News

The Global Tourism Economy Forum (“GTEF” or “the Forum”), scheduled to be held at Studio City Macau from 15 to 16 October 2016, will dedicate its 5th anniversary edition to the theme of “The Growing Consumer Class – Rethinking and Reshaping the Future Tourism Landscape” and will zero in on how this rising resourceful and tech-savvy group is more than ever the increasingly influential force in the tourism industry. A pre-event press conference was held at the Macau Tower Convention & Entertainment Center today (20 September), attended by Chief of Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, Ip Peng Kin, Director of Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, and Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of GTEF, Pansy Ho, who introduced the 5th anniversary programme of GTEF. In his speech during the press conference, Chief of Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government, Ip Peng Kin, stated that gaming and tourism industries stand as the pillar industries of Macao. While facing adjustments in gaming receipts as well as the quest of economic diversification, it has become a major issue to explore on ways to develop non-gaming industries and a greater variety of non-gaming elements. Through profound discussions on the change of consumption patterns, the Forum will offer a golden opportunity for Macao to turn the above goal into reality. With an exchange of insightful perspectives and sharing of experiences, the Forum will play an active role in opening up new horizons for the local tourism and leisure industry and fostering the city’s development into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of GTEF, Pansy Ho, expressed her gratitude to the entire Macao community for its continuous support. During her introduction of this year’s theme, she underscored the immense power of the growing consumer class and the many dramatic changes it brings to the global economy. “The consumer ecosystem has been transformed from a provider-driven ‘old economy’ to a consumer-driven ‘new economy’. This edition of GTEF will explore how the growing consumer class is reshaping the global tourism industry, and how their consumption behavior and use of technology has brought unprecedented changes to the industry,” she remarked. In celebration of its 5th anniversary, GTEF has invited France and Beijing to grace the Forum as its featured partners this year. Featured as GTEF’s Partner Country, France will bespeak how the country continues its cultural legacy and maximizes its spread of influence beyond borders through cultural exchanges in a session titled “France: Arts and Culture as Drivers of Tourism”. Featured as GTEF’s partner city, Beijing Municipality will showcase the state capital as an epicenter of Chinese culture and economic power, shedding light on China’s three millennia of history and heritage and on the distinctive preferences of Chinese consumers. GTEF 2016’s thought-provoking program will begin with its signature “Face to Face, Ministers and Private Sector CEOs” session in collaboration with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), where leadership from the public and private sectors will tackle the subject of “Harnessing the 1 Billion+ Opportunities”. Industry leaders will share various insights in sessions such as “Maximizing the Dualities of the Chinese Consumers”, “Embracing the Multi-faceted Chinese Travellers” and “Tourism and Technology: the Inseparable Duo”. For this anniversary edition, GTEF will present a series of inspiring new sessions, including “GTEF 5th Anniversary Special Keynote - The Forces Shaping China's Economic Future”, a high-level dialogue between a heavyweight Chinese dignitary and a visionary business leader; “Youth Leadership Roundtable – Understanding the Millennial Consumer and Social Engagement”; “Urban Tourism Consumption Revolution”; and “Investment Workshop – The Burgeoning Consumer Class: Investing in a New Era”. During the Forum, UNWTO and the Global Tourism Economy Research Centre (GTERC) will present their third Joint Annual Report on Asia Tourism Trends, with special chapters on travel trends driven by the growing consumer class and tourism investment (infrastructure investment and human capital investment), providing once again an in-depth analysis of the latest tourism development in Asia. GTEF is committed to contributing to the development of Macao into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure and promoting moderate diversification of the local economy. This year, GTEF has initiated a MICE hospitality training programme in partnership with the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) for the first time. 20 participating students will be trained in hospitality roles such as VIP guest reception and exhibition ambassador during GTEF 2016. Offering a rewarding experience, the training programme will prepare the students for a future career in hospitality. In addition, GTEF plans to launch a series of internship programmes in 2017 for local tertiary students dedicated to pursue a career in the field of MICE tourism. Further details will be announced in later dates. Dedicated to strengthening its function as an exchange platform valued by delegates, GTEF 2016 offers free access passes not only to local tertiary students but also to members of local tourism community to meet with tourism and economy ministers, government officials as well as key decision makers from the world’s foremost tourism and tourism-related enterprises; to establish new contacts and explore business synergy and collaboration. On the other hand, GTEF will publish the Experience Macau Travel Guide, introducing delegates to the unique cultures and tourism resources in different districts across the city, for the purpose of promoting community tourism in Macao and broadening GTEF’s positive impact to the community at large. GTEF is honored to have China Daily, Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF), Bank of America Merrill Lynch and BNP Paribas as collaborative partners and sponsors for this year’s Forum sessions. In recognition of GTEF’s global stature developed scrupulously in the last four years, Musée du Louvre, the globally prestigious museum in France, will host a Fundraising Gala Dinner during GTEF 2016, effectively endorsing the GTEF brand and Macao’s world-class MICE capabilities. For further information about GTEF, please visit www.gte-forum.com and stay tuned for the latest news released by its official social media channels.
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Mr Faraz Mohammadali Shaikh, a doctoral student from the University of Macau (UM) Faculty of Science and Technology (FST), has received an internship offer from the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom. Shaikh will participate in a drug design project against the Ebola virus. Ebola is a highly virulent pathogen which can cause a severe hemorrhagic fever with a high death rate. Shaikh will work on the computational methods for designing drugs against Ebola. He will use computer simulations and fragment-based molecular docking to explore viral activity – in particular how the virus enters the host cell – at the atomic level, and investigate ways to effectively inhibit virus attachment and membrane fusion. The goal of this research project is to identify chemical entities as potential candidates for developing drugs against Ebola. This project is headed by Prof David Stuart, director of Oxford’s Division of Structural Biology. The world-class research group at the division has been focused on solving the complex problem of structure-function relationship of viruses of different sizes, and the puzzles of virus-receptor interactions and virus assembly, with innovative experimental and computational techniques. Shaikh has been working on protein flexibility algorithms and drug design applications in the Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Lab, headed by Dr Shirley Siu Weng In, since September 2015. He has worked as a senior research fellow at the Centre of Excellence at the National Facility for Drug Discovery Complex, Rajkot, India. He received the DBT Senior Research Fellowship from the Indian government from 2013 to 2015. So far he has published more than ten papers in international journals.
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Consumer Council conducted its second ‘Supermarket price survey’ in September on 19 September for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Surveyed locations included supermarkets near Areia Preta, Mong Há and Avenida de Venceslau de Morais in N. Sra. de Fátima Parish. The latest ‘Supermarket Price Survey’ is now available on Consumer Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo), ‘Supermarket Price Information Platform’ iPhone and Android apps, and on the Council’s WeChat account page. The survey is also available free of charge at the offices of Consumer Council, IACM’s Iao Hon and S. Domingos Markets, bookstores and libraries. With reference to the local seven parishes and the number of supermarkets in each parish, the Council has divided around 100 supermarkets into 8 areas for price collection. The Council collects prices from these supermarkets for the provision of a more comprehensive database for consumers to check price discrepancies and make price comparisons according to their desired locations. For inquiry, please call 8988 9315.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that number of establishments in the hotel sector increased by 8 year-on-year to 107 in 2015. Nevertheless, Receipts of the hotel sector decreased by 6.6% year-on-year to MOP 26.04 billion, mainly due to a 10.6% drop in receipts from Room Sales (MOP 12.21 billion) that accounted for 46.9% of the total; receipts from Food & Beverages (MOP 5.49 billion) fell by 2.4% while receipts from Rental of Space (MOP 5.65 billion) rose by 1.0%. Expenditure of the hotel sector increased by 1.6% year-on-year to MOP 23.44 billion. Compensation of Employees (44.6% of total) rose by 8.9% to MOP 10.45 billion, while Operating Expenses (MOP 10.35 billion) and Purchase of Goods & Commission Paid (MOP 2.65 billion) dropped by 1.4% and 11.6% respectively. Meanwhile, Non-operating Expenses such as depreciation and interest paid amounted to MOP 8.83 billion, up by 21.9% year-on-year. Analysed by classification of establishments, receipts of five-star hotels decreased by 7.1% year-on-year to MOP 21.43 billion, of which receipts from Room Sales (MOP 9.74 billion), Rental of Space (MOP 5.24 billion) and Food & Beverages (MOP 4.55 billion) recorded decline. Receipts of four-star hotels edged down by 0.1% year-on-year to MOP 2.72 billion, with Room Sales (MOP 1.63 billion) falling by 9.9% and Rental of Space (MOP 292 million) rising by 22.6%. Receipts of three-star and two-star hotels decreased by 9.7% year-on-year to MOP 1.83 billion on account of a 19.4% drop in Room Sales (MOP 780 million). Moreover, receipts of the hotel sector from online business (including online room reservation and ticketing) decreased by 9.9% year-on-year to MOP 703 million; online business receipts of five-star hotels (MOP 497 million) dropped by 19.1% while those of four-star hotels surged by 39.9%. Meanwhile, expenditure of five-star hotels decreased by 4.0% year-on-year to MOP 19.13 billion, of which Compensation of Employees (MOP 8.68 billion) rose by 5.7% while Operating Expenses (MOP 8.22 billion) dropped by 9.5%. On the contrary, expenditure of four-star hotels surged by 68.3% to MOP 2.94 billion, with Operating Expenses (MOP 1.59 billion) soaring by 86.7%. Gross Value Added that measures the sectoral contribution to the economy totalled MOP 13.20 billion, down by 9.2% year-on-year. Gross Surplus of the hotel sector dropped notably by 44.4% to MOP 2.76 billion; four-star hotels recorded a deficit of MOP 171 million as the annual receipts of the new hotels were lower than their annual expenditure (including pre-opening expenses). Gross Surplus Ratio decreased by 7.2 percentage points to 10.6%. With the opening of several five-star and four-star hotels in 2015, Gross Fixed Capital Formation leaping by 944.1% year-on-year to MOP 28.85 billion due to a significant increase in expenditure on construction and acquisition of property, as well as major renovation projects. A total of 107 hotels and guesthouses were operating in 2015, comprising 74 hotels and 33 guesthouses. Total number of persons engaged rose by 14.7% year-on-year to 45,271, of which 28,991 (64.0%) were working in the 12 large-scale hotels having 800 or more persons engaged, up by 8.6%.
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The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) released results of Survey on Participation of Residents in Cultural Activities for the second quarter of 2016. This Survey aims to collect information on participation of individuals aged 16 and above in cultural activities in the six months prior to the date of interview. Cultural activities include going to the cinema, going to a library, visiting a museum or World Heritage site, and attending a performance or art exhibition. In the second quarter of 2016, a total of 302,300 individuals participated in cultural activities; the cultural activity participation rate (percentage of individuals participating in cultural activities in the population aged 16 and above) was 54.9%, up by 2.1 percentage points year-on-year. Local residents participating in cultural activities totalled 257,900, with a participation rate of 59.2%, up by 1.2 percentage points. Analysed by type of cultural activity, going to the cinema remained the most popular activity for local residents, with 169,800 participants, up by 7.6% year-on-year. As the government organised a number of film screenings in support of Macao films and videos, local residents who had watched locally produced films and videos rose notably by 58.5% to 35,100. Local residents going to libraries increased by 3.1% year-on-year to 114,400; the activity participation rate was 26.3%, up by 0.5 percentage points. Students had a higher participation rate than non-students, at 68.0% and 22.0% respectively. With the government’s efforts to promote Macao history and culture, local residents visiting museums or World Heritage sites increased by 19.1% year-on-year to 113,900. The average visit per participant was 2.8, the same as a year earlier. Specifically, 82,500 local residents visited World Heritage sites (72.4% of total) and 75,100 visited museums (65.9%). There were 90,500 local residents attending performances, down by 0.7% year-on-year. The average attendance per participant remained unchanged from a year earlier, at 2.3. Music/dance performances were more popular among local residents, with 65,500 participants (72.3%), while theatre performances had 45,200 participants (50.0%). There were 38,300 local residents attending art exhibitions, up by 5.2% year-on-year; 95.7% of them also participated in other types of cultural activities, and 51.6% took part in four or more types of activities, up by 3.0 percentage points.
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The Cultural Affairs Bureau will carry out an inspection to the roof of St. Anthony’s Church between 26th September and 13th October. During the inspection period, scaffolding will be installed in certain areas inside the Church. Nevertheless the opening hours of St. Anthony’s Church will not be affected by the abovementioned works and the church will remain open to the public. For enquiries, please call IC through tel. no. 8399 6699, during office hours.
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The Tourism Crisis Management Office (GGCT) is paying close attention to the explosion incident occurred in Manhattan, New York. Until the present moment, GGCT has not received any request for information or assistance. If necessary, Macao residents can call: 24-hour Tourism Hotline (853) 2833 3000; The Chinese Embassy and Consulates or the Global Emergency Call Center for Consular Protection and Services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24-hour hotline: +86 10 12308 for assistance.
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The distribution work of 2016 Wealth Partaking Scheme finished on 16 September this year. In the course of implementation, 212,901 beneficiaries had received the cash premium by means of bank transfer, accounting for MOP$ 1,873,341,800, while 469,492 crossed cheques had been mailed, which summed up to MOP$ 4,045,590,000. Until the present time, 332,992 cheques were honoured, representing 70.9% of the total number of cheques issused. In line with the scheme, the Service Centre of Civil and Municipal Affairs Bureau located in Avenida da Praia Grande, China Plaza, 2/F provides services for enquiries and deal with procedures related to the cash disbursement. As of 16 September, some 19,478 enquiries had been handled, with the majority of which being personal visit, summing up to 12,362 enquiries, around 63.5% of the total. The second most popular channel was telephone enquiry, which stands for 7,130 or 36.6% enquiries. Personal visits to the Centre were mainly for re-issuance of cheques, which totalled 2,884 cases. Although the distribution work has finished, residents can still go to the Service Centre of Civil and Municipal Affairs Bureau for assistance regarding procedures associated with the present and pass years Scheme from 9am to 6pm straight, Monday to Friday, except public holidays. The service hotline 2822 5000, fax 2822 3000 as well as the official website of Wealth Partaking Scheme http://www.planocp.gov.mo will be retained to provide relevant information.
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The Monetary Authority of Macao announced today that the preliminary estimate of Macao SAR’s foreign exchange reserves amounted to MOP155.8 billion (USD19.50 billion) at the end of August 2016. The reserves increased by 0.4% from the revised value of MOP155.2 billion (USD19.43 billion) for the previous month. Macao SAR’s foreign exchange reserves at end-August 2016 represented 12 times the currency in circulation or 103.2% of Pataca M2 at end-July 2016. The trade-weighted effective exchange rate index for the pataca fell 0.84 points month-to-month and 0.17 points year-on-year to 105.54 in August 2016, implying that overall speaking, the exchange rate of the pataca dropped against the currencies of Macao’s major trading partners.
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Macao and Zhuhai Consumer Council worked together to test 20 samples of tissue papers and 16 samples of food storage bags. Test result showed that all items pass the testing standard. To enhance monitoring on the quality of goods on the market, and to safeguard citizens in both areas for their consumer rights and safety, Macao and Zhuhai Councils work together according to their protocol to conduct tests on consumer goods. The two Councils co-operated earlier to test 20 batches of tissue papers and 16 batches of food storage bags for their hygienic condition, ingredients, and quality. All samples passed the quoted national standard. The two Councils held a press conference at Zhuhai on 13 September to announce the test and the relevant report, as well as released reminders to consumers on purchasing the said products. President of Consumer Council’s Executive Committee, Wong Hong Neng, indicated that transregional co-operation fully utilizes the advantage of sharing resources, and Macao Consumer Council works together with different consumer organizations in the Mainland to enhance consumers’ confidence and safeguard consumer rights. As 1 October is approaching, Consumer Council released a set of advices to tourists traveling to Macao on buying jewelries, watches, and electrical products, and introduced the Council’s ‘Certified Shop’ mechanism on the press conference held earlier. The Council also explained how tourists could seek for assistance when consumer dispute arises in Macao.
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