MACAO -- The 14th Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo (MITE) opened at the Special Administrative Region (SAR)'s Cotai Expo on Friday, together with destination presentations, industry forums, and workshops.

Organized by the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), this year's expo is held under the theme "Global Convergence, Future Horizons" and attracts over 700 tourism-related enterprises and government entities from 59 countries and regions, as well as more than 600 hosted buyers, the office said in a press release.

Tai Kin Ip, the Macao SAR government's secretary for economy and finance, said at the opening ceremony that the expo is one of Macao's largest and most recognized international tourism trade fairs, bringing together industry leaders from around the world and serving as an important platform for promoting global tourism cooperation.

He added that Macao's tourism sector has maintained steady growth this year, with visitor arrivals exceeding 10 million in the first quarter, including an estimated more than 750,000 international visitors.

During MITE, representatives from Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, were invited to join a tour of Macao to raise the city's profile and visibility in Central Asia and the international tourism sector, the tourism office said.

Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, director of the MGTO, noted in an interview that the Greater Bay Area cities are practicing to strengthen mutual cooperation, with more multi-destination itineraries in the future. Building on the solid foundation of existing collaboration, she said, the region should further leverage its collective strengths to attract more international visitors.

The event runs from Friday to Sunday.