Macau, China, Dec. 2, 2025 (Lusa) - The 50th National Congress of the Portuguese Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies begins on Tuesday in Macau, with more than a thousand professionals, a record number, to discuss the tourism sector.
Macau is hosting for the sixth time what is considered the largest congress in the tourism sector, which will run until 4 December, under the theme "75 years looking to the future".
The Portuguese Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies (APAVT) President Pedro Costa Ferreira told Lusa that, as of last Friday morning, the event had surpassed "1,000 accreditations, which is the highest number" for the association's congresses since records began.
"It's an extraordinary number, even considering that we had very high expectations. The fact that it is in Macau, a city we have not visited since 2017, that it is our 75th anniversary, that it is our 50th congress, or even the fact that we are incorporating the Turismo de Portugal (Portuguese tourist board) roadshow through Asia into one of our panels, have been fundamental reasons for this very positive result," he explained to Lusa.
Regarding expectations, he said: "Honestly, we hope it will be a memorable congress."
This congress also marks the culmination of the association's 75th anniversary celebrations.
He explained to Lusa that the strategy of approaching the world's main tourist market, China, was one of the reasons for choosing Macau again.
"We have been working with Macau for years and years, and when things go well and become more intense from year to year, it naturally leads to a congress being held, as happened this year," the APAVT president told Lusa when asked about the choice of location.
In addition to the reason given, Pedro Costa Ferreira stressed that "there is an obvious strategy to approach the world's largest tourist market, China, a strategy that is fully embraced by both private operators and the Portuguese tourist board".
As for the main challenges, Pedro Costa Ferreira said that they began when a congress was organised on the other side of the world.
Then, with "the support it received, due to the topics presented, the speakers involved, and the connection with the Chinese source market, the challenge from this point on is to manage a conference with a few hundred more people than usual. Maintaining proximity to members, maintaining the normal flow of work, transporting people, etc.," he explained.
Regarding the choice of theme, he assured us that "it reveals ambition and follows a strategic development model."
"In fact, we are going to look to the future, “on top” of the best figures for the sector, which occurred in 2024 and will be consolidated throughout this year. On the other hand, we feel that, throughout our 75 years of history, this is how we have lived each year, preparing for the future, planning for the future, thinking about the future. We will ultimately celebrate our 75th anniversary in the same way that we have lived each year of our lives, looking to the future," concludes the president of APAVT.
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