The Joint Working Committee to Support the Development of Macao into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure (referred to as the “Joint Working Committee”) convened the 2020 Annual Work Meeting in Beijing today (27 September). Leaders and officials representing various member entities including the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China, the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao Special Administrative Region discussed a range of topics and pertinent tasks. The agenda also covered pandemic control and preventive measures as well as resumption of cultural and tourism activities, among other topics.

Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic this year, the meeting concluded that various member entities have progressively resumed their work on various initiatives after assessing the situation and made substantial progress of different tasks through online and offline endeavors for optimal results.

The two Conveners of the Joint Working Committee, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China, Zhang Xu, and Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government, Ao Ieong U, delivered remarks at the annual work meeting.

Zhang Xu remarked that as regular measures are implemented to prevent and control the pandemic, the meeting was convened against such backdrop, significantly facilitating the overall planning for resumption of activities in the cultural and tourism industries in the Mainland and Macao, as well as Macao’s development into “one center and one base”. He hopes that under the overall planning and coordination of the Joint Working Committee, various member entities can make concerted efforts to foster revival of the cultural and tourism industries after the pandemic. He exhorted member entities to seek opportunities amid challenges, while guiding and encouraging the cultural and tourism sectors to develop new products and explore innovative ways of operation, together steering both sectors towards advanced quality, in parallel with the Fourteenth Five-Year Plan and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development, in support of Macao’s dedication to integrate with the national development.

During the meeting, Ao Ieong U expressed sincere gratitude to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for continuously mobilizing related Mainland entities to support Macao’s transformation into a world centre of tourism and leisure. The Joint Working Committee capitalizes on the mechanism to facilitate progress of various tasks in pushing forward Macao’s integration with the national development. The SAR Government is vigorously preparing for the establishment of a committee that supports the development of Macao into an exchange and cooperation base where Chinese culture prevails and different cultures flourish in harmony, enhancing Macao’s development into “one base” through profound and comprehensive policy planning. The SAR Government will forge ahead to deepen Macao’s exchange and collaboration with the Mainland in the fields of culture and tourism, in turn stimulating recovery of the related industries in Macao after the pandemic. Macao will step up to the challenges with unwavering confidence that after the pandemic, the cultural and tourism industries will move forward with a new momentum brought by concerted development which will contribute to overall economic revitalization in Macao.

The meeting elaborated on the Committee’s work progress between 2019 and 2020 besides an overview of the cultural and tourism development in the Mainland and Macao. Various topics were discussed including support for Macao’s integration with the national development, fostering Macao’s transformation into a world centre of tourism and leisure as well as an exchange and cooperation base where Chinese culture prevails and different cultures flourish in harmony, supporting development across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as well as deepening cultural and tourism collaboration between the Mainland and Macao, among other topics.

The meeting discussed implementation of regular pandemic control and preventive measures in Macao, and explored the progressive steps to resume activities in the tourism sector across the Mainland and Macao. The attendees also exchanged perspectives on the issues as follows: measures to stimulate economic recovery and revival of Macao’s cultural and tourism industries; pushing forward implementation of cultural and tourism measures listed in the Mainland and Macao Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA); branding of Macao’s major cultural and tourism exhibitions, enhancement of MICE platform collaboration between the Mainland and Macao; fostering exchange and cooperation in the fields of culture and arts, jointly developing and promoting multi-destination tour routes in the Greater Bay Area; fostering planning and implementation of the cultural and tourism development plan for the Greater Bay Area; implementation of the overall plan for Guangdong-Macao intensive cooperation zone, building of Hengqin International Leisure Tourism Island, etc.

The meeting also addressed topics as follows: developing the tourism education and training base for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area; deepening tourism exchange and cooperation between the Mainland and Macao, enhancing joint destination marketing carried out by overseas offices of both sides, building multi-destination themed travel itineraries and products, refining the collaborative scheme for enforcement of laws and regulations on tourism markets; enhancing the substantial results of youth exchange between the Mainland and Macao, etc.

Leaders and personages at the meeting include officials and representatives from the following units of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China, namely the Bureau for International Exchange and Cooperation (Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office), Department of Policies and Regulations, Arts Department, Department of Science, Technology and Education, Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage, Department of Resource Development, Department of Market Supervision, Bureau for Cultural Market Administration, Palace Museum, China National Arts Fund Management Center and Department of Industry Development; officials and representatives from the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao Special Administrative Region, the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province and Zhuhai Municipal People’s Government among other Mainland entities. From Macao, Chief of Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Ho Ioc San, Director of Macao Government Tourism Office, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, President of Cultural Affairs Bureau, Mok Ian Ian, Director of Education and Youth Affairs Bureau, Lou Pak Sang, President of Macao Institute for Tourism Studies, Fanny Vong, and Advisor of Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Stella Leong, attended the meeting together with others.