Tourism Development Committee convenes first Plenary Meeting of 2026

MACAU, November 13 - The Tourism Development Committee (CDT, from its Portuguese acronym) convened the first Plenary Meeting of 2026 today (13 November), chaired by the Secretary for Economy and Finance and Committee Chairperson, Ng Wai Han. Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) elaborated on the tourism work outlined in the Macao SAR’s Third Five-Year Plan as well as the latest tourism situation in Macao and MGTO’s major work plan in 2027. Representatives of the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin were invited to attend the meeting and present the progress of Macao and Hengqin’s joint development project of a world-class tourism resort district. Various CDT members expressed opinions and suggestions on the work concerned for advancing high-quality and sustainable tourism development in Macao.

Promote sustainable tourism development in three major directions

Secretary Ng Wai Han stated that with the upcoming Policy Address of 2027, the meeting was convened to summarize the progress of tourism work this year and chart the direction for tourism development in 2027 together with CDT members. The year of 2026 marks the beginning of the Country’s 15^th Five-Year Plan and the Macao SAR’s Third Five-Year Plan. Adhering to the strategic plans, the SAR Government will strengthen the robust dynamic of the integrated tourism and leisure industries while cultivating the new landscape of “tourism +” in accord with the “1+4” development strategy for adequate economic diversification, to build greater resilience and growth momentum for the tourism economy.

Revolving around the above objectives, the SAR Government will forge ahead with the tasks in three major areas. First, continuously foster community tourism and expand the scope of visitor spending — optimize the supportive mechanism for community tourism and leverage entertainment, sports and other events to integrate community tourism with the ticket-stub and fan economy, to drive visitor flow into various local communities. Second, deepen the expansion of international visitor markets and optimize the composition of visitor markets — reinforce the Southeast and Northeast Asia markets, actively expand the European market and explore the market potential of India, the Middle East and Central Asia, besides striving for progressive development of the Muslim travel market; capitalize on the visa-free policy and partner with airlines and online platforms to promote multi-destination travel. Third, deepen the concerted development across various sectors of “tourism +” — advance profound integration between tourism and other sectors including events, gastronomy, education, culture and creativity as well as sports, to enhance the quality and added value of tourism services so that Macao will possess greater appeal and competitive strengths as a world centre of tourism and leisure.

Introduce major work plan in 2027

At the meeting, MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes introduced the tourism work outlined in the Macao SAR’s Third Five-Year Plan to CDT members. MGTO Deputy Director Cheng Wai Tong then presented an overview of Macao’s latest tourism situation and the Office’s major work plan for 2027. As next year marks the 10^th anniversary of Macao’s designation as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, MGTO will organize an array of festivities and leverage the occasion to raise Macao’s international profile as a city celebrated for its unique tapestry of food culture. Representatives of the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin were invited to attend the meeting for the first time. Deputy Director of the Industrial Development Bureau of the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, Ip Kuai Lam, delivered an overview of Macao and Hengqin’s joint project to build a world-class tourism resort district at the plenary meeting, advancing the integrated development of tourism resources in Macao and Hengqin.

Members provide suggestions for robust development

Various committee members raised opinions and suggestions on different issues such as widening Macao and Hengqin’s offerings of experiences to extend visitors’ lengths of stay, enriching the appeal of maritime tourism with supportive facilities for maritime tours, as well as optimizing the “Tourism and ‘Leisure’ Buses” service. The government representatives listened and recorded the opinions of committee members to distil collective wisdom that will steer Macao’s tourism development towards diversification and sustainability.

The meeting attendees also include Chief of Office of the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lo Chi Fai, representatives of the following governmental entities and institutions including Secretariat for Economy and Finance, Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture, Secretariat for Security, Municipal Affairs Bureau, Economic and Technological Development Bureau, Labour Affairs Bureau, Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute, Culture and Sports Bureau, Civil Aviation Authority and Macao University of Tourism, along with representatives of Macao Light Rapid Transit Corporation, Limited, integrated resort enterprises and the tourism sector, among others.

Leveraging the mechanism of the Tourism Development Committee, MGTO will continue to galvanize and partner with the private sector to implement the work for tourism outlined by the Third Five-Year Plan, deepen integration across “tourism +” and propel the advanced development of the integrated tourism and leisure industries in line with the “1+4” development strategy for adequate economic diversification, reinforcing the city’s positioning as a world centre of tourism and leisure.

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