In active pursuit of the Southeast Asian visitor market, Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) partnered with local tourism and related industry operators to organize the Macao Tourism Product Updates Seminar and Travel Mart in Malaysia and Thailand successively to update the travel trade there on Macao’s tourism, MICE and latest products, showcase the city’s diverse appeal of “tourism +” and spark interest among international visitors.
Kuala Lumpur – Tourism Product Updates Seminar + Intangible Heritage Workshop
MGTO held a Macao Tourism Product Updates Seminar and Travel Mart in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 4 June. Head of Destination Marketing Department of MGTO, Christina Lau, Deputy Director General (Promotion II) of Tourism Malaysia, Samuel Lee Thai Hung, Director of China Cultural Center in Kuala Lumpur, Han Ning, President of Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents, Nigel Wong, and Deputy President of Malaysia Chinese Tourism Association, Cynthia Tan, together with delegates of 16 businesses including Macau International Airport Co., Ltd., travel agencies, hotels, airline and leisure enterprises from Macao, attended the seminar. The seminar presented an overview of Macao’s latest tourism development to Malaysian tourism operators, covering a wide breadth of tourist attractions, delicacies, profound cultural offerings, year-round calendar of events and festivals, Muslim-friendly tourism elements and Macao’s ranking on the Global Muslim Travel Index. Becoming familiarized with Macao’s tourism products, industry participants will in turn introduce more international and Muslim visitors to Macao.
A Portuguese tile painting workshop was held before the seminar for participants to experience the unique art as one of Macao’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. They were encouraged to offer similar experiences in itineraries to extend visitors’ length of stay in Macao. During the stay in Malaysia, Head of Destination Marketing Department of MGTO, Christina Lau, engaged in exchange with the China Cultural Center in Kuala Lumpur to explore future opportunities for closer cooperation.
Thailand – Thai actress sharing about Macao trip + IP crossover attract young travelers
MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Head of China Cultural Center in Bangkok and China National Tourist Office in Bangkok, Zhang Ruoyu, Vice Presidents of Thai Travel Agents Association, Nirut Charoenpradit and Chaiyapruk Thongkam, attended the Macao Tourism Product Updates Seminar and Travel Mart in Bangkok, Thailand on 5 June together with 17 delegates of Macao’s and Hengqin’s travel trade, including representatives of Macau International Airport Co., Ltd., travel agencies, hotels, airline and leisure enterprises from Macao, with the aim to deepen exchange and cooperation between tourism operators of Macao and Thailand.
The seminar spotlighted Macao’s latest tourism trends including new tourist attractions, gastronomy, culture, events and festivals as well as multi-destination tourism products between Hengqin-Macao and across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Macao Tourism Mascot Mak Mak and well-known Thai IP character Warbie Yama joined hands once again to deliver dance performance at the seminar along with the debut of a promotional video co-starring both characters. The promotional video was filmed in Macao in April and released on MGTO’s platform on YouTube (www.youtube.com/@mgto). Their crossover set off Macao’s diverse appeal in “tourism + culture, gastronomy and events”. Thai actress and singer Noona Nuengthida Sophon, who has millions of followers on social media, was also invited to share with industry delegates her travel experience in Macao this March. In addition, the seminar featured a showcase of dragon’s beard candy preparation and sampling session for the local travel trade to experience this traditional culinary handicraft listed as one of Macao’s Intangible Cultural Heritage, safeguarded by the Creative City of Gastronomy. The supporting entities include the China National Tourist Office in Bangkok and the China Cultural Center in Bangkok.
Following the seminar, industry delegates from Macao, Hengqin and Thailand built connections and explored cooperation opportunities at the travel mart. They discussed the possibilities to launch special offers on travel packages, air tickets and accommodation in collaborative effort to tap the potential of the visitor markets.
During the stay, MGTO paid a visit to the China National Tourist Office in Bangkok under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and met with TrueMoney, the largest e-payment platform in Thailand, for an exchange on the platform’s launch of instant discounts for Thai consumers in Macao, to boost Thai visitors’ spending.
Between January and April 2026, Thailand and Malaysia ranked the third and fourth largest international visitor markets for Macao, which registered over 88,000 and 62,000 visitor arrivals from Thailand and Malaysia, a rise of 59.9% and 1.3%. MGTO continues to organize tourism product updates seminars and travel marts, participate in travel fairs and arrange for delegations’ familiarization visits to Macao’s latest attractions and hotel facilities, while supporting tourism operators to design tourism products targeting market demands. The initiatives are rolled out to raise Macao’s profile as a short-haul destination to steer Macao’s tourism and economic development towards diversification.
