented their countries’ tourism resources, products, tourism conditions, and investment and business environments.

Secretary-General Ji Xianzheng stated that, over its 22 years, Forum Macao has adhered to the principles of consultation, collaboration, and shared benefits, actively responding to the shared aspirations of governments and peoples to strengthen cooperation. By leveraging Macao’s unique advantages and platform role, the Forum has made significant contributions to policy exchanges, economic and trade cooperation, and people-to-people connections between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. Portuguese-speaking countries boast rich and unique natural landscapes and cultural resources, with immense potential for tourism development. The Secretariat has worked closely with the MGTO to provide training and internship opportunities in Macao for tourism officials from Portuguese-speaking countries and facilitate the promotion of their tourism resources during the Macao Travel (Industry) Expo. He expressed hope that the tourism industries of Portuguese-speaking countries would continue to actively participate in Secretariat activities to jointly advance tourism development.

Deputy Director Cheng Wai Tong noted that in recent years, the Tourism Office has actively promoted cross-sector integration such as “tourism + MICE”, “tourism + culture”, “tourism + cuisine”, and “tourism + sports”. The presentation allowed attendees to gain a comprehensive understanding of the unique charm of Portuguese-speaking countries while further highlighting Macao’s role as a “China-Portuguese-speaking Countries Commercial and Trade Service Platform”. The Tourism Office will continue to leverage Macao’s unique advantages, serving as a bridge and link between mainland China and Portuguese-speaking countries, enhancing its international influence, and actively implementing “tourism +” initiatives to attract visitors from Portuguese-speaking countries to Macao, promote mutual tourist flows, and achieve mutual benefits.

Guests attending the event included Xie Ying, Danilo Afonso Henriques, and Casimiro de Jesus Pinto, Deputy Secretaries-General of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao; Jacinto Luiz, Director of Board of Directors of the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute; Teresa dos Santos, Vice-Consul of Angola in Macao; Aurélio de Jesus Chiconela, Counselor of the Consulate General of Mozambique in Macao; and Zhao Xin, Director of the Department of Economic Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Macao SAR.