MUMBAI: BBC World has produced a series of commercials for Macau Tourism to celebrate the country's 2006 heritage year.

The campaign, airing in Asia Pacific and Europe, focusses on Macau's position as a heritage city and also highlights on three key annual events that take place in Macau - a fireworks festival, music festival and grand prix. Macau Tourism has partnered with BBC World for the past two years but this is the first time the advertising campaign has widened to include Asia Pacific and Europe.

The three events highlighted in the BBC World advertising campaign include:

- 20th Macau International Music Festival (MIMF) is to be held from 6 October to 5 November The eclectic programme of 28 performances promises to delight audiences in historical settings such as the Dom Pedro V Theatre, St. Dominic's Church and Mount Fortress.

- Wynn Macau - 18th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest to be held during September and October, features teams from Germany, Taiwan, Korea, Thailand, Portugal, Australia, the United States, Japan, France and China.

- The 53rd Macau Grand Prix from 16 to 19 November is the single most important race in the Formula 3 season each year. Former Macau Grand Prix winners include great names such as Ayrton Senna, Michael and Ralf Schumacher, and David Coulthard.

BBC World VP, Asia and Australasia Sunita Rajan, says, "BBC World is delighted to be able produce these commercials for Macau Tourism, which also showcase our creative excellence. The campaign, which focuses on music, sport and entertainment, targets the international traveller seeking new and different experiences. BBC World's audience of 65 million viewers a week largely comprises of business and leisure travellers, so this partnership with Macau Tourism creates perfect synergy."

The Director of Macau Tourism, Joel Manuel Costa Antunez says, "It is our great pleasure to co-operate with BBC World again to showcase Macau - a unique tourist destination. Through leveraging the extensive network of BBC World, we are sure that Macau's image, as one of the leading tourist destinations in the region, will be enhanced amongst our target audiences across the globe. We look forward to a fruitful and mutually beneficial co-operation with BBC World."

Macau Tourism is among a number of tourism boards to advertise on BBC World. Other boards include Tourism New Zealand, Palau Tourist Authority, Maldives Tourism, Beijing Tourism and Hangzhou Tourism.