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A planned private residential project on Estrada do Campo in Coloane does not currently have a construction permit, says the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau. The Government has yet to issue such a permit, as the project’s developer has not so far submitted a final construction plan. Starting construction on any project without a building permit is against the law, stressed the Bureau. As the developer has yet to submit finalised building plans and technical drawings, the criteria for applying for a construction permit have not at present been met. The Bureau emphasised that a building permit would be issued for a project only after such building plans and technical drawings were approved. The Bureau would also solicit opinions from the relevant authorities when considering such an approval process. The standard consideration for approval would be given by the Bureau to the project in the event that a finalised building plan is submitted.
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This year marks the 35th anniversary of the University of Macau (UM). UM will kick off celebrations of the anniversary on 19 March with an opening ceremony for the celebration, the UM Open Day, and the UM Sports Day (Part 1). This will be the first anniversary in UM’s history to be celebrated on the new campus. At the Opening Ceremony for the Celebration of the 35th Anniversary on 19 March, there will be a tree planting ceremony signifying UM’s commitment to producing outstanding graduates for society. The UM Open Day and the First UM Sports Day (Part 1) will be held on the same day. Activities on the Open Day will include an international food festival, information seminars on undergraduate application, guided campus tours, and student performances. The various faculties, residential colleges, and laboratories will also open to the public. Later this year, UM will organise a series of academic events and invite leading scholars from around the world to exchange ideas with local teachers, students, scholars, and residents on various academic topics.
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According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, money supply continued to grow in January. As total deposits increased whereas total loans decreased, the overall loan-to-deposit ratio of the banking sector dropped from a month earlier. Money supply Currency in circulation and demand deposits grew 8.8% and 3.5% respectively. M1 thus increased 4.5% from one month earlier. Concurrently, quasi-monetary liabilities dropped 0.4%. The sum of these two items, i.e. M2, increased 0.2% to MOP473.8 billion. On an annual basis, M1 grew 3.6% whereas M2 dropped 4.0%. The share of Pataca (MOP) in M2 stood at 30.7%, up 0.8 percentage points from a month ago or 3.9 percentage points from a year earlier. The share of Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) in M2 was 51.2%, down 0.3 percentage points month-to-month but up 0.6 percentage points year-on-year. The share of Chinese Yuan (CNY) was 6.4%, down 0.4 percentage points month-to-month or 6.3 percentage points year-on-year. The share of United States Dollar (USD) was 9.5%, down 0.2 percentage points month-to-month but up 1.6 percentage points year-on-year. Deposits Resident deposits kept virtually stable from the preceding month at MOP460.7 billion. Of which, MOP and other foreign currency deposits increased at respective rates of 2.2% and 2.8%. HKD, CNY and USD deposits decreased 0.3%, 5.1% and 1.6% respectively. Non-resident deposits rose 6.7% to MOP286.1 billion. Public sector deposits with the banking sector decreased 0.9% to MOP130.0 billion. As a result, total deposits with the banking sector grew 2.0% from a month earlier to MOP876.8 billion. The shares of MOP, HKD, CNY and USD in total deposits were 20.8%, 43.4%, 8.7% and 24.0% respectively. Loans Domestic loans to the private sector kept virtually stable from a month ago at MOP389.3 billion. Among which, MOP108.6 billion was MOP-denominated, MOP258.7 billion was denominated in HKD, MOP2.1 billion was denominated in CNY and MOP16.2 billion was denominated in USD, representing 27.9%, 66.5%, 0.5% and 4.2% of the total respectively. On the other hand, external loans dropped 1.9% to MOP364.5 billion; of which, loans denominated in MOP, HKD, CNY and USD accounted for 1.6% (MOP5.8 billion), 26.0% (MOP94.7 billion), 18.8% (MOP68.4 billion) and 48.0% (MOP175.1 billion) respectively. Operating ratios At end-January, the loan-to-deposit ratio for the resident sector grew 0.2 percentage points from the previous month to 65.9%. The ratio for both the resident and non-resident sectors dropped 2.5 percentage points to 86.0%. The one-month and three-month current assets to liabilities ratios stayed at relatively high levels, marked at 66.3% and 59.8% respectively. The non-performing loan ratio, an indicator for bank asset quality, was 0.1%, virtually unchanged from one month earlier and one year ago.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the total population was 646,800 at end-2015, an increase of 10,600 (+1.7%) year-on-year; female population accounted for 51.0% of the total. The proportion of population aged 65 and over (9.0%) increased by 0.6 percentage points year-on-year, and that of population aged 0-14 (11.9%) rose by 0.5 percentage points; meanwhile, the proportion of population aged 15-64 (79.1%) decreased by 1.1 percentage points. A total of 7,055 live births were delivered in 2015, a decrease of 305 year-on-year. The sex ratio of the newborn stood at 109.2, corresponding to 109.2 male babies per 100 female babies. Mortality totalled 2,002 in 2015, an increase of 63 year-on-year; the top three underlying causes of death were Neoplasms (734), Diseases of the Circulatory System (504) and Diseases of the Respiratory System (321). In 2015, there were 8,468 Chinese immigrants, up significantly by 2,579 (+43.8%) year-on-year; individuals granted right of abode totalled 1,784, down by 494. Meanwhile, a total of 1,778 illegal Chinese immigrants were repatriated to the Mainland, an increase of 369 year-on-year. Non-resident workers totalled 181,646 at end-2015, an increase of 11,300 year-on-year, representing a slower growth of 6.6%. In 2015, marriage registration totalled 3,719 cases, down by 366 year-on-year; a total of 1,168 divorce cases were recorded, a decrease of 140 year-on-year. At end-2015, number of households totalled 192,700, up by 3,100 year-on-year.
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The 27th Macao Arts Festival (MAF), organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, will be held from 30 April to 29 May. This edition of the MAF is themed “Time” and has “Reshape your Imagination. Experience the Spirit of the Times” as slogan, conveying the message that the performing arts have undergone thousands of years of condensation, development and transformation. The classics, enriched by the spirit of the age, manage to provide guidance to our growth. The MAF presents 27 excellent shows and artistic exhibitions as well as an outreach programme, in a total of over 100 activities that bring the audience into the spaces of the Chinese and Western cultures. This year marks the 400th anniversary of the death of the western world literary giant William Shakespeare and of Ming Dynasty’s famed Chinese playwright Tang Xianzu. The MAF will present “Thematic Highlights” in tribute to the two virtuosos. The Festival will kick off with Shakespeare’s romantic comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, rendered by the Shakespeare Theatre Company from USA, featuring stunning and delicate sceneries and wardrobe. The Festival will draw to a close with an adaptation of Macbeth, one of Shakespeare’s most renowned tragedies, presented by Third World Bunfight from South Africa, a show exploring a vision of the world through a post-colonial African scenery and the historical and current relations between Africa and the West. Tang Xianzu’s two acclaimed works will be staged, namely Excerpts of The Peony Pavilion, performed by the Zhejiang Xiaobaihua Yue Opera Troupe from Mainland China, and the romantic tragedy The Legend of the Purple Hairpin, performed by renowned Macao Cantonese opera artist Chu Chan Wa and by other local Cantonese opera artists. The event also presents Micro-Shakespeare and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) for the audience to explore in depth the masterpieces by these two literary giants. In order to develop an even broader perspective of the performing arts, the MAF introduces innovative and cross-disciplinary performances: Krapp’s Last Tape, Samuel Beckett’s famed work directed and performed by internationally acclaimed theatre and director Robert Wilson; Jérôme Bel and Swiss Theater HORA’s Disabled Theater performed by actors with cognitive disabilities reveals how these can question the contemporary society; the abstract dance pieces 6&7 by extraordinary choreographer Tao Ye and TAO Dance Theater which explore the potential of the human body; the dance piece Obsession by Japanese dance masters Saburo Teshigawara and Rihoko Sato, illustrating how an inner obsession torns the conscious while creating a poetic space; and the concert Coppia, an amazing journey in which dance and music play in a tennis court. The MAF is dedicated to promoting local creativity, the transmission of traditional culture and the arts in the community. In this context, this edition of the Festival features Shelf Life, a combination of visual art and installation; the musical performance The Fairy Tales from the World of Chaos; the uplifting experimental concert Journey to the Last Frontier - Concert; the satiric play in Patuá A Tea for a Dream; Mu Guiying Battling in Hongzhou by the Macao Kaifong Cantonese Opera Juvenile’s Troupe, which inherits the essence and aestheticism of intangible cultural heritage; and the play Someone in “Outlaws of the Marsh” featuring elements from Cantonese Opera. Aside from this, the Yue opera Lu You and Tang Wan performed by a top female Yue opera troupe from Mainland China, the Zhejiang Xiaobaihua Yue Opera Troupe, presents the poetic style and aesthetics spirit of the region south of the Yangtze river. Several family shows, such as the fantastic In Chants, suitable for children between 6 months and 3 years of age, The Assembly of Animals, in which scientific experiments meet puppets, the high level ice skating and dance show Glide, the interdisciplinary performances featured in the Outdoor Performing Arts Showcase which promotes arts in the community, and the children’s puppet play Circles, which explores issues of marine conservation, among others. These, together with concerts by the Macao Orchestra and the Macao Chinese Orchestra, as well as two large-scale thematic exhibitions, reveal the diversity and richness of culture in Macau. Tickets for the 27th MAF are available at the Macau Ticketing Network from 10am on 13 March (Sunday). Reservations can be made by phone or online from 12pm onwards on the same day. On the first day of ticket sales, each person can purchase a maximum of ten tickets per performance, except for the performances The Assembly of Animals and Circles, a maximum of four tickets per person and In Chants, a maximum of two children packages and two observer tickets per person. Early bird discounts of 30%, subject to certain criteria, are available from 13 to 20 March and 20% discount will be offered from 21 March onwards. Members of the public who purchase their tickets with a BOC Multi-currency Credit Card or BOC card will receive a 30% discount on tickets for the opening and closing performances, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Macbeth, as well as a 20% discount on all other shows. A 20% discount for all shows is also available for those who purchase their tickets with ICBC Macao, BCM Bank, OCBC Wing Hang Bank or Tai Fung Bank MasterCard, Visa or Unionpay cards. A 50% discount will also be offered to holders of Macao Senior Citizen Card or the Disability Assessment Registration Card, with purchases limited to one ticket per person. For each purchase over MOP800 (net amount after discount), purchasers may receive a discount voucher and exclusive offers at MGM Macau’s selected restaurants and SPA (available while stocks last). In addition, the show In Chants offers special packages. For more information, please refer to the MAF’s booklet. This edition of the MAF has the support of the Macao Government Tourism Office, TDM – Teledifusão de Macau, Air Macau and MGM Macau. The Macao Arts Festival website: www.icm.gov.mo/fam; email: fam@icm.gov.mo. For enquiries regarding the programme, please contact the Cultural Affairs Bureau through tel. 8399 6699 during office hours. 24-hour ticket reservation hotline: (Macao) 2855 5555; (Hong Kong) 2380 5083; (Mainland China) 139 269 11111; online ticket reservation is available at www.macauticket.com. The 27th MAF’s press conference took place on 3 March, at 4pm at the MGM Macau The Grand Ballroom. Present at the press conference were the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Ung Vai Meng; the Head of Destination Marketing Department of the Macao Government Tourism Office, Betty Fok; the Vice President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Leung Hio Ming; the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of MGM China Holdings Limited, Grant Bowie; the Deputy General Manager of Bank of China (Macau Branch), Ip Sio Kai; the General Manager of Marketing of Air Macau, Ringo Chan; the Manager of Social Culture and Economic Program Department, TDM, Ltd., Yip Kuok Va; the Head of the Department for the Development of the Performing Arts of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Ieong Chi Kin and the Head of the Division of Performing Arts Activities of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Paula Lei.
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The 27th Macao Arts Festival (MAF) Outreach Programme features 22 programmes and 41 activities, including talks, masterclasses, workshops, backstage tours, exhibitions, school performances, art critique, accessibility services, movie screenings and post-show talks, offering the audience a full range of tailor-made artistic experiences. Several activities take Shakespeare as theme, offering an interpretation of the playwright’s outstanding works. On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, the MAF organized special outreach activities dedicated to the playwright: Artistic Director of the Taiwan Contemporary Legend Theatre, Wu Hsing-Kuo, and renowned Hong Kong theatre director, Tang Shu-Wing, present “A Dialogue between Masters – Wu Hsing-Kuo x Tang Shu-Wing - Searching for the Contemporary Meaning of Shakespeare”, sharing their interpretation and understanding of Shakespeare’s plays; Associate Professor of English at University of Macao, Katrine K. Wong, will introduce the cultural and historical context of theatrical music commonly practised at Shakespeare’s time and will explore the dramaturgical significance of music in Shakespeare’s Macbeth; following the opening show A Midsummer Night’s Dream, there will be a backstage tour for the audience to see the set and props of each act of this performance, and intimately experience the romance and aesthetics of the work; in “1 Night! Shakespeare”, the audience will experience Shakespeare’s poetic charm and romance through the eyes, ears and taste buds. Keng Yi-Wei, who is both an experienced art critic from Taiwan and the artistic director of the Taipei Arts Festival, will develop the appreciation for Robert Wilson’s interpretation of Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape; the “Into the Wild” – Workshop by members of Theater HORA offers an artistic workshop to Macao residents with cognitive disabilities; the “Sharing Session on Exchange with Overseas Theatre Professionals” offers opportunities of mutual artistic exploration for local performers and artists; Tim Spooner, the producer of The Assembly of Animals, will guide children in exploring interesting tools and materials to make animals . In what concerns masterclasses, TAO Dance Theater encourages participants to traverse the limits of their bodies and experience their relationship with space and with other dancers; Canadian group Le Patin Libre, debuting in Asia, shares with the local experienced ice skaters their contemporary ice skating and street dance fusion techniques . “Dolphins’ Circles – An Exhibition of Ocean Stories for Children” will be held in the Old Court Building offering guided tours; the children’s show Circles will be organised in schools to familiarise children with issues of marine conservation; some sessions of this show also offer theatrical interpretation; the movie screening Touch of the Light provides audio description (in Cantonese) and accessible captions service, in order to allow people with visual or hearing impairments to enjoy arts without barriers. The MAF continues to stimulate art critique. This year, aside from the Critics-in-Residence Programme, the Festival features Simple Critique inviting the audience to comment each performance; the winning art critics will have the chance to watch shows at next year’s Macao Arts Festival for free. Secondary Students’ Writings on Macao Arts Festival carries on the appreciation and writing skills development mission of potential future art critics. Several shows also offer post-show talks that bring artists and public closer; selected movies will be screened in different venues, offering the public a series of entertaining evenings. More outreach activities are provided, and most of them with free admission. Limited seats are available and will be distributed on a first come, first served basis. For more information, please refer to the Macao Arts Festival booklet or visit the Festival’s webpage at www.icm.gov.mo/fam. Reservations are available online through www.icm.gov.mo/eform/event, or by phone. For more information and reservations, please call IC through tel. 8399 6699, during office hours.
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Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) is hosting spring banquets and travel marts in Taiwan on 3 and 4 March, to present its major goals this year and showcase Macao’s tourism products, festivals and events in 2016 while enhancing its exchange and partnership with travel trade and media in Taiwan. The mission aims to foster Taiwan market growth, attract various market segments and widen the diversity of visitor source markets for Macao. MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes and Deputy Director Cecilia Tse are joining the spring banquets and travel marts held in Taipei and Kaohsiung today (3 March) and tomorrow (4 March) together with over 20 members of travel trade from Macao. Director of Taipei Office, Association for Tourism Exchange Across the Taiwan Straits, Man Hongwei, Head of Macau Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan, China, Nadia Leong Kit Chi, Chairman of Travel Agent Association of Taiwan, Louis Hsu, and Chairman of Taipei Association of Travel Agents, Wu Zhi Jian, were present in the spring dinner tonight among others. Heads of Kaohsiung Association of Travel Agents is also invited to the spring banquet in Kaohsiung tomorrow. Great performance of Taiwan market in 2015 As Director Senna Fernandes remarked, Taiwan has long been the third largest visitor source market for Macao. Last year, Taiwanese visitor arrivals topped 980,000 in Macao, a rise of 3.6% over 2014, with a remarkable surge of 10% in overnight visitors to a record of 450,000 and more. The volume of overnight visitors from Taiwan in January 2016 even spiked up by 30%. The significant rises have proved Macao one of the major leisure destinations for Taiwanese residents to visit. According to figures provided by the Statistics and Census Service, 45.6% of Taiwanese visitors, equivalent to over 450,000 visitor-times, stayed overnight in Macao in 2015. Close to 380,000 overnight visitors stayed in hotels, accounting for 84% of all overnight visitors from Taiwan last year. 66.8% of hotel overnight guests from Taiwan stayed in five-star hotels and 26.8% in four-star hotels. The number of Taiwanese visitors who stayed in four-star hotels rose drastically by 32.6% over 2014. The average length of stay in Macao hotel establishments for Taiwanese visitors was 1.8 nights. The above figures show that the Taiwan market performed remarkably last year. Attract various market segments to experience Macao their own style A total of four airlines in Macao currently offer direct flights between Macao and the three cities in Taiwan including Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung. Targeting the Taiwan market, MGTO will keep joining hands with airlines and tour operators to develop cultural, festive and shopping tour packages, itineraries and styles to explore Macao, tailor-made for a diversity of market segments such as family visitors, office workers, female visitors, newlyweds and silver peers. Moreover, the Office will carry out more promotion activities targeting travel trade in different cities and counties of Taiwan and support local trade across Taiwan to form an alliance to promote travel to Macao. Riding on the promotional alliance and travel fairs, tour operators can jointly promote themed group tours to Macao, such as World Heritage tours and “Step Out, Experience Macao’s Communities” walking tours, to attract visitors from different districts of Taiwan to come to Macao, explore different communities and experience the city’s aroma in their own style. MGTO has launched a brand-new promotional video themed “Experience Macao Your Own Style” in 2016, to convey the key message that every visitor can enjoy a memorable trip in Macao in any style the visitor wishes. MGTO's Public Relations Consultant in Taiwan will design different styles for Taiwanese residents to experience Macao according to their preference. MGTO continuously supports Macao to radiate a stronger synergistic effect by rolling out an array of promotional activities across visitor source markets to showcase a colorful calendar of events combining tourism, cultural and sports elements. Moreover, the Office is dedicated to developing a greater variety of tourism elements in different combinations and widening the level of collaboration between tourism, culture and sports for a more far-reaching effect of destination marketing, to showcase Macao’s image as a City of Events. Beyond the city, the Office also strives to widen and deepen its partnership with other destinations around the region by carrying on its efforts to promote multi-destination tourism products, so that visitors with different demands can enjoy a greater variety of choices. The above efforts are made to foster visitor market diversification in hope of drawing more Taiwanese visitors to Macao. This press release is available at: http://industry.macaotourism.gov.mo/en/pressroom/index.php
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, today said the Government respected and complied with the principles of the rule of law and the independent power of the judiciary, as stipulated in the Basic Law. The Government upheld the same principles when handling an ongoing criminal case of corruption under investigation by the Commission Against Corruption involving staff at the Public Prosecutions Office, he added. Mr Chui’s comments were made this morning before he left for Beijing to attend the opening of the 4th Session of the 12th National People's Congress. The case had been reported to the Central Government, Mr Chui told reporters. The Government strictly adheres to – and the Central Government supports – the principle of the case proceeding according to the law. The case was not scheduled as a topic for discussion when he meets officials in Beijing, Mr Chui added. Mr Chui urged the community to understand the issue from the perspective of two principles: first, a respect for the independent power of the judiciary and a need for confidentiality in dealing with accused persons; second, everyone was entitled to the presumption of innocence until they were proven guilty. Mr Chui said it nonetheless saddened him if a public servant was investigated in a case regarding a suspicion of criminal conduct. The Chief Executive stated he had been informed about the case approximately one year ago by the Commission Against Corruption. The Commission operates independently, free from any interference, as a matter of principle, he added. Mr Chui also commented on reporters’ questions relating to technical legal issues that the case raises for Macao’s judicial system. The system had undergone nearly 16 years of development since 1999 based on the principle of independence, and was capable of further development, he said. Abiding by the law and respecting the independent operation of the judiciary are core values of the Macao Special Administrative Region, he stressed. In addition, Mr Chui said the Government would work toward improving transparency when handling issues relating to a private property project on Estrada do Campo in Coloane, he said. This might include the disclosure of more information about the project’s environmental evaluation as submitted to the Government. Regarding whether the Chief Executive might exercise his post’s discretionary power in relation to the property project, Mr Chui said he would closely study the matter with the Secretary for Transport and Public Works and with legal advisors. Macao’s legal system for planning matters had been enhanced by three pieces of legislation: the implementation of the Land Law; the Urban Planning Law; and the Heritage Protection Law. This enhanced system would in many cases minimise the need for the exercise of the Chief Executive’s discretionary power, Mr Chui said.
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For the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June, Consumer Council conducted its specific price surveys on refrigerated and frozen pork on 3 March. Result of the mentioned survey has been uploaded to the Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo). For inquiry, please call the Council’s hotline: 8988 9315.
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The graduation theses of Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) Year 4 students, Gabriela, Geng Jiayu, Raul Chang Monteiro and Yuna, Pan Yuan, were selected for inclusion in the 4th International Student Conference in Tourism Research (ISCONTOUR 2016) which will be held from 23 to 24 May 2016 at IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems, Austria. ISCONTOUR 2016 is an international conference providing a platform where students and graduates of Bachelor and Master degree programmes can submit and present to the public their tourism-related research papers based on their approved BA- or MA-theses. Each accepted paper has undergone a thorough double-blind review process by a minimum of 3 members of the Research Programme Committee before being selected. IFT is proud that 3 of its undergraduate students received an invitation to participate in the event. With the start of the 2015/16 academic year, IFT’s Bachelor of Science daytime degree programmes have incorporated a capstone graduation requirement consisting of a research-based investigation of the current state of affairs within the Macao tourism industry to ensure that our graduating students have capacity, not only in practical operations but in analysing and understanding how to utilise currents trends in the industry. To date 132 undergraduate candidates in total have successfully completed this research component in the first semester of this academic year. IFT is the only higher education institution in Macao that includes this individual research component as a graduation requirement for all its Bachelor of Science undergraduate candidates. Established in 1995, the Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao (IFT) offers the most extensive selection of tourism and hospitality related bachelor degree programmes in Macao, and about twenty thousand participants attend its vocational and professional training courses annually. IFT collaborates with 97 universities and tourism organisations around the world, and builds strong links with 500 leading tourism and hospitality corporations to offer internship opportunities to its students. Being the first institution accredited by the UNWTO.TedQual Certification System for tourism education, IFT has the most bachelor degree programmes certified under the System of any tertiary education establishment worldwide. IFT has received the Medal of Merit in Tourism from the Macao SAR Government, and won twice the Gold Award in ‘Education and Training’ from the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).
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