“Macao Night” brings large-scale tourism promotional event in Madrid to a grand finale

The large-scale promotional event “Experience Macao Roadshow in Madrid” concluded yesterday (21 April). Staging a kaleidoscope of mesmerizing performances, the “Macao Night” brought the event to a grand finale at the heart of the Spanish capital. Displaying the Macao SAR’s new developments in tourism, culture, trade, sports, and more, the roadshow was conducted in tandem with a gastronomy promotion, travel trade session as well as multichannel promotions to brand Macao as a glamorous destination in Spain in pursuit of international visitor markets.

Personages who presided over the “Macao Night” include Chief Executive of the Macao SAR, Sam Hou Fai; Secretary-General of UN Tourism, Shaikha Al Nuwais; Chinese Ambassador to Spain and Andorra, Yao Jing; President of the Plenary of the City Council of Madrid and President of the Moncloa-Aravaca District of Madrid, Francisco de Borja Fanjul Fernández-Pita; Deputy Regional Minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport of the Community of Madrid, Luis Fernando Martín Izquierdo; Chief-of-Office of the Office of the Chief Executive of the Macao SAR, Chan Kak; Deputy Director of the China Cultural Center in Madrid, Xu Tingting; Director of Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes; President of the Board of Directors of the Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), Che Weng Keong; Director of the Macao Economic and Trade Office in Lisbon, Lúcia Abrantes dos Santos, and Deputy Director of the Executive Committee of the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, Cao Jinfeng, among other guests. The event also brought together an IPIM-organized delegation of high-profile entrepreneurs from the public and private sectors in the Chinese mainland, Macao and Hengqin, along with representatives of Spanish and Macao travel trade and media, as well as the public.

Leverage Macao’s advantages to enhance friendship between China and Spain

Delivering remarks at the “Macao Night”, MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes expressed that visitor arrivals to Macao surpassed 40 million in 2025. The numbers of international visitors from Spain and Europe both saw a double-digit increase. The Macao SAR Government sent delegations to Spain for several occasions last year, participating in large-scale tourism and technology exhibitions as well as organizing promotional events to build closer connections with the Spanish travel trade. She sincerely invited friends in Spain to experience the latest development in Macao and China, with the anticipation of forging pragmatic exchange and cooperation with Spain in tourism, trade and commerce, technology, culture and other realms, building long-term partnerships and sound development together.

Chinese Ambassador to Spain and Andorra, Yao Jing, indicated in his speech that China and Spain have a close friendship and share deep connections in cultural tourism. Macao is the only region having Chinese and Portuguese as official languages in the world, playing a major cooperative platform for trade and commerce between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. He hoped that this event would serve as a great opportunity that ushers in a new chapter for Macao’s cultural tourism cooperation with Madrid and other cities in Spain. He invited different members of the sectors in Spain to visit Macao and experience the city’s profound history, modern dynamic and unique glamour of the East and West cultural encounters.

President of the Plenary of the City Council of Madrid and President of the Moncloa-Aravaca District of Madrid, Francisco de Borja Fanjul Fernández-Pita, highlighted in his speech that the Macao SAR Government and the Embassy of China in Spain chose Puente del Rey, one of the most beautiful sites in Madrid to showcase the wonders of Macao. Here at Puente Del Rey, where people go for leisurely stroll and enjoy the scenery, is the perfect place to connect with Madrid’s residents and tourists, inviting them to learn more about Macao. He was glad that a friendship was formed through this first roadshow of Macao in Spain, with the hope that this is the beginning of many more to come, as tourism is an area with great potential for further exploration.

Deputy Regional Minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport of the Community of Madrid, Luis Fernando Martín Izquierdo expressed congratulations to the Macao SAR Government on the success of the roadshow which offered Madrid residents a window onto Macao’s unique destination appeal in the world. He added that Madrid always welcomes Macao residents to experience the city’s heritage, culture, gastronomy and unique lifestyle.

Showcase Macao’s new tourism scene at the heart of Madrid

The “Experience Macao Roadshow in Madrid” was held from 17 to 21 April at Puente del Rey in the center of the Spanish capital. The roadshow invited the public in Madrid to experience Macao’s latest development as a world centre of tourism and leisure, via four exhibition zones featuring a total of 20 booths. Visitors to the event were greeted by a Welcome Counter and the Macao Tourism Experiences Zone, Macao Tourism Industry Zone, Government Entities Zone and Macao Tourism Products Promotion Zone. A daily program of interactive experiences and performances on stage also reinforced the promotion, while publicity was widened through advertisements, content creators, podcasts and other channels to showcase Macao and drive more visitors to the event.

UN Tourism’s Ambassador and social media creator with the most followers (over 160 million) on TikTok in the world, Khaby Lame, who attended the “2026 International Cities of Gastronomy Fest, Macao” this March, also joined the roadshow and Macao Night for an interactive encounter with his followers in Madrid and shared his experience on social media.

In tandem with the roadshow, the “China Taste – Macao Flavour” was unveiled in Madrid. Included by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in the “China Taste 2026” brand campaign, the activities included special Macao menus presented between 2 and 21 April in partnership with three popular restaurants in Madrid — Soy Kitchen, Lamian and TRIPEA. The Macao gastronomy showcase at Soy Kitchen, a Chinese contemporary fusion restaurant recommended by the Michelin Guide Spain 2026, will continue until 21 July. A Macao-inspired menu is prepared by the restaurant’s Head Chef Julio Zhang, following his inspirational familiarization visit to Macao during the “2026 International Cities of Gastronomy Fest, Macao” in March.

Travel trade session promotes mono- and multi-destination tourism to Macao

Before the end of the roadshow, on 20 April, a Macao Tourism Product Updates and Networking session was held in Madrid to present Macao’s latest tourism development and the potential of mono- and multi-destination travel to Macao. MGTO Deputy Director Cheng Wai Tong, joined by the Deputy Director of the China Cultural Center in Madrid, Xu Tingting, and the President of the Spanish Confederation of Travel Agents (CEAV), Carlos Garrido, delivered remarks at the occasion. During the event held at Soy Kitchen, Spanish content creator Alfon WHAT also shared his recent travel experience to Macao, followed by a trade exchange session and cocktail reception with Macao delicacies. The occasion gathered around 50 delegates of the travel trade from Macao and Spain.

During the visit to Madrid, MGTO also led a Macao travel trade delegation to visit the China Cultural Centre in Madrid for exchange and discussion on future cooperation opportunities for destination promotion in Spain. MGTO had a meeting with CEAV as well to explore collaboration opportunities to drive greater flows of Spanish visitors to Macao.

The “Experience Macao Roadshow in Madrid” was the first large-scale promotional event conducted by the Macao SAR Government in Spain, as part of the efforts to attract more international visitors and leverage the city’s advantages as a “precise connector” between the Chinese mainland and Spanish-speaking countries.