Macao looks forward to engaging with APEC member economies in exploring new avenues for Asia-Pacific tourism cooperation

The Chief Executive, Mr Sam Hou Fai, today said Macao looked forward to engaging in profound exchanges with delegates from all member economies of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to share insights on sustainable tourism, with a view jointly to opening up new avenues for Asia-Pacific tourism cooperation.

Speaking at a welcome dinner hosted for the delegates to the 13th APEC Tourism Ministerial Meeting, Mr Sam said that – as one of the most important platforms for economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region – this year’s Tourism Ministerial Meeting stood as both a grand gathering for the tourism industry and a hallmark event of the “APEC China 2026” series. Macao would spare no effort in playing its role as host of the Tourism Ministerial Meeting, to ensure the event is a resounding success, he added.

The reception was jointly hosted by the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Government and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China, to greet the high-level delegates attending the APEC tourism meetings in Macao.

In his remarks delivered at the reception, Mr Sam noted it had been 12 years since the APEC Tourism Ministerial Meeting was last hosted in Macao in 2014. The Tourism Ministerial Meeting’s momentous return holds profound significance for the city. The MSAR Government took immense pride in, and felt honoured to, once again host this prestigious event, as the occasion fully demonstrates the Central Government’s high degree of trust in, and unwavering support for, the Macao SAR.

The Chief Executive expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China for their meticulous guidance, which ensured that Macao could successfully host this prestigious, high-level Asia-Pacific tourism meeting.

In October last year, during  the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, President Xi Jinping remarked that the organisation should stay true to APEC’s founding mission: promoting economic growth, improving people’s lives, and championing open development, where everyone shares opportunities and emerges a winner. It should promote a universally-beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation and build a shared Asia-Pacific community. This held profound guiding significance for concerted efforts in mapping out future development.

In his remarks today, the Chief Executive went on to say that throughout different historical eras, Macao has consistently played a crucial role in fostering exchanges between China and the West, and Macao is committed to delivering new contributions across diverse fields including international tourism cooperation.

The MSAR will continue unswervingly to implement the “One country, two systems” principle, leveraging its cultural heritage of over 400 years of interaction between China and the West, and Macao’s unique advantage of close ties with Portuguese-speaking countries. Macao will proactively align with China’s strategic deployments, offering full support for the mutual learning and exchanges between the Chinese and Western civilisations, while striving to build an essential bridgehead for the country’s high-level opening-up to the outside world.

In 2025, Macao welcomed more than 40 million visitors, an all-time high. Visitor arrivals in the first quarter of this year registered a year-on-year increase of about 14 percent, with international arrivals growing by more than 10 percent, compared to the same period last year, said Mr Sam.

Per-capita non-gaming expenditure of all visitors grew by about 10 percent year-on-year, whereas the per-capita spending of international visitors surged by more than 30 percent compared to the same period last year. Under Macao’s “Tourism+” initiative, new industry models are unleashing immense vitality, while the industry’s development accelerates in terms of its internationalisation and diversification. This continuously underscored Macao’s unique charm and attractiveness as a world centre of tourism and leisure, the Chief Executive noted.

As the global economic landscape undergoes profound evolution, only by strengthening dialogue and deepening cooperation can all collectively respond to challenges and achieve shared prosperity, said Mr Sam.  He stated he truly believed that through this Tourism Ministerial Meeting, ministers and delegates would pool collective ideas and wisdom, express insightful perspectives, and enhance mutually-beneficial cooperation, thereby jointly mapping out a new blueprint for the high-quality development of the Asia-Pacific tourism industry.

Mr Sam also expressed hope that delegates would take the opportunity to walk around, explore more of Macao, and offer their valuable opinions and insights.

The 13th APEC Tourism Ministerial Meeting is themed “Digital Innovation, Collaborative Empowerment: Leveraging Tourism for an Asia-Pacific Community”. The meeting will be held on Saturday (27 June) at the China-Portuguese-speaking Countries Commercial and Trade Service Platform Complex.