ITB Berlin News 2019 - Day 1 Edition

74 REGION ADVERTORIAL

74 REGION ADVERTORIAL ASIA © Government Information Bureau of the MSAR New link… new horizons HKZM bridge set to facilitate Macao’s role in international development It is simply the longest sea bridge in the world, and is destined to greatly boost business and tourism for Macao, while in itself being a breath-taking structure and achievement. With a total length of 55 kilometres, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HKZM Bridge), situated across the waters of Lingdingyang of Pearl River Estuary, is a megasize sea crossing linking the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Zhuhai City of Guangdong Province and Macao Special Administrative Region. It consists of a Main Bridge in Mainland waters together with the boundary crossing facilities and link roads within the three places. The functions of the Bridge are to meet the demand of passenger and freight land transport among Hong Kong, the Mainland (particularly the region of Pearl River West) and Macao, to establish a new land transport link between the east and west banks of the Pearl River, and to enhance the economic and sustainable development of the three places. The new link was the first largescale project developed jointly by the governments of the three places it immediately serves, demonstrating the successful implementation of the “one country, two systems” principle. It also represented a breakthrough moment in terms of the construction techniques used and in terms of the coordination mechanism applied to blend together the work of three places that each had a distinct set of public policies. The bridge was officially opened to traffic at 9:00am on 24th October. The opening ceremony took place at the HKZM Bridge Zhuhai Port’s Customs clearance building, with the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, President Xi Jinping, presiding over the ceremony and inaugurating the opening of the bridge. The Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), Mr Chui Sai On, says the launch of operations for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao (HKZM) Bridge will facilitate Macao’s contributions toward the Guangdong-Hong Kong- Macao Greater Bay Area, and the “Belt and Road” initiative. Mr Chui says the advent of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will have “significant influence in terms of politics, economics, and its likely effect on society”. The Bridge is the world’s longest piece of sea-crossing infrastructure with a 6.7-km-long underwater tunnel, and represented another milestone in terms of the country’s capability in building advanced, important, large-scale infrastructure, Mr Chui said. In particular, the Bridge was being commissioned at a historic time, as 2018 is the first year for the implementation of the development blueprint outlined at the 19 th CPC National Congress, and also marks the 40 th anniversary of the implementation of the country’s opening-up policy. NEW BOUNDARY CLEARANCE MODEL FOR MACAO-ZHUHAI BORDER The facilities offering border crossing services for passengers and vehicles travelling between Macao, Hong Kong and Zhuhai are open 24 hours a day, with the Customs clearance between Macao and Zhuhai conducted on a “Joint Inspection and One-time Release” principle, the nation’s first border clearance model. SHUTTLE BUS SERVICES SET TO CONNECT TO MACAO BORDER AND HKIA Shuttle buses are the main public transportation plying the bridge between Hong Kong, Macao, and Zhuhai borders, with the two main routes being the Hong Kong/Zhuhai run and the Hong Kong/Macao run. The Hong Kong/Macao route - transporting residents and visitors between the Macao border and Hong Kong border – provides about 200 coach trips daily, scheduled to depart every 5 minutes during peak period; 10 to 15 minutes during nonpeak period; and 15 to 30 minutes overnight (midnight to 6:00am). Cross-border coaches provide services between the urban areas of Hong Kong and Macao with fixed stopping points, fixed routes and fixed schedules. Meanwhile, the shuttle bus route connecting Hong Kong International Airport and Macao border crossing area will provide an alternative route for residents and visitors making their way to Hong Kong International Airport in the near future. In order to complement the opening of the HKZM Bridge, the Macao border crossing area and its connected roads are now open to traffic, with two bus routes connecting the artificial island Hall 26a / Stand 105 For more information about transportation arrangements, please visit: www.dsat.gov.mo. ITB BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2019 www.itb-berlin-news.com

SPOTLIGHT ON GERMAN REGION: BAVARIA 75 Bavaria pushes its nature credentials BAYERN HIGHLIGHTS @ ITB BERLIN TASTINGS: EVERY HOUR Bavarian beer, Franconian wine and traditional delicacies are known all over the world. The Bavarian brewers, winemakers and cheese dairy carry out their craft with great passion. Try local cheese, beer and wine with Bayern’s ambassadors Thomas Breckle and Andi Weigand. Or did you ever want to find out how the forest tastes? Four guys created the Snow White Gin and use only local ingredients including the needles fir tree. “AUFBREZELN” Braided, twirled or stuck – Traditional bavarian hairstyles are not just for the Oktoberfest a nice eye-catcher! If you want to get a taste of typical Bavarian style, you can have a nice braided hairstyle done by our hairdresser. AFTER-WORK BEER: FROM 5 PM Enjoy Bavarian cosiness with a beer after work: live tapping of a wooden barrel followed by a free beer. MEDIA TUNNEL A media tunnel with 14 large screens makes you feel like you are in the middle of a forest. It will touch all of your senses, as you will feel, smell and see the forest and you will learn more about the mysteries Hall 6.2b / Stand 301 A place of desire, a recreational space, an adventure playground – these are just some of the facets ascribed to Bavaria’s impressive forests. They shape the landscape and ensure that Bavarian residents and guests alike can enjoy a high quality of life. Forests are the source of a great many myths, traditions and arts and crafts – as well as being a piece of Bavarian identity. It has become clear that the issues of forest and nature have become a general social trend over the last few years, and one which is reflected in tourism. This applies to all target groups - active holiday makers, those seeking relaxation and families. We therefore want to use a widespread campaign this year to place the dream destination of forests at the heart of the marketing for Bavaria as a travel destination. With around five million trees, two national parks with extensive woodland areas, 19 nature parks, 165 forest nature reserves and comprehensive tourist offers such as five treetop trails, luxurious forest chalets and treetop hotels and forest campsites, we have a lot to offer in this area. According to travel analysis, we have been the number one nature holiday destination for German tourists for several years. We want to reinforce this position and generate additional demand among domestic and foreign visitors. Together with our tourist partners from across Bavaria and our traditionally different forest ambassadors, we will therefore be reflecting the diversity of the forest at ITB Berlin – as a giant adventure playground, a teacher of life skills and a culinary treasure chest – and inspiring locals and visitors to take a holiday in Bavaria Barbara Radomski CEO, Bayern Tourismus Marketing GmbH WE (…) PLACE THE DREAM DESTINATION OF FORESTS AT THE HEART OF THE MARKETING FOR BAVARIA GOLFING IN STARNBERG AMMERSEE DIGITAL NATURE – LIFESTYLES OF THE FUTURE Golfers can expect some of the most beautiful golf courses of the country when visiting this region between the state capital Munich and the Alps - with the highest golf course density in Germany. In Tutzing, with its short distances from fairway to fairway and the gigantic view of the Wetterstein and Karwendel mountains, idyllic ponds and creeks defend the courses’ greens. The 18-hole championship course Iffeldorf extends over a total of 104 hectares and is surrounded by ancient oak trees, small forests, lakes and biotopes. The Golf Club Starnberg is hosting the Pro Golf Tour from the August 15-18 this year. Hall 6.2b / Stand 310 Digital Nature is an exhibition dedicated to ways of complementing or extending the natural design of the human body through digitisation and other innovative concepts. The exhibition at the Munich Airport shows lifestyles of the future and provides answers to the following questions: “What does digital transformation mean for mankind?”, and “What is its immediate effect on the life of every single individual?” Organised by Bayern Design, the Centre of Excellence for Design of the State of Bavaria, in cooperation with Munich Airport, the exhibition can be viewed at the check-in area of Terminal 2 on level 4 Hall 9 / Stand 102 Munich Airport ITB BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2019