News

To promote the development of local cultural and creative industries and to enrich the cultural life of the residents, the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) hosts the “Inheritance – Exhibition of Handmade Leather Accessories and Carving Crafts by Teachers and Students” at the Team Building of IFT from 19 August to 30 October 2016, showcasing numerous pieces of handmade leather accessories and carving crafts. The public is cordially invited to appreciate the unique masterpieces of the teachers and students. Leather craft has a long history; as early as 1450 BC, ancient people engaging in leather craft and carving were already recorded on images found in the relief carvings in Egypt. During the Yellow Emperor period in China, some people used leather to make door leaf and shoes. After the world entered into the era of mechanisation, the leather handicraft industry gradually declined. Until recently, the handicraft trend has been sweeping the globe and leather craft becomes one of the favorite activities for cultural and creative artists. In response to this trend, IFT started organising a series of leather craft courses in 2013 and invited renowned leather craft designers from Hong Kong, Mr. Ryan Lau and Ms. Catherine Ling to deliver the courses of “Leather Craft – Design and Production of Handmade Practical Leather Accessories”, “Leather Craft – Design and Handmade Accessories” and “Leather Craft – Professional Design and Production of Handmade Leather Accessories”. Also in 2015, leather carving artists Ms. Sin Mei Cheong and Ms. Sin Mei I, who have studied in Hong Kong and Chinse Taiwan and taken private lessons with a Japanese leather carving teacher, joined the team to deliver the course “Design and Production of Leather Carving Crafts”. Also in 2015, leather carving artists Ms. Sin Mei Cheong and Ms. Sin Mei I, who have taken lessons in Chinese Hong Kong and Chinse Taiwan, joined the team to deliver the course “Design and Production of Leather Carving Crafts”. Leather craft emphasises on sophisticated techniques and rigorous production processes. From selection of leather and design to cutting and sewing, until the whole process is complete, every step and every detail demonstrate the proficient skills of the leather craftsmen. This exhibition showcases works of the four teachers and their students, for not only witnessing the inheritance of the handicraft spirit from teachers to students, but also demonstrating the excellent skills of leather craftsmen of the new generation of Macao. In addition to the exhibits of leather products for practical daily use, there are also exhibits of various exquisite leather carving artworks which are worth appreciating. IFT has always been committed to promoting the cultural industry in Macao. Apart from constantly providing a variety of cultural and creative courses, IFT has also pursued active cooperation with artists in recent years, organising various types of exhibitions, in an effort to promote local creation and to provide a platform for local artists to demonstrate their achievements of arts, and to integrate arts into the daily life of residents. IFT has continuously explored courses which are up-to-date, interesting and practical for the community. Currently, IFT’s Tourism and Hotel School is working with 20 international organisations, providing professional and certified courses and assessments to the public and industry professionals. Every year, the School provides hundreds of vocational and professional courses to a total of around 20,000 participants.
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In order to encourage reading and provide convenient library services to the public, the Macao Public Library under the Cultural Affairs Bureau has launched a 24-hour Self-service Book Return System and a reservation service for books on shelf. The 24-hour Self-service Book Return System was introduced in the Macao Central Library and in the Taipa Library on 11 August. It is now also available at the Wong Ieng Kuan Library in Areia Preta Urban Park, Wong Ieng Kuan Children's Library in Areia Preta Urban Park, Wong Ieng Kuan Library in Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Municipal Park, Library in Ho Yin Garden and S. Lourenço Library (the availability of some Book Returns is subject to the opening hours of the parks and markets where the libraries are located). The Book Return System is user-friendly and supports receipt printing. Furthermore, the Macao Public Library has expanded its reservation service of books on loan to books on shelf since August. Residents may reserve books held on shelf through the Libraries’ website, by telephone or in person at any of the libraries, and collect the books at a selected library. After completing the reservation, residents will receive a SMS confirmation from the library and may carry on with the borrowing procedure at the service counter of the selected library within the appointed period. The Macao Public Library hopes the new diversified services will allow the residents an easier access to library resources, so as to promote reading close by all the public.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total spending (excluding gaming expenses) of visitors in the second quarter of 2016 amounted to MOP 11.70 billion, down by 4.5% from MOP 12.25 billion in the same quarter of 2015 and up by 1.4% from MOP 11.54 billion in the first quarter of 2016. Total spending of overnight visitors (MOP 9.29 billion) and same-day visitors (MOP 2.40 billion) decreased by 3.0% and 10.0% respectively year-on-year. In the second quarter of 2016, per-capita spending of visitors was MOP 1,601, down by 4.0% year-on-year and up by 3.4% quarter-to-quarter. Per-capita spending of visitors from Mainland China decreased by 8.0% year-on-year to MOP 1,850, with spending of those from Guangdong Province (MOP 1,604) dropping by 3.2% and that from Fujian Province (MOP 1,561) falling significantly by 31.1%. Per-capita spending of Mainland visitors travelling under the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) decreased by 11.3% year-on-year to MOP 2,244, with spending of Guangdong visitors (MOP 1,834) and Fujian visitors (MOP 2,545) dropping by 3.0% and 31.7% respectively. Meanwhile, per-capita spending of visitors from Japan (MOP 1,731), Malaysia (MOP 1,657), Hong Kong (MOP 955) and Taiwan (MOP 1,548) increased by 12.1%, 10.1%, 9.8% and 12.7% respectively year-on-year. Among the long-haul visitors, per-capita spending of visitors from the United Kingdom (MOP 1,234) and the United States (MOP 1,223) increased by 1.8% and 6.0% respectively, while spending of those from Australia (MOP 1,445) decreased by 5.1%. Per-capita spending of overnight visitors dropped by 9.8% year-on-year to MOP 2,543; spending of those from Mainland China (MOP 2,928) and Singapore (MOP 2,611) decreased by 15.3% and 6.6% respectively, while spending of those from Japan (MOP 2,509), Hong Kong (MOP 1,543) and Taiwan (MOP 2,918) recorded increase. On the other hand, per-capita spending of same-day visitors dropped by 2.8% year-on-year to MOP 658, with spending of those from Mainland China (MOP 791) and Singapore (MOP 527) decreasing by 5.6% and 3.3% respectively. Visitors spent mainly on shopping (43.4%), accommodation (26.8%) and food & beverage (20.9%). Per-capita shopping spending decreased by 7.6% year-on-year to MOP 694, of which spending on local food products (MOP 195) and cosmetics & perfume (MOP 161) dropped by 8.9% and 1.9% respectively. Visitors from Mainland China spent an average of MOP 958 on shopping (-10.0%), with IVS visitors spending MOP 1,379 (-13.7%). Analysed by visitors’ main purpose of visit, visitors coming to Macao for shopping had the highest per-capita spending, at MOP 2,261, down by 3.1% year-on-year, followed by those coming for MICE events (MOP 2,144) and vacation (MOP 2,123), down by 10.0% and 12.0% respectively. Results of the Visitors’ Comments Survey for the second quarter of 2016 indicated that 90.8% of the visitor-users were satisfied with the services of travel agencies, up by 1.0 percentage point quarter-to-quarter; those who expressed satisfaction with the services and facilities of hotels rose marginally by 0.2 percentage points to 90.1%. On the contrary, only 39.5% of the visitors commented that points of tourist attractions were adequate, down by 1.6 percentage points quarter-to-quarter; those who complimented about environmental hygiene and public facilities accounted for 78.4% and 67.0%, down by 4.8 and 4.3 percentage points respectively. Meanwhile, a relatively high percentage of visitors considered that public transport services should be improved, at 9.3%, down by 1.4 percentage points quarter-to-quarter.
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The Government has provided legal advice to the property owners in Edifício Wa Keong, the building damaged by a recent crash involving a tourist bus. It is part of the Government’s effort to provide all necessary practical assistance to those property owners affected, as well as to the occupants of the bus. Among the discussion topics on Thursday (August 18), between officials and those owning units in the building, were: the question of civil liability; damage compensation; procedures for claiming compensation – via arbitration or via legal procedures; the applicable statute of limitation; the qualification requirements for legal aid; and the degree to which vehicle insurance would offer coverage of liability. The Acting Director of the Legal Affairs Bureau, Ms Leong Pou Ieng, and the Deputy Director of the Social Welfare Bureau, Mr Au Chi Keung, attended the meeting with property owners from Edifício Wa Keong. In view of an ongoing investigation by the police regarding the incident, the Government was at this stage only able to discuss legislation relevant to the incident, said Ms Leong. In addition, the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau said that a proposed primary repair plan would be announced before the end of next week. The Bureau will next week hold talks with the building occupants, to update them on the condition of the building. The Government had taken measures to reinforce the structure of the building and had been monitoring its safety. Measurements taken showed the building to be in a generally stable condition. The Social Welfare Bureau had arranged for four families from the building to stay in temporary accommodation. Other occupants of the building – that had been staying at the Centre for Victims of Disaster – left their emergency accommodation on Thursday. Regarding the tourists that were victims of the bus crash, as of today, a total of 11 mainland tourists were still being treated in Kiang Wu Hospital. Of those hospitalised, a female patient – who had undergone head surgery – remained in a coma. Her condition was generally stable, and she was being kept on a ventilator. It was expected that the other hospitalised patients – each in a stable condition – would leave hospital next week. Of the 44 mainland tourists involved in the crash, a total of 24 had left Macao. Nine non-hospitalised tourists were in Macao as of today (one of the nine had left the city but returned). The nine were present either to accompany family members injured in the accident, or for discussions with their respective travel agent regarding insurance matters.
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Consumer Council conducted its latest ‘Supermarket price survey’ in August on 19 August for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Surveyed locations included supermarkets in São Lázaro and São Lourenço Parishes. 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. Consumers may also access the resources through WAP channels on their mobile phones. 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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The waterproofing maintenance works of the Chapel of Our Lady of Penha are being carried out smoothly since the end of July. Since painting work will be undertaken inside the Chapel soon, the latter will be temporarily closed between 29 August and 9 September. Nevertheless, during this period, the courtyard of the Church and the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes will remain open to the public.
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IFT 2016/17 Degree Programme Student Orientation Ceremony was held on 18 August with the presence of IFT faculty, bachelor degree programme freshmen and exchange students. President of IFT, Dr. Fanny Vong presented her warmest welcome to the new comers during the ceremony. Dr. Vong encouraged the 426 new students to be well equipped in these 4 years of study and be ready for the tourism development of Macao and opportunities in the years ahead. Established in 1995, IFT has made significant progress and achievements in various areas, increasing student intake, enhancing quality and variety of programmes and courses, as well as pursuing excellence in teaching and research over the years. Now IFT has grown as an internationally recognised institution and the number of our degree programme students has increased by more than 13 times to around 1,600. Being the first institution accredited by the UNWTO.TedQual Certification System for tourism education, IFT has now 7 bachelor degree programmes with the Certification. Currently, the Institute has the most number of bachelor degree programmes certified under the System of any tertiary education establishment worldwide. Until now, over 6,000 degree and higher diploma students have graduated, while an average of 20,000 people participate in its professional training courses every year. IFT creates a multi-cultural learning and teaching environment for the students, with faculty members from 19 countries and regions around the world. For this academic year, international and exchange freshmen are from Austria, Chinese Hong Kong, Chinese Taiwan, Finland, France, Japan, Mainland China, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Sweden, The Netherlands, UK and USA. In order to cope with whole-person development education model, IFT adopts a balanced curriculum of both theories and practices. It emphasises on student quality nurturing and always supports students to organise real hands on projects, among which some are charitable events. Through learning by action, students not only can help the needy and the community, but also put theories into practices. The experience of learning to work with people from different background and cultures sharpens their interpersonal skills. Besides, IFT encourages students to participate in extra-curricular activities and various overseas internship and exchange programmes, so that their 4-year university life could further flourish. Dr. Vong also hoped that students could develop vital professional abilities, including teamwork spirit, organisational skill, time management skill, communication skill, as well as positive attitude that can help them to overcome challenges and develop them into knowledgeable, competent and hirable elites. All of the freshmen attending the ceremony have gone through a competitive and rigorous admission examination and interview processes before being selected by the Institute. Being one of the public tertiary institutions in Macao, IFT will continue to cultivate tourism professionals and offer more dynamic courses to cope with the tourism development of Macao. During the ceremony, the Institute Scholarship was presented to its students.
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Launched by Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) last November, the “Macao Tourism Data plus” (“MTD plus”) is now further optimized and equipped with three additional features for users to obtain Macao’s tourism figures and statistics more conveniently. The platform introduces three new features: 1. Portuguese version: Portuguese is now not only available as a display language on the user interface of “MTD plus”, but users can also generate data and graphs with Portuguese captions; 2. Subscription service: Interested users can regularly receive Macao’s latest tourism figures and information through subscription; 3. User manual: Users can learn how to use the website’s key features from the user manual. At present, “MTD plus” features interactive data, tourism statistics tables, E-publications, other tourism statistics, distribution maps of visitor source markets as well as tourism situation video. In addition, five different indicators are available: total visitor arrivals, source markets, modes of transport, average length of stay of visitors and hotel overnight guests. “MTD plus” is available on the website: http://mtdplus.macaotourism.gov.mo or Macao Tourism Industry Net: http://industry.macaotourism.gov.mo to all users from various sectors. In the future, MGTO will keep optimizing and enhancing the features of “MTD plus” so as to offer more comprehensive and convenient service for data enquiry.
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The 30th Macao International Music Festival (MIMF), organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, will be held from 1 to 30 October. Considering the ticketing demand and the public’s overwhelming response, IC will offer an additional performance of the chamber opera A Dream of Fragrancy. The tickets for this additional performance will be on sale from tomorrow, 19 August, from 10am through the Macau Ticketing Network. In order to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of the great playwright Tang Xianzu, the Festival has specially invited several local art and culture professionals to produce the first local chamber opera, entitled A Dream of Fragrancy. The opera tells the story of the official Tang Xianzu, who was demoted to a position in a city in southern China. During the journey, Tang Xianzu stops in Macao and meets a Portuguese girl, Maria. They develop a heart-warming relationship while touring around the city. This opera, featuring exquisite arias, is a show not to be missed and has been sought-after by the public. Nearly all tickets for the two performances have been sold out since the tickets went on sale. The Organizer therefore decided to offer one additional performance of the opera to be held on Sunday, 16 October, at 3pm, at Dom Pedro V Theatre. This edition of the MIMF also features a number of excellent performances highly appreciated by music lovers. It kicks off with a magnificent production of Giacomo Puccini’s opera in three acts Turandot, a tragic story featuring fascinating and popular arias such as Nessun Dorma as well as Chinese folk melodies like Jasmine Flower. World-class conductor Valery Gergiev will lead the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra in two fantastic concerts, in which the programmes of The Russian Legends not only reflects the tremendous change in the composing attitude and style of D. Shostakovich, but also unfolds his life experience and even the landscape of Western society in the 20th century. Tickets for the additional performance of the opera A Dream of Fragrancy are priced at MOP250 and MOP200. Holders of BOC Multi-Currency Credit Card or BOC card can enjoy an exclusive 30% discount on tickets for designated performances; Macao Senior Citizen Card or Disability Assessment Registration Card holders can enjoy 50% discount on ticket purchases (one discounted ticket per performance per card holder only). Only a few tickets are available for some of the performances through the Macau Ticketing Network. For more details on the programme, please visit the Festival’s website at www.icm.gov.mo/fimm. Ticketing hotline: 2855 5555. Ticketing website: www.macauticket.com.
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The 4th Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo (“MITE”) will come on stage from 2 to 4 September. Taking up the role of organizer for the first time, Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) held a press conference today (18 August) to unveil the event program. MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Deputy Director Cheng Wai Tong and President of Macau Travel Agency Association, Lao Nga Wong, were present in the press conference together with others. This year, MITE is supported by China National Tourism Administration, organized by MGTO for the first time and coordinated by Macau Travel Agency Association. The co-organizers include the Macao Chamber of Commerce, Macao Federation of Trade Unions, the General Union of Neighbors Association of Macau, the Women’s General Association of Macau, Association of Returned Overseas Chinese Macau, Travel Industry Council of Macau and Association of Macao Tourist Agents. Senna Fernandes remarked, “MGTO has always been a supporter of the Expo. We are very glad to take up the role of organizer for the first time to forge a platform for members of the travel trade and other related sectors from various destinations to connect with each other, build partnerships and boost visitation together.” She hopes that various participating entities can join hands to present a prominent expo which manifests Macao’s capability to organize travel fairs professionally and the city’s competitive advantages as an international travel destination in diverse aspects. She looks forward to seeing Macao shine as a platform in the event with a wealth of new opportunities in store for tourism and related sectors to prosper, in line with Macao’s goal to become a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. Coming to its 4th edition, MITE is a significant annual gathering for tourism professionals, dedicated to building a platform for participants from tourism and other related sectors at home and abroad to explore business opportunities and boost visitation together. Held at Hall D, Cotai Expo of the Venetian Macao this year, the event not only covers six key elements of the tourism industry — dining, accommodation, transportation, entertainment, sightseeing and shopping, but also features travel-related service, travel media, tourism electronic commerce and technology in tourism among others. The Expo will update exhibitors and industry professionals with the latest news in the local and overseas industry as a platform for exchange and product sale, and provide useful travel tips for travel enthusiasts. The program of the 4th MITE features an array of highlights such as seminars, a studio showing tourism videos, sales for FIT travel products, as well as folk custom and specialty show. The seminars will cover analysis of new trends of FIT in the Asia-Pacific region, smart tourism development and internet application, introduction of FIT travel via high-speed railway and promotion of hot tourist spots in 2016. Distinguished speakers are invited to share their foresight on the topics concerned. In addition, China - Portugal Tourism Promotion Seminar & Travel Mart will be held to facilitate interchanges among tourism operators from China and Portuguese-speaking countries. Up to date, over 135 enterprises and entities from 15 countries and regions have confirmed their participation as exhibitors, including travel agencies, hotels, resorts, scenic spot operators and tourism-related businesses, etc. MGTO has taken progressive steps to promote the 4th MITE through different publicity channels including TV commercial, radio, newspaper, bus and outdoor advertisements, etc. Teledifusão de Macau, S.A. (TDM) and Macau Asia Satellite Television Company, Limited (MASTV) are the media partners with the 4th MITE. Through close collaboration with the travel trade and other related sectors, MGTO has organized and co-organized a range of mega events and activities in recent years, seeking to promote the destination through a variety of local, regional and international events. Moreover, the Office strives to radiate Macao’s impact as a platform, attract various market segments and raise the city’s international profile. The endeavors are made to support Macao reaching the goal to become a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure.
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