Art/Style/Travel Diaries

Melco hosts Glow Your Way to Macao in the Philippines

Why Macao is today's key destination for business and leisure travelers

Leading the toast at the Macao roadshow organized by Melco Resorts to promote the city’s diverse tourism offerings are Melco Resorts & Entertainment senior vice president and Studio City property general manager Kevin Benning, Tourism Congress of the Philippines president Roberto Zozobrado, Macao Government tourism office director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Philippine Department of Tourism National Capital Region regional director Sharlene Batin, Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute president Vincent U, Melco Resorts & Entertainment chief advisor Kent Wong, and City of Dreams Manila vice president for global marketing Ben Leong.

Thomas Leung, director of OTA and leisure sales and destination sales of Studio City, presents the Hollywood-inspired, cinematically-themed resort’s thrilling leisure and entertainment offerings.

Melco Resorts & Entertainment hosted an event titled Glow Your Way to Macao at City of Dreams Manila to promote Macao’s appeal as a key destination for meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions (MICE) and leisure.

In supporting the Macao government’s drive to diversify visitor arrivals and attract international travelers to the city’s diverse historical and cultural attractions, the event not only introduced Melco’s unparalleled hotel, entertainment, dining, and exhibition facilities in Macao, but also announced  the establishment of Melco’s first sales office in the Philippines at City of Dreams Manila. The Manila office demonstrates the company’s unwavering commitment to promoting Macao as a global hub for both leisure and business travelers.

Second to eighth from left: Melco Resorts & Entertainment senior vice president and Studio City property general manager Kevin Benning, Tourism Congress of the Philippines president Roberto Zozobrado, Macao Government tourism office director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Philippine Department of Tourism National Capital Region regional director Sharlene Batin, Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute president Vincent U, Melco Resorts & Entertainment chief advisor Kent Wong, and City of Dreams Manila vice president for global marketing Ben Leong with 11 industry leaders in Macao’s hospitality, travel, and tourism industry and heads of Philippine travel industry organizations

David Sisk, Melco’s chief operating officer–Macao Resorts, said, “In alignment with the Macao government’s vision of diversifying visitor sources and propelling sustained economic growth, the objective of our Glow Your Way to Macao event is to attract a greater influx of international visitors by enhancing their perception of Macao. In highlighting Macao’s appeal as a key destination for business and leisure travelers, we aim to entice local stakeholders and travelers from the Philippines to visit Macao, with its abundance of exciting historical and cultural offerings. The Philippines sales office, together with our forthcoming sales offices soon to be opened in Hong Kong, Singapore, and the Republic of Cyprus, will serve as platforms to showcase the unique charm of Macao to international tourists.”

 “Following the activation of Melco’s Macao Regional Sales Office last month here in Manila, this event celebrates the opening of a brand-new avenue to boost tourism relations between the Philippines and Macao,” said Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, director of the Macao Government Tourism Office. “Melco Resorts needs no introduction neither in the Philippines nor in Macao, and I am very encouraged to see Melco leverage its well-established tourism brand to drive visitor flows between our two sides.”

Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, commended the launch in Manila of Melco’s first Macao regional sales office.

“In our goal to spearhead and accelerate Macao’s sector development, it is great to see Melco continue to implement its drive to promote the city and its MICE infrastructure to overseas markets such as the Philippines,” added Vincent U, president of the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute. “In collaboration with cross-sector stakeholders in Macao, we will strive to attract more international enterprises to hold annual conferences, summits, and professional exhibitions in the city, both on a regional and global scale.”

Vincent U, President, Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute acknowledged Melco’s efforts to promote Macao as a MICE and tourist destination to the international market including the Philippines.

 “Today’s event has focused exciting insight into the allure of the city of Macao,” noted Sharlene Batin, regional director for the Philippine’s Department of Tourism, National Capital Region. “We look forward to the positive exchanges to be made between both leisure and business travelers from the Philippines and the Greater Bay Area as a result.”

Sharlene Batin, Regional Director, The Philippine Department of Tourism – National Capital Region shared that the showcase of Macao tourism is an opportunity for the mutual promotion of Macao and the Philippines as leisure and business travel destinations.

Batin, Fernandes, and Vincent U, were the guest speakers at the event. Other guests of honor were Kent Wong, chief advisor of Melco; Kevin Benning, senior vice president of Melco and property general manager of Studio City; and  Ben Leong, vice president, global marketing of City of Dreams Manila, as well as industry leaders in Macao’s hospitality, travel, and tourism industry. These included Andy Wu, chairman of the Travel Industry Council of Macao; Osborn Lo, chairman of the Macao Federal Commercial Association of Convention & Exhibition Industry; Roberto Zozobrado, president of the Tourism Congress of the Philippines; Fe Abling-Yu, president of the Philippine Tour Operators Association; and Patria Chiong, president of the Philippine Travel Agencies Association. Representatives from various local media and government departments, plus over 100 local companies including travel agencies, tourism-related organizations, and renowned enterprises, attended the event.

Kent Wong, chief advisor, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, awarded the raffle draw grand prize winner of an overnight stay at Studio City with breakfast and water park tickets for two.

Being Macao’s integrated resort operator awarded with the highest number of Michelin-star accolades, Melco sent its award-winning culinary team from Macao to craft a sensational six-course dinner for all guests at the event. The exceptional dining experience not only left a lasting impression on attendees but also highlighted Macao’s position as a UNESCO-designated Creative City of Gastronomy. By combining the finest culinary expertise and talent, and underlining Macao’s gastronomic excellence, Melco demonstrated its commitment to providing unparalleled hospitality to further promote the city as a premier destination for exceptional experiences.

Studio City executive sous chef Eddie Low, City of Dreams Macau executive sous chef Jason Ong, City of Dreams Macau executive pastry chef Christophe Duvernois, Pearl Dragon Studio City executive chef Otto Wong, Jade Dragon executive and Director, City of Dreams Macau culinary operations (Chinese Cuisine) director Kelvin Au Yeung, Melco Resorts & Entertainment vice president for culinary Calvin Soh, and Studio City Culinary Operations director Kenneth Law

An auspicious lion and dragon dance marked the start of the Melco Macao properties roadshow program.

A special Chinese cultural performance highlighted Macao’s rich heritage that attracts leisure international travelers.

Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited is a developer, owner and operator of integrated resort facilities in Asia and Europe. The company currently operates Altira Macau (www.altiramacau.com), an integrated resort located at Taipa, Macau, and City of Dreams (www.cityofdreamsmacau.com), an integrated resort located in Cotai, Macau. Its business also includes the Mocha Clubs (www.mochaclubs.com), which comprise the largest non-casino-based operations of electronic gaming machines in Macau. The company also majority owns and operates Studio City (www.studiocity-macau.com), a cinematically-themed integrated resort in Cotai, Macau. In the Philippines, a Philippine subsidiary of the company operates and manages City of Dreams Manila (www.cityofdreamsmanila.com), an integrated resort in the Entertainment City complex in Manila. In Europe, the company operates City of Dreams Mediterranean in Limassol in the Republic of Cyprus (www.cityofdreamsmed.com.cy) and continues to operate three satellite casinos in other cities in Cyprus (the “Cyprus Casinos”). For more information about the Company, please visit  www.melco-resorts.com.


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