by Irina de Carvalho

The Museums Fair of Macau, Hong Kong and Guangdong Province 2009 took place yesterday at the Macao Cultural Centre (CCM) Plaza to celebrate the International Museum Day.
The event was jointly organised by museums from Macau, Hong Kong and Guangzhou, in which exhibitions, booth games and performances were open for the public.
There were a variety of dynamic shows, including music, dancing, and singing by Cantonese pop idols during the whole afternoon.
In addition, individual booths representing each museum were set up for visitors to quickly learn about the characteristics of different museums from the three cities.
The Macao Post, which opened the Communications Museum in 2006, also issued commemorative envelopes and stamps during the day.
Tourism Activities Centre chief Arnaldo Martins who spoke on behalf of the Macau Government Tourist Office director yesterday, said that this year marked the second edition of the Museums Fair, while the International Museum Day has been celebrated in Macau for over 10 years.
“The fair last year was a success," Martins said.
The Tourism Activities Centre head also said that the Museums Fair was a way to invite tourists to visit all the museums at once, adding that many other entertainment activities were also offered to the public.
“During this time of the year the number of visitors has increased significantly and the visits to the local museums are also considerably high," he said.
"Last year it was really a great opportunity for locals and tourists to visit our museums and this year once again the fair plays a very important role since everyone can visit all 12 museums in one place”, he added.
On the other hand, the Macau Digital Photography Association also held an exhibition for the "Museums and Tourism" Photography Competition.
The 40 best entries selected from the competition are being showcased in the gallery on the ground floor of the Macau Museum of Art.
To celebrate the annual International Museum Day, admissions to all museums in Macau will be free from May 16 to18.
Each museum will prepare a series of special features and promotional activities, including seminars, thematic exhibitions and workshops, in order to let citizens feel the "unlimited power of museums in society".
According to the Macau Government Tourist Office, this year’s theme - “Museums and Tourism” - implies that museums will work "tirelessly together to contribute to society, the cultural and tourism development".