The Pacific Asia Travel Association has chosen Macao, China, as the host city for PATA Travel Mart 2027, with the three-day event scheduled to run from 20 to 22 September 2027.
It will be the first time in a decade that the association’s flagship travel trade exhibition returns to the destination.
The Macao Government Tourism Office will host the event, marking a continuation of one of PATA’s longest-standing institutional partnerships. The announcement was made on 27 April 2026 from PATA’s Bangkok headquarters.
“For the first time in a decade, the Association’s flagship Travel Mart will be organised in Macao, China,” said Noor Ahmad Hamid, CEO, Pacific Asia Travel Association. “We had the opportunity to experience the destination’s world-class hospitality in 2010 and 2017 during the first and second PATA Travel Marts held in Macao, and most recently in 2024 during the PATA Annual Summit.”
Hamid added that MGTO has been a supporter of the PATA Gold Awards for more than 30 years. “With this strong partnership and Macao’s exceptional capabilities as a host destination, we are confident that this Travel Mart will further showcase the city’s excellence and hospitality on the global stage,” he said.
PATA Travel Mart is one of Asia Pacific’s longest-running international travel trade exhibitions. PTM 2027 will offer networking and contracting opportunities designed to connect travel and tourism organisations with influential decision-makers across the region. The programme also includes a full-day insight forum on the latest tourism trends, the PATA Gold Awards 2027 celebration, and additional social functions across the three days.
MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes said the event presents an opportunity to demonstrate the city’s evolution. “We are looking forward to welcoming PATA Travel Mart delegates once again next year for a firsthand update on the dynamic developments of Macao as a world centre of tourism and leisure, with an emphasis on diversification,” she said.
Fernandes added that the event reinforces Macao’s role as a gateway between the Chinese mainland and the wider world. “By hosting this PATA flagship event, we are also pleased to offer delegates the opportunity to fully leverage our city’s unique advantages in connecting the Chinese mainland with the world,” she said.
Macao brings considerable credentials to the role. Its historic centre has held UNESCO World Heritage status since 2005, and in 2017 the city was designated a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. The destination currently has approximately 47,000 hotel rooms and maintains a busy events calendar that includes the Macao Grand Prix and Art Macao.
The city’s intangible cultural heritage inventory records 70 items, with 11 listed on China’s national representative list, among them Cantonese Opera, Herbal Tea Brewing and Macanese Gastronomy. PATA previously hosted Travel Marts in Macao in 2010 and 2017 before the 2027 edition was confirmed.
