Gaming tourism should become an important source of economic development for Angola. Jorge Manuel Calado, the national director of the Angolan Ministry of Tourism, plans to develop the local gambling facilities and raise awareness of their offer.
Delegations from eight Portuguese-speaking countries gathered recently in Macao to attend the “Colloquium on Tourism, Conventions, and Exhibitions for Portuguese-Speaking Countries” organized by the Macau Forum.
Throughout these two weeks of training, Jorge Manuel Calado made a very positive assessment of his stay in Asia: “I will take to Angola the experience that I gained in Macau, particularly in the area of tourism innovation and gaming tourism”.
The director of the Ministry of Tourism said that, although the country already has “some half-hearted casinos”, betting on gaming tourism “will give the country high-profit benefits”.
Macau, the world’s gambling capital and the only place in China where casinos are legal, registered revenue of 32.8 million euros from gaming and welcomed about 8 million tourists.
Another highlight of the stay of the Portuguese-speaking representatives was the presentation on tourism products from Portuguese-speaking countries, which took place at the 7th Macau International Tourism Industry Expo. The event had 835 exhibitors this year, with all Portuguese-speaking countries present, doubling the exhibition area of 2018, with 22.000 square meters.
Three points emphasized by the Portuguese-speaking representatives were the strengthening of cooperation among universities, the implementation of training plans and the opportunities for Portuguese-speaking countries with the creation of a Great Bay “megamarket”, a world metropolis gathering nine Chinese cities, Macao and Hong Kong, with about 70 million people.