MACAO, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) is gearing up for the 13th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Tourism Ministerial Meeting, scheduled from June 24 to 28.
The Macao SAR is fully committed to ensuring the successful delivery of the meeting, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, said at a recent media briefing.
A lot of work has been done such as preparations targeting the overall requirements of the meeting, the training of staff and preparations for sideline events, Senna Fernandes said.
Macao has been working closely with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the APEC Secretariat in carrying out preparations for the meeting, said the director, adding that the city will take the event as an opportunity to showcase its hospitality and capability, local cuisine, creative industries, and the integration of Chinese and Western cultures.
The meeting, along with the 67th APEC Tourism Working Group Meeting, will bring together senior tourism representatives of the APEC member economies for profound dialogues to forge closer communication and cooperation for the future development of the tourism industry in the Asia-Pacific Region.
Senna Fernandes said that the upcoming meeting will offer a good opportunity to showcase Macao's development over the past nearly 27 years since its return to the motherland, and "the development opportunities that come with the very strong support from our country."
"This time, it can be said that this truly reflected both China's overall national development and Macao's significant progress under the 'one country, two systems' policy," the director said.
The APEC tourism ministerial meeting is one of around 300 APEC-related meetings and events that have taken place or will take place in multiple Chinese cities throughout the year. China will host the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen in November, which marks the country's third time hosting the event following Shanghai in 2001 and Beijing in 2014.
Macao has strong infrastructure and service capacity despite its small size and population of around 600,000, said Pansy Ho Chiu-king, chairperson of the Global Tourism Economy Research Center, noting that the city is home to a wide range of globally recognized high-end hotel brands and highly concentrated tourism resources.
Located in south China, adjacent to Guangdong Province, and about 60 km from Hong Kong, Macao stands as an international tourism and leisure destination, featuring the integration of Chinese and Western cultures, UNESCO-listed historic sites, vibrant culinary culture and world-class entertainment offerings.
The city, with a land area of 33.4 square kilometers, recorded over 40 million inbound visitor arrivals in 2025, up 14.7 percent year on year, official data showed. International arrivals rose 13.7 percent from a year earlier to nearly 2.8 million in the same year.
In the first quarter of 2026, inbound visitor arrivals continued to grow, rising by 13.7 percent year on year, while international arrivals increased by 10.7 percent year on year. ■
