News

Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) and L'école Hôtelière et de Tourisme Paul Augier, Nice, France, signed a cooperation agreement at IFT on 27 May. Acting President of IFT, Ms. Florence Ian and Principal of L'école Hôtelière et de Tourisme Paul Augier, Mr. Francis Kolb presided over the ceremony. Details of the collaboration include: - Both Institutes agreed to engage in student academic and exchange programmes;
- Both Institutes agreed to engage in a teacher exchange programme and provide the exchange teachers with professional training;
- Both Institutes agreed to encourage mutual cooperation by undertaking joint projects in the hospitality and tourism industry;
- Both Institutes agreed to encourage their local enterprises to offer vocational placement to the exchange students.
After the ceremony, four Master Chef French Desserts Demonstration workshops will be held at IFT in the week from 27 to 31 May co-organised by both Institutes. The workshops will be conducted by the renowned and award-wining French chef Ms. Noemie Honiat, for chefs from IFT and the local industry, and students from IFT Culinary Arts Management Degree Programme, Diploma in Pastry and Bakery and Diploma in Western Culinary Skills respectively to learn proper French desserts making skills.
Graduated from L'école Hôtelière et de Tourisme Paul Augier, Chef Noemie participated in numerous competitions and won several awards including Champion of France Dessert Competition, 1st prize of the Jacques Rouard Trophee in Chocolate Sculpture and Plated Dessert in Belgium, and became one of the top 5 finalists of the French TV competition Top Chef 2012. The implementation of the agreement facilitates foreign language learning, overseas exchange and vocational placement for IFT students, and more importantly promotes teacher exchange and joint collaboration in the hospitality and tourism, aiming to advance the quality of education of IFT and educate qualified talents for the industry. In addition to provide high quality tourism and hospitality education, IFT has always been dedicating to organise gourmet demonstration workshops for industry professionals and students to experience diversified cuisines from different countries at IFT. Besides, they can take the opportunities to study the knowledge and cooking methods of overseas gastronomy so as to explore more ideas in cooking and better equip for their hospitality and food and beverage industry career and overcome the challenges of cultural diversity in the future. Through co-organising these French desserts demonstration workshops with L'école Hôtelière et de Tourisme Paul Augier, Nice, France, IFT also offered a platform for local and foreign chefs to exchange knowledge and ideas. IFT will continue providing more training for industry professionals to advance their knowledge and skills.
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Upon consultation with various tourism-related associations to discuss training needs of local tourism sector, and after careful assessment, Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) organizes tourism sector training workshops specifically for tour guides and travel agency supervisors or managers, to equip them with the proficiency to enhance service quality and work efficiency, thus strengthening the image of Macau as a tourist destination. MGTO organizes two sessions of "Technique in Handling Dissatisfied Customer for Tour Guides" to be held on May 27, 29 and on June 3, 5 respectively. The topics of each two-day workshop include "The Role & Duties of Professional Tour Guides", "Requirements for Professionalism", "Causes of Customer Dissatisfaction", "Practical Case Studies on Customers Complaints", "Role-play Exercises in Handling Complaints", etc. This workshop aims to enable tour guides to identify their role in strengthening the image of Macau as a tourist destination, revise professional skills, and practise behavioral science and inter-personal skills. In addition to this workshop, the first session of "Effective Travel Agency Supervisory Management Workshop" is also held during the abovementioned period. The topics of this four-day workshop include "The Role & Duties of Travel Agency Supervisors", "Effective Customer Service Skills", "Effective Time Management", "Training & Developing High-Performance Staff", "Success Factors for Effective Teams", etc. The second session of this workshop is scheduled on May 28, 30, June 4 and 6. MGTO encourages travel agency supervisors and managers to join this workshop to acquire effective communication skills and raise proficiency of staff, so as to achieve corporate goals through effective teamwork. The workshops are lectured by the managing director of an international management consultancy company – "Chow & Associates", who has over 20 years' experience of training for Macau tourism sector, and will adopt training methods such as short lectures, group discussions and videos appreciation. MGTO has also organized numerous retail service trainer workshops previously. By organizing different tourism-related training programs, MGTO hopes to promote and support proficiency training of the tourism sector, thus achieving continuous improvement in their service quality which contributes to building Macau into a "World Centre of Tourism and Leisure".
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Organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the Macao Annual Visual Arts Exhibition 2013 – Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Category will be officially inaugurated on May 31st, Friday, at 6:30pm at the Old Court Building, located at Avenida da Praia Grande. The exhibition is part of the 24th Macao Arts Festival, serving as a platform for local artists to showcase their talents and their locally flavoured works. Unlike previous editions, this year the "Macao Annual Visual Arts Exhibition" is dedicated to Chinese paintings and calligraphy, seal carving and experimental ink washes. The open call for entries started last October and over 280 artworks were submitted. A five-member jury – composed of veteran Chinese painters and calligraphers from different regions and professional fields – finally selected 81 pieces/sets for this exhibition. Ten of the selected pieces were granted an Award of Distinction, namely: Four Seasons, by Anonymous, by Ho Loi Seng; Three Ladies, by Lei Wai Wa; Memories of the Small City, by Lei Tak Seng; Far from Prosperity, by Hong Lie; Atmosphere of Mahayana Dharma, by Chang Kuok Meng; Wen Tianxiang's Song of Righteousness, by Ye Jiehao; Illustrating a Tang Poem, by Lio Man Cheong; Innocence, by Liu Ling Ling; A Bunch of Flowers, by Sou Pui Kun; and Zhangjiajie in Rain and Mist, by Tam Chek Wun. Over its many editions, the annual "Macao Annual Visual Arts Exhibition" has sparked an enthusiastic response from artists, gathering under one roof local aficionados of art creation and displaying a true variety of flavours. The organizer hopes that this platform for showcasing arts and also for interaction and exchange will stimulate Macao's art development. The "Macao Annual Visual Arts Exhibition 2013 – Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Category" runs from June 1st until August 11th, daily from 10am to 7pm. Admission is free.
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The workshop on "International Judicial Cooperation", as organised by the Legal and Judicial Training Centre and integrated as part of the 2nd Eu-Macao Co-operation Programme in the Legal Field, is going to take place on 30th May, from 3 to 7 p.m., in the 1/F Conference Room of the Macao Cultural Centre, located at Avenida Xian Xing Hai, NAPE. This workshop will feature the following keynote speakers: 1. Mr. John Hardy QC, Barrister, Queen's Counsel and Member of the SFO's Prosecution Queen's Counsel Panel of United Kingdom Government; 2. Mr. Luis da Silva Pereira, Secretary General of the European Judicial Training Network; 3. Ms. Tania Jewczuk, Judge, Regional Court of Paris, Ministry of Justice, France. The event will be conducted in Portuguese and English, with simultaneous translation into Cantonese and Portuguese. Amongst other topics, the following items will be analysed: A. Extradition in the Modern World; B. Recognition and Enforcement of Judgments under the Council Regulation (EC) 2201/2003 – (Matrimonial and Parental Responsibility Matters); C. Discussion of the Principle of Reciprocity in International Mutual Legal Assistance in Civil and Commercial Matters. The 2nd Co-operation Programme in the Legal Field between the European Union and Macao, which incorporates this workshop, has as its main objective the "Consolidation of the Macao Legal System" and is going to take place until December 2013. The execution of the Co-operation Programme is coordinated by the Law Reform and International Law Bureau, together with many entities and public departments of the Macao SAR, namely the Legal and Judicial Training Centre, the Legal Affairs Bureau, the Economic Services, the Financial Services Bureau and the Institute of European Studies of Macao.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the unemployment rate for February-April 2013 held stable at 1.9% in comparison with the previous period (January-March); the underemployment rate was 0.8%, up by 0.1 percentage point. Total labour force was 359,400 and the labour force participation rate stood at 71.8%. Total employment reached 352,400, an increase of 600 from the previous period. Analysed by industry, increase in employment was observed in Gaming and Retail Trade, but employment in Restaurants & Similar Activities registered a decrease. Number of the unemployed totalled 7,000, an increase of 200 from the previous period; fresh labour force entrants searching for their first job accounted for 4.2% of the total unemployed, down by 2.0 percentage points. In comparison with February-April 2012, the labour force participation rate and the unemployment rate decreased by 0.6 and 0.1 percentage points respectively, and the underemployment rate remained unchanged.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the total land area measured 29.9 km2 in 2012 and the population density stood at 19,000 per km2. Total lane length of public roads was 417.4 km and the motor vehicle density was 521 vehicles per km. In 2012, the mean air temperature (22.3ºC) registered a 0.4ºC rise year-on-year. Precipitation totalled 1,556 mm, up by 14.1% year-on-year. There were 73 days where the pH value of rainwater was lower than 5.6 (classified as acid rain). In 2012, the ultraviolet index staying at Low to Moderate level totalled 335 days, down by 2 days year-on-year. As regards air quality, the Northern District monitoring station recorded 251 days where air quality was considered "Good", down notably by 43 days year-on-year. There were 2 days in 2012 where the observed value of respirable suspended particulates (diameter <10 microns) exceeded the reference standard; moreover, since the release of data on fine suspended particulates in July 2012, a total of 32 days were recorded where the observed value of fine suspended particulates (diameter <2.5 microns) were higher than the reference standard. Water consumption totalled 84.58 million m3 in 2012, up by 9.0% year-on-year. Quality of the potable water distribution network and water treatment plants conformed to the reference standard. Volume of domestic garbage (183,000 tonnes) and garbage of the business sector (107,000 tonnes) increased by 10.3% and 9.7% year-on-year. A total of 366,000 tonnes of garbage were sent to the Incineration Plant, up by 11.1% year-on-year; construction waste sent to the landfill surged by 49.6% to 2,420,000 m3. Besides, the Waste Water Treatment Plants were able to treat 203,000 m3 of waste water per day, up by 9.4% year-on-year.
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Consumer Council conducted its specific price survey on over-the-counter drugs on 23rd May for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12th June. Result of the mentioned survey has been uploaded to the Council's website (www.consumer.gov.mo) and is available in the Council's 'Supermarket Price Information Platform' iPhone and Android apps. For inquiry, please call the Council's hotline: 8988 9315.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total spending of visitors (excluding gaming expenses) amounted to MOP14.5 billion in the first quarter of 2013, up by 10% in comparison with MOP13.1 billion in the first quarter of 2012. Spending of overnight visitors totalled MOP12.2 billion and that of same-day visitors was MOP2.3 billion. In the first quarter of 2013, per-capita spending of visitors was MOP2,046, an increase of 8% year-on-year. Visitors from Mainland China had the highest per-capita spending of MOP2,640, and those travelling under the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) spent MOP2,993; besides, per-capita spending of visitors from Singapore stood at MOP1,692. As regards long-haul visitors, Australian and American visitors had a relatively high per-capita spending of MOP1,228 and MOP1,214 respectively. Analysed by expenditure structure, visitors spent mainly on Shopping (50%); Accommodation (23%); and Food & Beverage (20%). Shopping items included Clothing (22%), Local Food Products (20%) and Jewellery & Watches (19%). Per-capita shopping spending of Mainland visitors was MOP1,521, while that of IVS visitors reached MOP1,974, which was mainly spent on Clothing, Jewellery & Watches and Local Food Products. Moreover, expenditure of long haul visitors was mainly spent on Accommodation and Food & Beverage. In the first quarter of 2013, per-capita spending of overnight visitors increased by 6% year-on-year to MOP3,574, whereas that of same-day visitors decreased by 5% to MOP632. Per-capita spending of overnight and same-day Mainland visitors amounted to MOP4,688 and MOP789 respectively, while that of overnight and same-day IVS visitors reached MOP5,312 and MOP1,307. In addition, results from the Visitors' Comments Survey indicated that most visitors were satisfied with the services rendered by hotels and travel agencies (each with 93%). Meanwhile, 6% of the visitor-users suggested that the services of public transport should be improved, and 5% of the visitors commented that points of tourist attractions were inadequate in Macao.
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The 24th Macao Arts Festival (MAF) enters its third week with two highly anticipated shows. The Dóci Papiaçám di Macau Drama Group takes to the stage once more at the Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium on May 25th and 26th, Saturday and Sunday, at 8pm, with a new work titled Amochai Divoto. Performed by local amateur actors, this play gives a humorous portrayal of the relationship between Ernesto and Amália, united by love but kept apart by their families, traditional rivals in every aspect, including politics. Aiming to preserve Macao's Patuá, a language identified as critically endangered by UNESCO, the Dóci Papiaçám di Macau Drama Group offers audiences another of their riotous annual theatrical productions. Not to be missed, this social satire will prompt laughter while also providing food for thought. Audiovisual Mapping is also back in town, returning in the wake of enormously successful presentations in 2011. The creators of these shows were invited by the Cultural Affairs Bureau to offer an intensive, three-part mapping workshop in Macao this past winter. The course graduates will now present the local community with two of their own new works, specially designed for the façades of Tap Seac Square (May 26-29) and the Mandarin's House (May 31 – June 8, admission with free ticket to be distributed at 7pm at the venue, limited to 100 tickets per show and two tickets per person, due to the venue's limited space), with shows at 8:00, 8:30 and 9:00pm (shows will be cancelled in the event of rain at 7pm on the referred evening; announcements will be made at IC's website and FAM page). Tickets for the 24th Macao Arts Festival are still available, in limited numbers, at all Kong Seng Ticketing Network outlets. Telephone bookings may be made on 2855 5555. For more information please check the MAF website at: www.icm.gov.mo/fam.
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To provide local groups with an additional performance platform and another opportunity for creative expression, the Cultural Affairs Bureau is calling for the participation of Macao talent in the 2013 'Parade through Macao, Latin City'. Submissions will be accepted from today until the 28th of June, and all interested local groups are welcome to apply. The 'Parade through Macao, Latin City' is a cultural event that unfolds as a procession through the streets of the Historic Centre of Macao. It is held annually, on the 20th of December, to mark the anniversary of Macao's Handover to China, offering residents and tourists a celebratory activity replete with local and international cultural characteristics. Whilst honouring the occasion of the Handover with creativity and enriching the lives of residents, it also establishes the image of Macao as that of a cultural city. The 'Parade through Macao, Latin City' has gradually emerged as a flagship event among Macao's festivals. Each year it encourages an increasing number of local groups to display their creative talent and hone their competitive edge, with the goal of promoting the development and diversity of Macao's culture and creating the opportunity for Macao's performers to observe and conduct mutual exchange with various international groups. Any local group registered with the Identification Services Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region may submit an application form, programme proposals and related information to the Cultural Affairs Bureau building in Tap Seac Square from today until the 28th of June (Monday through Friday except public holidays: 9:30am to 5:30pm). Application forms and regulations can be consulted and downloaded on the Cultural Affairs Bureau website. Please direct any inquiries to (853) 8399 6608 or 8399 6651 during office hours.
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