Macau, China: Despite frequent changes and complex factors faced by the international environment, the global tourism industry keeps growing steadily nowadays. Macau where has always been a travel destination and casino has hosted The annual Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTE-Forum) today (18 Sep) to gather valuable insights for tourism development in the long term.

The two day forum -- a top-level gathering for key decision makers in the global travel and tourism sector created to share ideas and generate solutions on how the industry can continue to positively impact the world economy features more than 40 global leaders of political and economic sectors, ministers of tourism, provincial governors and officials from China and experts from the finance and investment industries to more in-depth discussions into the theme 'Regenerating Economies: Investment in Travel and Tourism'.

Mr. Ho Hau Wah, Vice Chairman of The National Committee of The Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Forum Chairman, remarked in the opening ceremony that the Global Tourism Economy Forum firmly believes tourism is an essential driving force for economic growth.

He said “the central government has clearly positioned tourism as the nation’s fifth strategic pillar industry, cementing its prominence as a driving force behind overall national economic development”.

The event today marked the second GTE-Forum expected to build on last year’s success and go further in exploring multi-directional connections and international exchanges, expanding strategic cooperation networks, and creating win-win situations in the global tourism economy.

Mr. Chui Sai On, Chief Executive of Macau SAR, stated, “The Global Tourism Economy Forum has invited tourism industry elites to come together for quality and in‐depth discussions under the theme ‘Regenerate our Economies: Invest in Travel and Tourism’. We believe the accomplishment of the Forum will create a positive impact on Macau along her path of becoming a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure and boost the city’s tourism development.”

With the tourism industry as one of Macao’s leading industries, He noted that Macao SAR government resolutely implements the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ principle, while being dedicated to building Macao into a world center of tourism and leisure.

Su Rong, also a CPPCC National Committee vice-chairman, in his congratulatory message at the forum, said tourism is a great industry as it gives impetus towards social and economic development and also drives development of different sectors of the economy.

Su praised the forum as a being a positive platform for people from various sectors to convene and discuss issues, brainstorm and look for solutions.

Established in 2012 by the Macao SAR Government and coordinated by the Global Tourism Economy Research Centre, the forum aimed to spark beneficial partnerships that have the power to shape the industry towards sustainable growth on a global scale and explore how tourism can help regenerate growth in the world economies. Through discussions between delegates and tourism stakeholders, the forum will uncover a wealth of opportunities in the industry, as well as their power to drive social and economic development.