The 11^th Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo (referred to as the “Expo” or “MITE”) was held for three days and culminated in success on Sunday (2 July). Committed to the development strategy of “1+4” adequate diversification, the 11^th MITE presented six major highlights and forged a new platform for cooperation in “tourism +”. Themed as “MITE connects the World”, this edition was the first to take place after the lifting of travel restrictions in Macao. Tourism and related industry delegates from worldwide connected and navigated various business opportunities at this international professional travel fair as a significant platform.

The three-day Expo facilitated 44 contracts signed and admitted over 37,000 spectators. The receipts for the MAK MAK grand lucky draw were equivalent to a total expenditure of over 5.50 million patacas.

MITE gathers worldwide trade delegates and radiates international influence

The 11^th MITE was held at Halls A and B, Cotai Expo of the Venetian Macao from 30 June – 2 July 2023. The exhibition space covered a total area of 23,000 square meters and featured 886 booths. The Expo gathered 512 exhibitors and 465 hosted buyers, the highest participation since inception. There were 69 international exhibitors and 253 Mainland exhibitors, 18 from Taiwan region, 7 from Hong Kong and 165 from Macao. Buyers came from international destinations, the Mainland, the Greater Bay Area and so forth. International buyers amounted to 188.

The Expo once again gathered worldwide industry delegates in Macao as an internationally impactful and professional travel fair that significantly enhanced exchange among members of the international travel trade. Travel agencies, tourism-related entities and businesses from 39 countries and regions in Asia, Europe, the Americas, Africa and Oceania joined the Expo as exhibitors. National tourism offices of Portugal, Japan, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia and other countries marked their participation as well. Other exhibitors included 78 entities from 13 Guangdong cities, 33 from countries and regions along the Belt and Road and 9 from Portuguese-speaking countries.  

Foster cooperation among “1 + 4” industries

In accord with the Macao SAR Government’s development strategy of “1+4” adequate diversification, the 11^th MITE debuted the “1+4” Pavilion which gathered close to 20 enterprises from the four major industries of health and wellness, modern financial services, innovative technology, conferences and exhibitions, commerce and trade, as well as culture and sports in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin and Macao. The “Macao International Health Management and Wellness Tourism Forum” and the “Combining Capital, Intelligence and Commerce to Build a Cultural Tourism and Financial Ecosystem — Macao Cultural Tourism and Finance Salon” were held to steer the four nascent industries forward.

Exhibitors established contact with potential clients and tapped into potential markets by business matching with professional buyers, industry exchange forums, buyers’ visits and other activities. They also widened their knowledge and network with new buyers at MITE.

As for “Cloud Contract Signing”, MITE facilitated signing of 44 contracts which involved 86 enterprises from Macao, the Mainland and other countries. Five of the contracts were about cooperation in the “1 + 4” industries, including one about modern financial services and four about health and wellness. Deputy Director-General of the Economic Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR, Yang Hao, Director of Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, and President of Macau Travel Agency Association, Alex Lao, witnessed the signing ceremonies.

6,000 business matching sessions

6,056 business matching sessions were conducted at MITE for worldwide industry delegates to expand their business network. “Cloud B2B” sessions continue after at the Expo until 4 July.

“Cloud Live Broadcast” reaps significant harvest

For the “Cloud Live Broadcast”, 20 live streams with promotional posts were made on nine platforms namely Taobao, Douyin, Aomi, Weibo, Facebook, WeChat, Mafengwo, Xiaohongshu and Miaopai. The cumulative count of live-stream views and pageviews hit 7.5692 million over the three days. Exhibitors from Portugal, Thailand, Malaysia, Uruguay, Cuba, Argentina, Ecuador and other countries had lively conversations with anchors in sharing their tourism resources with audiences during the live streams on different platforms.

Expenditure surges fourfold year on year at consumers’ lucky draw

Held again this year, the grand lucky draw attracted enthusiastic consumers. The receipts submitted for the MAK MAK grand lucky draw over the three days reflect a total expenditure of over 5.5 million patacas, a year-on-year increase of 412%.

Global chefs present culinary arts for “tourism + gastronomy”

The Expo once again manifested Macao’s vibrant scene as a Creative City of Gastronomy and the glamour of “tourism + gastronomy”. The City of Gastronomy Showcase gathered chefs from 23 UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy including Macao for a manifestation of culinary arts at 24 sessions of culinary showcase which promoted exchange in gastronomic culture. Including MICE participants and the public, the audience sampled the culinary delights.  

18 local catering businesses served delicacies at the Gastronomy Pavilion. As a new highlight this year, The Cellar brought together wine and related products for sale by 16 Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao exhibitors. Other wonderful activities at The Cellar included the “Introduction to Wine and Winemaking” Certificate Course, “Wine Tasting” sessions, Meet The Macau Beer Master Workshop, Macau Beer Drinking Contest and more for public participation. The activities enjoyed great popularity. Bartenders from the six integrated resorts mixed cocktails from creative recipes and enlivened the vibes.

Buyers inspect Hengqin and Macao for synergy of “tourism + MICE”

Tourist cities from the Greater Bay Area offered an informative update on multi-destination travel and together branded the Greater Bay Area as one destination. The Expo arranged for Mainland and international buyers to explore local communities along two itineraries. About 380 participants joined in total and visited the Northern District and experienced the Arraial na Ervanários, as well as the World Heritage attractions and other places in the city. Their inspection visit contributed to promoting Macao’s rich tourism resources, invigorating the community economy and boosting the synergy of “tourism + MICE”. The buyers also inspected Hengqin and joined the Hengqin cultural tourism presentation seminar which offered a window on Macao and Hengqin’s strengths in cultural tourism.

Promote original IP products and deepen “tourism + culture and creativity”

The Expo and the Cultural Affairs Bureau jointly presented the Macao Creative Pavilion to promote local original products of intellectual property and organize over ten IP Brand Promotion Sessions, with the aim to foster local businesses’ development and cooperation with their counterparts from different regions, deepen the integration of “tourism + culture and creativity”, enrich the diversity of cultural tourism products and boost spending. Five famous cultural museums in the Mainland, including Suzhou Museum, Sanxingdui Museum, Jinsha Site Museum, Nanjing Museum Administration and Jingdezhen China Ceramics Museum marked their appearance at MITE, which promoted exchange and integrated development of the cultural and tourism industries in Macao and the Mainland, supporting Chinese cultural museums to promote their products in the international market.

Organize the first educational tour forum to boost synergy of “tourism + education”

The first “Macao Educational Tour Development Forum” was held at MITE. Mainland experts and municipal governments elaborated on the concept of educational tour and shared their experience in educational tourism development respectively. About 130 participants comprising tourism industry delegates, representatives of academic institutions and relevant community organizations from the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao joined the forum for an insightful exchange. The forum fostered the progressive development of educational tourism in Macao and the synergy of “tourism + education”.

Launch of Macao Courtesy Campaign at MITE

MGTO held the launch ceremony of the Macao Courtesy Campaign at MITE to raise Macao’s profile as a hospitable city among industry participants from worldwide. MGTO will carry on the Campaign with the slogan “Be My Guest ∙ Feel At Home” to inspire warm hospitality for visitors among residents and the travel trade.

The National Congress of the Portuguese Association of Travel Agencies and Tourism 2025 will be held in Macao, which was officially announced by the Association at MITE. Considered the main annual gathering of the Portuguese tourism industry, the congress is set to provide an opportunity to showcase Macao’s new “tourism +” elements and boost market diversification.

During the three-day Expo, 58 tourism presentation sessions, forums and activities were held to familiarize participants with industry trends and tourism resources of different destinations, including tourism presentations and activities by Mainland provinces and municipalities.

Live broadcasts online widen the publicity

MITE’s spectacular moments including destination presentations and the City of Gastronomy Showcasewere live broadcast on the event website, engaging 364,800 views over the three days. Event highlights were also live streamed concurrently on MGTO’s official pages on Weibo, WeChat and Facebook. Three Mainland anchors were invited to conduct three live streams on their platforms to widen the event’s publicity, garnering over 35 million views in total.

To review more event information, please visit MITE’s official website: www.mitexpo.mo, or follow MITE on Facebook and WeChat.