Macao to build tourism training center in "Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area": chief executive

China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) plans to build a tourism training center for "Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area" with its sufficient teaching resource and leisure facilities, the SAR's chief executive said on Friday.

When answering the questions by legislators in Macao SAR's Legislative Assembly, Macao Chief Executive Chui Sai On said the SAR can boost the tourism training business as a way to participate in the "Greater Bay Area" development.

According to Chui, Macao Institute for Tourism Studies is ranked second in Asia in tourism training sector, and 18th in the world, providing a solid ground for training and teaching. Macao also has world's top class facilities for leisure and tourism service for trainees to practice and learn.

He added that since the graduates from Macao's high schools in 2017 is less than 5,000, the government will encourage local colleges and universities with tourism-related majors to enroll students from other regions to support the tourism development in the "Greater Bay Area."

The chief executive also told legislators that the government is considering a program to promote tourism in old districts of Macao downtown. He said there are over 20 old districts with historic and cultural value in Macao, which can be reactivated with proper traffic facilities and public promotion. Endit