News

Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macau SAR Government Dr. Chui Sai On presided at the opening ceremony of the MGTO Annual Marketing Meeting and Macau Tourism Forum held today (June 29) at the Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Center. Director of Macau Government Tourist Office, João Manuel Costa Antunes reviewed last year’s tourism performance in Macau and outlined future marketing strategies to tourism industry participants and MGTO’s 38 representatives from 17 countries and regions at the Marketing Meeting. Speaking at the Marketing Meeting, Secretary for Social Affairs & Culture Chui Sai On noted that with the great support from the Central Government and the clear strategies of the Macau SAR Government in the past five years, Macau has been able to achieve very encouraging economic growth and social stability. Macau has also set its objectives to develop into a tourism, gaming, MICE and leisure hub. He acknowledged the presence of the new MGTO representatives in Los Angeles, New York and Paris, and he believed that, under the guidance of the Marketing Division at the MGTO Headquarters, the representatives from overseas would assist MGTO in carrying out the tourism policy set out by the Macau SAR Government, while at the same time, promote Macau and maintain its international profile of visitors. He said that the further opening up of the Mainland’s tourism markets had created favorable conditions for the continuous growth of Macau’s tourism industry. Last year, the tourism industry of Macau achieved remarkable growth. Visitor arrivals exceeded 16.67 million, an increase of 40% over 2003. Among the total visitor arrivals, 9.5 million were Mainland visitors, who accounted for 57% of total visitor arrivals, a significant growth of 66%. Other source markets also performed strongly and many achieved significant growth, including Hong Kong, Taiwan China, Japan, the United States, the Philippines, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore. Chui Sai On expressed that to be an international destination, Macau has to maintain a balanced market structure and continue to explore more potential source markets. Conscious of the world trend to develop regional tourism, Macau is fostering closer cooperation within the Pearl River Delta and the Pan-PRD regions to enhance the combined competitive advantage by resource sharing and joint promotions. In order to keep up with the growing competition and challenge, Chui stressed that it is essential and important to increase the range of Macau’s tourist attractions. In the coming few years, a number of tourism facilities and cultural attractions will be opened to the public and are expected to attract more visitors and encourage a longer stay in Macau. “Apart from new tourism products, we must also showcase our unique tourism characteristics. The successful listing of the “Historic Monuments of Macau” on the UNESCO World Heritage List will further enhance Macau’s image as a cultural destination, and also increase the worldwide exposure of its unique mix of Chinese and Portuguese cultures,” he added. He also pointed out that Macau is determined to develop the MICE industry and is working towards this aim by actively promoting Macau to international event organisers. The successful hosting of the 54th PATA Annual Conference and the 2005 JCI ASPAC Conference this year proved that Macau is capable of organising international conferences. The upcoming 4th East Asian Games in October will be another opportunity for Macau to express itself to the world and to uplift its profile in the international arena. The liberalisation of the gaming industry has introduced a brand new era to the gaming and tourism industry of Macau. All these developments will bring not only great opportunities but also various challenges. Macau has to constantly upgrade and enhance its service quality in the face of a large number of visitor arrivals. In his presentation of the tourism situation, MGTO Director João Manuel Costa Antunes said that the Macau tourism industry has made a strong start in 2005 with arrivals of close to 7.5 million in the first 5 months, a remarkable growth of 16.4% over the same period of last year. He noted that the importance of the East Asian region has shifted from 96.3% last year to 95.6% this year, signifying a gradual increase of visitors from source markets in other geographical regions. Antunes said that 50% of all visitors stayed one night or longer last year, and though the share of over-night visitors dropped to 47% for the first 5 months of 2005, in real number terms, it was still 10% up compared with the same period in 2004. He added that hotel occupancy across hotel and similar establishments in Macau was 72.2% in the first 5 months of 2005, which fell by 5.51 percentage points compared with same period of 2004. The decline was largely due to a 20.7% increase in the supply of hotel rooms, in addition to an increase of the average room rate, while visitors tend to avoid the perceived congestion of the “Golden Week” periods and public holidays. Antunes also commented that individual visitors from Mainland also showed strong growth. Last year individual visitors accounted for 37% of total Mainland visitors. The ratio has grown to 51% in the first 5 months of this year. The “Individual Visitor Scheme” has caused a shift in visitors’ travel pattern and led to a drop in package tours, especially those from the Guangdong region. He stressed that MGTO remains committed to achieving a balanced portfolio of visitors and will continue to expand and explore potential markets. “We are studying potential markets such as India, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Macau should identify the direction our market is heading to and strive to excel in the 4 Ps, Place, Product, Price and Promotion,” Antunes explained He continued that Macau is located at a strategic position within the Pearl River Delta. In recent years, the introduction of low cost carriers has enhanced accessibility to Macau and further facilitated the tourism of Macau. The city’s distinctive cultural heritage, together with new tourism facilities and attractions, as well as world-class themed hotels to be opened, are expected to attract more visitors and encourage a longer stay in Macau. It is necessary for Macau to build a brand of quality to ensure it is a value-for-money destination to entice quality visitors, and this will not be possible without a strong cooperation between government and private sectors in promoting the image of Macau as an enchanting destination. MGTO also invited representatives from governmental departments, event organizers, gaming operators, airlines and theme park operators to give the latest updates on the development of their projects in the “Macau Tourism Forum”, where MGTO’s representatives around the world, travel trade and media learned more about the new developments in Macau which will enhance the promotion of the tourism industry.
…

Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicates that total land area of Macao measured 27.5 km2 in 2004 and the population density was 16,921 persons per km2. Green area was 5.9 km2, while per capita green area was 12.8 m2. At the end of 2004, number of trees planted on roadside in the Macao Peninsula totalled 6,591, up 12.4% over 2003, while the number of trees in the replantation area of the Islands increased 6.1% compared with 2003. In 2004, level of air quality observed at the 4 monitoring stations was classified as Good in most of the days; the best air quality was in July. The Northern District monitoring station recorded a total of 33 days when the value of respirable suspended particulates was above the standard. Besides, the Ka Ho monitoring station recorded the lowest pH value of rainwater, at 3.7 (precipitation with pH value lower than 5.6 is classified as acid rain).
The quality of drinking water of the distribution networks and the Water Treatment Plants was classified as “in good drinking condition” by the Laboratory of the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau. In 2004, water quality of all public swimming pools was appraised as “A” grade; water quality of the Cheoc Van and Hac Sa beaches was classified as “Acceptable”.
Volume of domestic waste (155,000 tonnes) and commercial and industrial waste (52,000 tonnes) collected by the Companhia de Sistemas de Resíduos (CSR) in 2004 increased by 0.3% and 11.9% respectively compared with 2003. In addition, volume of waste sent to the Incineration Plant rose 3.0% over 2003 to 256,000 tonnes. The daily average of waste water treated by the Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTP) of Macao was 151,000 m3, an increase of 13.0% over 2003. In 2004, Public Security Police received 2,695 cases of noise complaints, up 4.2% over 2003. The principal causes of the complaints were related to noises from Construction work, Conversation and shouting, as well as Music and karaoke. At the same time, the Environment Council received 76 complaints about noise, a significant increase of 52.0% over 2003. With regard to the educational activities on environmental protection, the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau and the Environment Council organized 59 promotional activities; total expenses amounted to MOP2.99 million and participation of more than 160,000 persons in these activities.
…

According to the results of the Employment Survey released by the Statistics and Census Service, unemployment rate was 4.1% for March - May 2005, which remained at the same level of February - April 2005 while underemployment rate increased slightly by 0.1 percentage point to 1.3%. Compared with the same period of 2004, both unemployment and underemployment rates dropped by 1.0 percentage point. Number of the unemployed searching for their first job was about 700, or 6.8% of the total unemployed population, a decrease of 2.0 percentage points over February - April 2005. Compared with February - April 2005, unemployment situation continued to improve in Construction sector; improvement was also observed in Retail trade, Manufacturing and Restaurants & similar activities, while the situation was slightly worse in Transport, storage & communications sector. Total labour force was estimated at 241,000 in March - May 2005; the employed and the unemployed populations were 231,000 and 9,800 respectively. Labour force participation rate was 62.3%, down slightly by 0.1 percentage point compared with February - April 2005 but up by 1.5 percentage points over the same period of 2004.
…

The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam, today described the Chief Executive’s visit to Brazil as a huge success and said it was fruitful in many ways. Speaking in Rio de Janeiro on 25 June (Brazil time), Mr Tam said: “The Brazilian President and the ministers have expressed their recognition of Macao as a mediator between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, a gateway to the China market, especially the South China region. “At the same time, all the state governments have expressed their interests in strengthening relations with Macao.” Mr Tam said it was encouraging to see the business associations of Macao and Brazil sign agreements on economic co-operation. He also noted that the contacts with the Casas de Macau and other international Macanese societies had brought new progress in the links between Macao and the overseas Macanese communities. “These links will be helpful in the future in promoting Macao internationally.” The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, and the Macao delegation arrived at Rio de Janeiro, the last leg of six-day visit to Brazil, in the evening of 24 June (Brazil time). In the morning of 25 June (Brazil time) Mr Ho met with the Deputy Governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Mr Luiz Conde. In the afternoon, Mr Ho and the delegation visited two of the most famous landmarks of Rio de Janeiro -- Mount Corcovado and Mount Pão de Açúcar -- before leaving the country in the evening.
…

The well-known Constitutional Law expert, Gomes Canotilho, Professor of the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra, Portugal, will be the speaker at the Seminar on “The Constitutional Process of the EU: The New Constitutionalism –The European Constitution as a Problem” that will start tomorrow, 27 June, at 6:30 pm, at the auditorium of the Legal and Judicial Training Centre (Luso-International Bank Building, 18th floor). Included in the Co-operation Programme in the Legal Field between the European Union and Macao, the seminar is taking place daily, until the end of the week, during two hours after-work. The first part of the seminar, which is under the title of “Three items: three problems”, will discuss the topics “The constitutionalism as a multilevel constitutionalism”, “The new constitutionalism and the demands for a good governance” and “The new constitutionalism and the network of legal orders”. The second part of the seminar will be entitled “The constitutionalism and the weaknesses of Constitutions: the European debate” and will discuss the topics “Constitutionalism and migrations”, “Constitutionalism and economic dislocations”, “ Constitutionalism and multiple citizenships”, “Constitutionalism and social models”, “Constitutionalism and the policies of security and national defence” and “Constitutionalism and universalisation of principles”. The seminar is organised by the Legal and Judicial Training Centre and will be conducted in Portuguese. The seminar targets Law degree holders and is already counting on the attendance of around forty participants. The Co-operation Programme in the Legal Field between the European Union and Macao, which incorporates this seminar, has as its main objective the “Consolidation of the Macao Legal System” and is already in its fourth and last year, taking place until February 2006. The total budget for the programme is of 1.980.000 euros, shared in equal parts by the European Union and Macao. The co-ordination of the Co-operation Programme is at the responsibility of the International Law Office, being the organisation of the pertaining activities ensured by several other entities of the MSAR’s Government, namely the Legal and Judicial Training Centre, the Legal Affairs Bureau, the Economic Services and the Institute of European Studies, other than the International Law Office itself.
…

The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah said that Macanese community could play a more important role in enhancing economic co-operation between Brazil, Macao and the Mainland. During his visit to the Casa de Macau in Sao Paulo on 20 June (Brazil time), Mr Ho also recalled that his previous visit to Sao Paulo in 1997 coincided the opening of the Casa de Macau in Sao Paulo. Mr Ho said much changes had occurred in Macao since then, the greatest being the establishment of the Macao SAR. Despite this, the bond between Macanese and other communities in Macao had remained unchanged. He said that the Macanese community had been an asset for Macao, but for a long time this asset had been emphasised but for not capitalised for various reasons. With the ever-closer co-operation between China and Brazil, and the support of the Central Government for Macao ‘s role as a mediator between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, this is the best time to maximise this advantage and for the Macanese community to play an important role in the China and Macao’s economic co-operation with Brazil, Mr Ho said. He said that the newly found Macanese Community Council could also play an active role in linking Macanese communities all over the world and in promoting Macao and the unique Macanese culture. Mr Ho said the six-day visit marked the beginning of further co-operation between the Macao SAR Government and the Casa de Macao in Sao Paulo. Macao would always be home for Macanese, Mr Ho said, and he encouraged them to come visit more often, saying that the SAR Government is willing to provide necessary assistance. During the visit, the Macanese Education Promotion Association signed two co-operation agreements on cultural and youth affairs with the Casa de Macau in Sao Paulo and in Rio de Janeiro respectively. Mr Ho and the delegation will leave for Brasilia the following morning (21 June Brazil time).
…

Organized jointly by the Macau Sport Development Board (MSDB), Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) and the China - Macau Autosports Club (ACMC), the FIM-UAM Asian Motocross Championships, Macau will be held tomorrow and day after tomorrow in Macau. Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Dr. Chui Sai On will officiate the opening ceremony, which will be held tomorrow afternoon. Other guests who will present at the opening includes, Acting President of MSDB Alex Vong, Director of MGTO João Costa Antunes, President of the General Assembly of ACMC Lo Keng Chio, President of ACMC Chong Coc Veng and President of FIM-UAM Asian Motocross & Enduro Commission Stephan Carapiet etc. Famous actor Richie Jen, who is also a motorcycle sports’ fan, will be present at the event and will try out a demonstration round on bike. The organizers will set up 6 “reporter” areas to facilitate the coverage of media in a safe and orderly manner. Registered media should wear the yellow bib provided by the organizers for identification. The FIM-UAM Asian Motocross Championships is organized by the world motorcycle sport governing body, the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and the Asian Motorcycling Union (UAM), with the Macau round organized by the MSDB, MGTO and the ACMC. Established in 1998, the UAM is the governing body for all motorcycle events held in Asia and is comprised of 18 member destinations including Macau. The races of FIM-UAM Asian Motocross Championships, Macau this year include the 125cc Asian Motocross Championships, along with the 85cc Asian Junior Motocross Championships, 65cc Junior International Class and the Macau Cup Open. Over 60 participating riders from Australia, the Mainland China, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, New Zealand, Saipan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand will compete in the 3rd round of the Championships in Macau. Macau is the only round in Asia which hosts the 85cc Asian Junior Motocross Championships (age 12 to 15) and 65cc Junior International Class (12 years old and under). These international events provide opportunities for the upcoming young stars of motocross in Asia to gain valuable experience. To be held on June 25 and 26 at the track adjacent to Pousada Marina Infante on COTAI (area between Taipa and Coloane), the event will be the 3rd round of the FIM-UAM Asian Motocross Championships for 2005. The event will be televised globally on Star TV and ESPN to a projected audience of 490 million households, putting Macau in the international spotlight. Macau Satellite TV will also transmit a 10-minute highlight of the races daily through satellite, facilitating more instant and convenient coverage by the international media. The satellite covers more than 30 countries and regions in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Asia Pacific region and Pan Asia Pacific region. The parameter of satellite transmission for FIM-UAM Asian Motocross Championships, Macau Vide em anexo!
…

The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, has paid a courtesy call on the President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Mr Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, during his official visit to the country. Speaking after the meeting today (22 June Brazil time), Mr Ho said the session had been very friendly and constructive. 'President Lula agreed that Macao will be instrumental and constructive as the platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries, as well as between China and Brazil. 'President Lula especially recognised that Southern China is one of the fast-growing economic zones in the whole region and that it will provide vast opportunities for Brazilian business people and products.' Mr Ho said President Lula had asked the ministry for commerce to begin a series of talks with the Macao SAR Government, to establish conditions to fully utilise Macao as the platform. Before the meeting President Lula, Mr Ho met the Minister of Development, Industry and External Commerce, Mr Luiz Fernando Furlan, the President of the Federal Senate, Mr Renan Calheiros, and the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Mr Severino Cavalcanti. Mr Ho and the Macao delegation are scheduled to continue with their visit, to Manaus on 23 June (Brazil time).
…

The final race day of the opening round of the 2005 Macau Touring Car Championship, organized by the China-Macau Autosport Club, was held at Zhuhai International Circuit today (June 19). Rounds two and three of the event will also be held at Zhuhai International Circuit at the end of July and August. As the event was a qualifier for the 52nd Macau Grand Prix, the competitors went all out in the race, resulting in some exciting on-track action, although the races ran smoothly. Results of today’s races are as follows: Macau Touring Car Championship N2000 Race 2
1st Lei Weng Lon Honda Civic EP3 2nd Lai Kit Man Honda Integra DC2
3rd Wong Hou Man Honda Integra DC5 Macau Touring Car Championship – Super Touring Car 2000cc Race 2
1st Lei Chong Seng Honda Civic EP3
2nd Eurico de Jesus Honda Integra DC5
3rd Ng Kin Veng Honda Integra DC2 Hong Kong- Macau Friendship Cup N2000 Race
1st Yen Cheuk Wai Honda Integra DC2
2nd Lei Weng Lon Honda Civic EP3
3rd Tse Cheuk Ngai Honda Integra DC2 Asian Formula 3 Race
1st James Winslow (GBR)
2nd John O’Hara (IRE)
3rd Rodolfo Ávila (MAC)
…

Round one of the 2005 Macau Touring Car Championship (MTCC), organized by the China – Macau Autosports Club, was held today (June 18). The race, which attracted many spectators, was a qualifier for the 52nd Macau Grand Prix. Results of Macau Touring Car Championship and Super Touring Car races are as follows: Hong Kong / Macau Touring Car Championship – Super Production Touring Car Race 1ST ：No. 89 - Lei Chong Seng ( Honda Civic EP3 )
2ND：No. 32 - Liu Lic Ka ( Honda Integra DC5 )
3RD：No. 99 - Ng Kin Veng ( Honda Integra DC2 ) Macau Touring Car Championship N2000 Race 1ST ：No. 12 - Ho Wai Kun ( Honda Integra DC5 )
2ND：No. 71 - Lei Weng Lon ( Honda Civic EP3 )
3RD：No. 36 - Chan Man Fong ( Honda Integra DC5 ) Round one of the 2005 Macau Touring Car Championship will continue tomorrow (June 19). All fans are welcome.
…