2012-09-17 — /travelprnews.com/ — The Global Tourism Economy Forum Macau 2012 (“GTEF” or “the Forum”), one of the most prominent international events of the year, concluded on September 11th with tremendous success, bringing to an end three days which collected international representatives of industry and high-ranking decision makers from both public and private sectors.
The Forum attracted over 1,000 delegates from more than 20 countries and cities from all over the world. Featuring a stellar speaker lineup of more than 50 speakers including government ministers, scholars and business leaders, the Forum was launched at the Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Centre where the cause of tourism economy is being championed. The Forum is deemed an encouraging success and received highly positive feedback from attendees, who were impressed by the calibre of the speakers, renowned both in China and worldwide. Taking note of the enthusiasm, Cheong U, Executive Chairman of Global Tourism Economy Forum and Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Government of Macao SAR, announced that the Forum is already braced for a second year of running to be held next year in the middle of September 2013.
Heavyweight Speakers Line-up
The Forum is honoured to have representatives from the three key tourism groups in China, namely China International Travel Service Limited, China National Travel Service (Hong Kong) Group Corporation, and CYTS Tours Holding Co., Ltd. gathered to share valuable insights towards the burgeoning tourism market in China. Other prominent speakers include: Mr. Michael Frenzel, Chairman of Executive Board, TUI AG, the largest tour operator in Europe as well as the first-ever travel joint venture established in China with foreign capital; Mr. Du Wei, President of Beijing BeiAo Group Inc. Ltd.; Mr. Min Fan, Executive Director and CEO of Ctrip.com International Ltd.; Mr. Edwin D. Fuller, Former President and Managing Director of International Lodging Division Marriott International, Inc.; Mr. Charles Petruccelli, Former President of Global Business Travel, American Express; and Mr. Liu Yi, President of Beijing Tourism Group, to name a few.
Forum Conclusions and Closing Remarks
At the closing ceremony in the afternoon, the boisterous sentiments are equally shared by Pansy Ho, Secretary-General of Global Tourism Economy Forum, who made the concluding remarks: “I am very glad that the Forum succinctly covered many of the key challenges ahead. Our distinguished speakers and moderators certainly gave us plenty of food for thought on designing and formulating our next generation of tourism trends. By embracing different perspectives and new ideas, the industry and related stakeholders can formulate clear approaches for development, in turn promoting the sustainable development of the global tourism industry and boosting the global economy at large.”
Cheong U, Executive Chairman of Global Tourism Economy Forum and Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Government of Macao SAR, also pointed out in his closing remarks: “Looking into the future, the tourism industry will continue to be an influential industry in the global economic development and play an important role in fostering social and economic development, international and regional cooperation, poverty alleviation and environmental protection.”
The Forum anticipates even more in-depth discussion of the coming year’s Forum to fully disseminate the knowledge to stakeholders of the industry. Driving economic growth through tourism is recognized to be one of the most effective strategies which can be aligned with the global socioeconomic trends, and will subsequently benefit all levels of the society. With the enormous success this year, Cheong U, Executive Chairman of Global Tourism Economy Forum and Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Government of Macao SAR, proudly announced the Forum will be held for the second time in the middle of September 2013.
Please visit www.GTE-Forum.com for more details about the Global Tourism Economy Forum.
e-mail: media@macautourism.gov.mo
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