Macao will welcome two high-level Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings this June – the 13th APEC Tourism Ministerial Meeting and the 67th APEC Tourism Working Group Meeting. In the lead-up to these meetings, Asia-Pacific collaboration on tourism development was spotlighted at MITE 2026, which took place last week.

The Macao SAR government said in a statement that senior tourism representatives of the APEC member economies will gather in Macao for dialogues aimed at forging closer communication and cooperation for the future development of the tourism industry in the Asia-Pacific region.

Macao will capitalise on the unique advantages gifted by China’s support and its function as a bridge that connects China and the world to convey the achievements of both China’s modern development and Macao’s multicultural harmony.

Further leveraging the spotlight on Macao ahead of the APEC meetings, the organisers of MITE 2026 staged an Asia-Pacific collaboration onsite, where exhibiting travel agencies presented itineraries to the region and destination pavilions showcased the latest tourism offerings.

A representative at Multinational Tourism Group Company told TTG Asia that Chinese travellers are particularly keen on Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Japan in Asia, and are eager to explore more mainland Chinese cities such as Chongqing and Qingdao.

A travel passport was created to drive greater visitor engagement at MITE 2026, with visitors collecting stamps at participating booths for a chance to enter a lucky draw.

There was also strong NTO representation from Asia-Pacific at MITE 2026, with pavilions for Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and more. Visitors not only interacted with local tourism companies, they also joined scheduled activities to better appreciate the destinations.

At the Thailand pavilion, for example, visitors learned massage techniques for migraine and enjoyed cultural dances.

Yoganthiran Manikam, vice consul (tourism) with the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, who led Malaysian tourism businesses at MITE 2026, said the annual event has been an invaluable platform for Malaysia to connect with trade buyers and consumers from all over China.

“MITE is such an important event, as it attracts visitors not only from the immediate Greater Bay Area. Since it is Visit Malaysia Year 2026, it is even more crucial that we are present at MITE 2026,” said Manikam.

He shared that the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board intends to promote a “surreal Malaysia” positioning across the Greater China market.

“We want tourists visiting Malaysia to experience authentic culture and food across the country,” he said, adding that Chinese travellers are becoming prolific explorers, some of whom have driven attention to “hidden gems” in Malaysia through their personal social media posts.

This regional focus extended to the Asia-Pacific Sustainable Gastronomy Showcase, where food, wine and coffee sections offered MITE 2026 visitors both tasting and learning experiences.

The attention on Asia-Pacific tourism collaboration at MITE 2026 was timely, as hospitality companies and traveller intention studies have observed growing resilience in intra-Asia travel appetite.

Travel tech firm Klook’s latest Travel Pulse research, conducted with consumer insights platform GWI, observed strong travel intention among Asia-Pacific respondents (64 per cent) compared to those in the west (43 per cent).

Marcus Yong, vice president global marketing at Klook, said: “Asia continues to be the heartbeat of where all this is happening.”