Hong Kong and Macau can complement rather than compete with each other in tourism development, officials and industry leaders in the gaming hub have said, as it continues its decades-long push for economic diversification.

Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, director of the Macau Government Tourism Office, said that the two cities had long worked together to attract overseas visitors and should continue building on that relationship rather than viewing each other as rivals.

Speaking ahead of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) tourism ministers’ meeting in Macau next week, she noted that the two cities offered distinct experiences and could benefit from sharing visitor flows by leveraging their respective strengths.

Fernandes highlighted Hong Kong International Airport’s role as a key transport hub for the Greater Bay Area, adding that the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge in 2018 had significantly improved regional connectivity and made multi-destination travel more convenient.

“We should continue thinking about how to make better use of everyone’s resources and tell the Greater Bay Area story well,” she told reporters visiting Macau.

She added that Macau should work not only with the Hong Kong Tourism Board but also with the city’s wider tourism industry.