THE MACAU Government Tourist Office (MGTO) has signed an MoU with the Shaoguan Tourism Administration of Guangdong Province to promote tourism to the Pearl River Delta.
Shaoguan Tourism Administration was among the delegation of more than 30 organisations that took part in the recent Guangdong and Macau Sales Mission to Malaysia and Singapore.
The sales mission, organised by MGTO, was Shaoguan Tourism Administration first overseas marketing initiative.
Cheng Wai Tong, deputy director of MGTO said Pearl River Delta’s cooperation among the region’s tourism authorities, including Hong Kong, dates back more than 20 years.
“In Guangdong, Macau signed MoUs with neighbouring Zhuhai and Zhongshan in 2006. Apart from joint promotions overseas and within China, the MoUs also cover cooperation on tourism development and industry management,” he explained.
Located in northern Guangdong, Shaoguan possesses the richest tourism assets in the province such as a geopark, hot springs, scenic spots and heritage sites, said Wang Yuangjian, section chief, marketing division of Shaoguan Tourism Administration.
Wang noted: “Shaoguan will appeal to visitors who like hiking, nature, hot springs and the outdoors.
With local five-star hotel rates averaging RMB400 (US$64.50), Shaoguan offers “attractive” prices compared with RM500 or RM600 elsewhere in Guangdong, he added.
“It’s the first time we are in a joint promotion with MGTO and promoting to the Muslim market. There are no halal restaurants now, which is something we need to look into,” Wang commented.
