News

Immigration authorities recorded a total of 1,843,878
crossing the five immigration checkpoints of the Macao SAR over the Labours Day "Golden-Week" holidays ( May 1 to May 7) Total number of arrivals stood at 919,457
with Border-gate: 723,823
Lotus Bridge: 25,311
Outer Harbor Ferry Terminal: 146,683
Inner Harbor Wharf Nº14: 6,769
Macao International Airport: 16,871 Total of departures stood at 924,421
with Border-gate: 753,475
Lotus Bridge: 25,023
Outer Harbor Ferry Terminal: 119,009
Inner Harbor Wharf Nº14: 5,851
Macao International Airport: 21,063 Meanwhile, total number of tourists entering Macao in that period stood at 412,878
,with a growth of 20.10% over the same period of last year.
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The Mainland’s decision to reform the exchange regime of the Renminbi will facilitate the economic development of Macao, the Secretary of Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen, said this afternoon. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) last evening announced that from now on the Reminibi’s exchange rate would be adjusted according to a basket of currencies. The move means the Reminibi will now trade at around 8.11 to the US dollar, as against 8.28. “Macao will only have a temporarily slight effect as the scale of increase is not high,” said Mr Tam. But he said the reform might bring benefits to the import and export industry of Macao. On market anticipation that the value of the Renminbi would go up by 10% within this year, Mr Tam said it would take some time to see how the currency moved.
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“The Historic Centre of Macao” has been officially listed as UNESCO World Cultural Heritage. To commemorate this event, the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government is holding “A Gathering in Time and Space – The Historic Centre of Macao” exhibition on July 22 at 3pm in the Tap Seac Gallery. With “The Historic Centre of Macao” as its theme, “A Gathering in Time and Space – The Historic Centre of Macao” exhibition will display 69 works from 39 local artists created recently for the application of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage. The exhibits include ink wash paintings, calligraphies, watercolour paintings, oil paintings, collages, block prints, photographs and posters. Models of the cultural bulidings in “The Historic Centre of Macao” will also be displayed. In addition, numerous photos accompanied by descriptions are used to introduce the characteristics and architecture styles of “The Historic Centre of Macao”. Audience will be able to observe the ways Chinese and Western artists portrayed “The Historic Centre of Macao”, how western art is spread in China and the mutual influences of Chinese and Western art in Macao. The exhibition’s audio-visual section actively brings audience to “The Historic Centre of Macao” in a 20-minute video narrated in four languages including Cantonese, Portuguese, Mandarin and English. The exhibition will kick-off this Friday (July 22) at 3pm in the Tap Seac Gallery. All are welcome. Guiding serivces are available. Schools and associations are welcome to make appointments. Guiding services for the public will be available from July 30 on Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm and 4pm.
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Due to renovation works, the information counter located at Largo do Senado, No. 9, Edif. Ritz will be temporarily moved to the lobby of Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau at Av. Almeida Ribeiro, nº 163 from July 25 to December 25. During the period, the telephone number of the information counter remains unchanged at 333000.
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The Chief Executive Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah today had a breakfast meeting with visiting European Commission President, Mr José Manuel Barroso. Speaking to the press after the meeting, Mr Barroso congratulated Mr Ho on his success re-election as Chief Executive last year and the recent inclusion of the historic monuments of Macao in the World Heritage List. Mr Barroso said Macao had rapidly developed in the past few years under the governance of the Macao Special Administrative Regional Government and that the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law provided stability and progress. Mr Barroso said he hoped that Macao would continue to play a special role in improving relations between the Mainland and Europe. Mr Barroso also invited the Chief Executive to visit the European Commission in Brussels again. Mr Ho last visited Brussels in 2001. After visiting a tourist attraction, Mr Barroso finished his two-day visit in Macao and left for Hong Kong in the morning.
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(Macao—19 July 2005) Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Chui Sai On, today met with the Vice Minister of Health, Mr Jiang Zao and the World Health Organization Regional Director for Western Pacific, Dr Shigeru Omi respectively, when they exchanged opinions on enhancing co-operation based on the existing mechanism. Mr Chui hosted a lunch for Mr Jiang and his delegation, during which he thanked him for the long-term support from the Ministry of Health for medical affairs in Macao. They agreed to work closely in four areas, namely increasing the numbers of infectious diseases in which they will make public announcements, stepping up a prevention mechanism for the outbreak of public health issues between Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, enhancing training and visits for medical professionals, and co-operation in international activities hosted by Macao. Meanwhile, the visiting health officials were updated on the latest general health conditions and the operation of the medical development. Also, at the invitation of Mr Chui, the WHO Regional Director for Western Pacific, Dr Shigeru Omi arrived in Macao this evening. During the meeting, Mr Chui and Dr Shigeru Omi have expressed concern on reports of avian flu in South East Asia. They agreed to continuously enhance the supervision over the epidemic situation. Mr Chui briefed Dr Shigeru Omi the latest development on the “Health City” project. They also exchanged opinions on the co-operative items between the Macao Government and WHO.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service shows that Composite CPI for June 2005 was 98.18, up by 1.01% compared with May 2005. Attributable to increasing rent of housing and expenses of house maintenance, rising prices in summer clothing and footwear, as well as fresh vegetables, the indices of Clothing and footwear, Rent and housing expenses, and Foodstuff and beverages rose by 2.05%, 1.86% and 1.05% respectively. On the other hand, index of Education and leisure fell by 0.14%, as a result of price reduction in video and sound equipment, which was the only section that recorded a decreasing index in June. Compared with last month, CPI(A) and CPI(B) increased by 0.93% and 0.95% respectively. Composite CPI in June 2005 registered a significant year-on-year increase of 4.47%. For the 12 months ended in June 2005, the average Composite CPI rose by 2.87% over the previous period. In the first half of 2005, Composite CPI increased by 3.51% over the same period of 2004. Composite CPI for the second quarter of 2005 was 97.35, up by 0.82% over the first quarter. In comparison with the same quarter of 2004, Composite CPI increased by 3.79%, with marked increases in the indices of Rent and housing expenses (6.15%), Foodstuff and beverages (4.79%), as well as Education and leisure (2.57%). CPI(A) relates to 54% of households, which had an average monthly expenditure of MOP3,000 - MOP9,999. CPI(B) relates to 26% of households, which had an average monthly expenditure of MOP10,000 - MOP19,999.
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Macau International Fireworks Display Contest, the world’s foremost illustrious, will be held on September 3, 10, 18, 24 and October 1 at the sea area across the Macau Tower this year. The Macau International Fireworks Display Contest, organized by Macau Government Tourist Office, has always been a colossal event. Splendid fireworks will light up the sky of Macau, adding joyous atmosphere to the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day. For the first time in its 16-year history, the Macau International Fireworks Display Contest will introduce a new feature to the event, in which each participating team will complement their display with music to enthrall the audience with light and sound spectacular. The organizer will install the sound system at the Macau Tower Outdoor Plaza seaside, Macau Tower Street seaside and the square in front of Kun Iam Statue on Ave. Dr Sun Yat Sen so that the public can enjoy synchronized music to the spectacular display The 17th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest features ten teams, from Australia, Korea, United Kingdom, Japan, Spain, the Philippines, Portugal, Taiwan China, France and China, each will show off their pyrotechnic wizardry to the spectators both from Macau and overseas. Teams from Japan and Taiwan China were the winner in the 16th and the 15th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest respectively, while the team from China was the second-runner up of the 14th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest and featured at the fireworks display to celebrate the 3rd Anniversary of the Establishment of the Macau SAR. The French team, Brezac is very experienced in the field and has taken part in various fireworks displays and competitions in Europe, Asia and North America. The team from Spain, which will perform in Macau for the first time, has represented Spain in a number of international events to display spectacular musical firework shows. The team from United Kingdom is one of the largest firework companies in the country and was selected as the firework supplier for the UK Royal Air Force in 2004. The Australian team has also achieved excellent results in several firework displays in the United States. Other participating teams, with their rich experiences and special feature, will surely bring audiences a colorful and memorable time. The teams for this year are: Fire-works.com.au pty. ltd. from Australia, DAHL’S Pyrotechnics from Korea, MLE Pyrotechnics Limited from the United Kingdom, Tamaya Art Pyro Technics from Japan, Pirotecnia TURIS from Spain, Platinum Fireworks from the Philippines, Pyrfel – Pirotécnia, Ltd from Portugal, San Tai Fireworks Ind. Co., Ltd from Taiwan, China, Brezac-Artifices from France and Hunan Jixiu Fireworks Displaying and Manufacturing Co., Ltd from China. Each fireworks display will last for approximately 18 minutes, and there will be two displays per night at 9 pm and 10 pm. The organizer is going to present US$17,500 to each fireworks team as subsidy. The winner will receive US$6,000, trophy and certificate. First and second runner-up will receive US$3,200, US$1,800, trophies and certificates respectively. The Macau International Fireworks Display Contest first started in 1989, with only five participating teams. By 1995, the event has developed to a ten-team event, with two different teams showing their expertise each night. For the past 16 years, over 90 international teams had taken part in the Macau International Fireworks Display Contest. The Macau Government Tourist Office will continue to work towards advancing the event’s international status and reputation, with the vision to bring about the world’s most prominent international fireworks display. MGTO hopes that the glamorous firework displays, together with the colorful activities, will bring a splendid holiday to the visitors in Macau. In order to capture the spectacular moments of the fireworks display contest, the photo and drawing competitions will be held again this year. The 17th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest Photo Competition and the 17th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest Drawing Competition will invite entries soon. The winners of the two competitions will be entitled for premiums and trophies. The prize presentation ceremony for the 16th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest Photo Competition and the 16th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest Drawing Competition was held today (21 July) and the awarded photos and drawings are exhibited at the lobby of Macau Tower.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicates that number of visitor arrivals totalled 1,433,075 in June 2005, which represented a year-on-year increase of 10.2%; visitors from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, China increased 9.4%, 3.3% and 20.3% respectively. Meanwhile, same-day visitors accounted for 52.2% of the total arrivals, at 748,765. The majority of visitors came from Mainland China (56.0% of the total), Hong Kong (28.9%) and Taiwan, China (9.1%). Among the visitors from Mainland China, 402,673 (50.1%) travelled to Macao under the Individual Visit Scheme. In the first half of 2005, visitor arrivals totalled 8,923,323, up 15.4% over the same period of last year. Visitors from Mainland China increased 11.7% to 4,990,582, which accounted for 55.9% of the total, with 2,534,864 arrived in Macao under the Individual Visit Scheme. Besides, visitors from Hong Kong and Taiwan, China shared 29.7% (2,653,743) and 8.3% (744,835) of the total arrivals. Same-day visitors made up 52.6% of the total, at 4,694,145. Analyzed by mode of transport, visitor arrivals by sea went up 6.7% year-on-year to 3,161,442 in the first half of 2005, with 3,078,471 arriving at the Outer Harbour (+6.3%); the majority of these visitors were from Hong Kong (59.3%) and Mainland China (29.7%). Visitor arrivals at the Inner Harbour rose 28.7% to 82,971, within which 68.6% were from Mainland China. In the first six months of 2005, arrivals by land increased 19.3% to 5,248,470, with 4,845,872 arriving through the Border Gate. The majority of these visitors came from Mainland China (77.1%) and Hong Kong (16.1%). Visitors arriving through the Checkpoint of CoTai were 402,598. In addition, arrivals by air were 513,411, up 37.7% compared with the same period of last year, with 507,697 arriving at the Macao International Airport (+39.3%). Visitors from Taiwan, China (69.8%) and Mainland China (15.6%) were the major users of this access.
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The 29th Session of the World Heritage Committee has agreed to inscribe “The Historic Monuments of Macao”, with the official title altered to “The Historic Centre of Macao”, on UNESCO’s prestigious World Heritage List, under the terms of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (“World Heritage Convention”). The announcement was made by the Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee on 15 July at 4:10 pm Macao time, to the applause of all present in the hall and by unanimous agreement. The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, which governs the World Heritage List, was adopted at the 17th General Conference of UNESCO in Paris in November 1972, and by 31 March 2005, 180 out of 191 Member States had ratified the international treaty. Currently sitting in Durban, South Africa, the 29th Session of the World Heritage Committee has approved China’s bid, “The Historic Centre of Macao”, following grueling analysis by the Committee and its associated experts. The cultural heritage site will now be officially inscribed on the World Heritage List, raising the number of World Heritage Sites in China to 31. This international recognition will further raise community and visitor awareness, fostering a greater appreciation of heritage in Macao. The 26-member Chinese delegation headed by Zhang Xuezhong, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of China to UNESCO, Zhang Bai, Deputy Director-General of the National Administration of Cultural Heritage, Fernando Chui, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Heidi Ho, President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, and Stephen Chan, Acting Vice-President of the same organisation, witnessed the historic moment in Durban. “The Historic Centre of Macao” is a living representation of the city’s historic western settlement, comprising architectural legacies interwoven amongst the original urban fabric illustrating the first and most lasting encounter between China and the western world.
The newly-listed World Heritage site incorporates streetscapes and piazzas such as Barra Square, Lilau Square, St. Augustine’s Square, Senado Square, Cathedral Square, St. Dominic’s Square, Company of Jesus Square and Camões Square. These provide the linkage for a succession of over twenty monuments, including A-Ma Temple, Moorish Barracks, Mandarin’s House, St. Lawrence’s Church, St. Joseph’s Seminary and Church, Dom Pedro V Theatre, Sir Robert Ho Tung Library, St. Augustine’s Church, “Leal Senado” Building, Sam Kai Vui Kun Temple, Holy House of Mercy, Cathedral, Lou Kau Mansion, St. Dominic’s Church, Ruins of St. Paul’s, Na Tcha Temple, Section of the Old City Walls, Mount Fortress, St. Anthony’s Church, Casa Garden, the Protestant Cemetery and Guia Fortress (including Guia Chapel and Guia Lighthouse). “The Historic Centre of Macao” correlates to the origins of the city as a trading port and principal gateway between China and the western world. Founded on this stretch of land are western building types, many of which were the first of their kind on Chinese soil: churches, seminaries, fortresses, a university, hospital, theatre, lighthouse and Protestant cemetery. “The Historic Centre of Macao” also comprises examples of traditional Chinese architecture such as residential compounds and temples which co-exist with western-style buildings as part of the same urban fabric. This succession of monuments encapsulates a broad spectrum of architectural legacies, reflecting the multicultural dimension of the historic port which has given Macao its unique East-West identity. Integrated within a historically vibrant environment, the “Historic Centre of Macao” still has a clearly identifiable character, remaining fertile ground for cultural exchange. East and West have met and merged for over four centuries in an atmosphere marked by respect and tolerance, facilitating unique forms of cultural assimilation, from tangible traditions such as building techniques, to intangible aspects of life such as religion and social lifestyle. Since 2003, States Parties to the World Heritage Convention have been limited to submitting a single nomination for the consideration of the World Heritage Committee: the Macao application topped the list for China this year. At last year’s session held in Suzhou, the World Heritage Committee decided that starting in 2006 States Parties may make two nominations each year, one of which must be Natural Heritage. China plans to submit two nominations for consideration next year, for Cultural and Natural Heritage respectively: the Yin Ruins, Anyang, and the Wolong Nature Reserve, Sichuan.
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