News

Festive joy livens up the city as the Year of the Rooster dawns. Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) sincerely wishes Macao residents and visitors an energetic and blissful year ahead. The Office also wishes that Macao’s tourism industry will keep forging ahead with diversified and sustainable development, and Macao will be successfully transformed into a “World Centre of Tourism and Leisure”.On the first day of Lunar New Year (28 January), MGTO partnered with Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau to present Chinese New Year celebrations at the Ruins of St. Paul’s and Senado Square to share the festive joy with residents and visitors.Macao welcomed over 30 million visitors last year. During Chinese New Year holidays, a great number of visitors are expected to come from the Mainland and neighboring regions to spend their vacation in Macao. Visitors of different nationalities also choose to visit Macao during this time of the year to experience the ambience of Chinese New Year. MGTO thus takes the opportunity to express New Year wishes to residents and visitors and extend warm hospitality to the latter on behalf of the city.MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, President of Management Committee of Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, José Tavares, MGTO Deputy Directors Cecilia Tse and Cheng Wai Tong, officiated the eye-dotting ceremony for the golden dragon and dancing lions together with representatives of the local trade and other guests at the Ruins of St. Paul’s, and ignited firecrackers together at Senado Square to kick off the celebrations on the first morning of Lunar New Year. Following that, the guests joined the God of Fortune to distribute “Lai Si” and festive souvenirs to residents and visitors at Senado Square, filling the heart of the city with joyful blessings. “Lai Si” given by the God of Fortune conveys the best wishes to Macao for a flourishing and prosperous year ahead.The 238-meter-long golden dragon led a parade across major tourist districts and demonstrated vigorous moves accompanied by vibrant young lions. Their lively performance bestows wishes that Macao will brim with vigor and vitality in the Year of the Rooster and rise to a new level of development. The Chinese zodiac animal “Rooster” symbolizes auspiciousness and vitality, wishing Macau residents a year full of joyful blessings as they join hand in hand for the brighter future of Macao.MGTO keeps the tradition to distribute “Lai Si” to visitors during Lunar New Year. Starting on the first day of Lunar New Year, “Lai Si” containing phrases of New Year blessings are distributed at MGTO’s Tourist Information counters while stock lasts. Each “Lai Si” contains 10 cents and symbolizes auspicious wishes.As another highlight, eight performance groups coming from different countries and regions for the "Parade for Celebration of the Year of the Rooster" are giving performances in advance at various tourist spots on the first and second day of Lunar New Year. Among them, the performance groups from Colombia, Portugal, Mainland China and Hong Kong performed at Rua do Cunha and the Taipa Houses on Taipa, as well as Iao Hon Market Garden and Macau Fisherman’s Wharf on Macao Peninsula respectively on the first day of Lunar New Year. The groups from Japan, Spain, Germany and the United States will perform at the Ruins of St. Paul’s, Senado Square, A-Ma Temple and the Taipa Houses on the second day of Lunar New Year. Each performance lasts for 5 to 15 minutes.In addition, MGTO will present the grand outdoor festive event, the “Parade for Celebration of the Year of the Rooster”, on the third and eighth night of Chinese New Year. This year, revolving around a story about golden eggs prepared by the God of Fortune in celebration of the New Year, the event is ready to captivate audience with fantastic float parades, mega joint performances and more. MGTO hopes to bestow the brightest wishes upon Macao residents and visitors from different parts of the world with this spectacular festive event shining with characteristics of different cultures. The Fireworks Display for Celebration of Chinese New Year will be held on the third night of Chinese New Year, wishing local and foreign spectators a great start of the New Year.MGTO rolls out an array of activities during Chinese New Year. Residents and visitors are welcome to browse the program on MGTO’s website: http://www.macaotourism.gov.mo.The Office will allocate staff at ten major tourist attractions to provide guidance and tourism information for visitors between the first and ninth day of Lunar New Year (28 January – 5 February) while assisting in crowd management. For local dining, visitors can find award-winning restaurants and eateries listed in the publication “Star Merchant Award – Restaurants and Eateries Guide”. MGTO has also published the "Macao Food Guide during Spring Festival" (Chinese version only) together with the General Union of Neighbors Association of Macau, the United Association of Food and Beverage Merchants of Macao, the Industry and Commerce Association of Macau Northern District, the Industry and Commerce Federation of Macau Central and Southern District as well as the Industry and Commerce Federation of Islands of Macao. Offering a contact list of restaurants and eateries open during Chinese New Year, the handy food guide familiarizes visitors with operation information of the relevant restaurants in Macao.During Chinese New Year, MGTO's Tourism Hotline 2833 3000 maintains its 24-hour operator service to answer enquiries and attend to visitors’ needs: http://en.macaotourism.gov.mo/useful/hotline.php
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that visitors on package tours decreased by 2.6% year-on-year to 706,000 in December 2016, a slower decline compared with November. Package tour visitors from Mainland China (554,000) dropped by 4.1% year-on-year, while those from the Republic of Korea (36,000) and Taiwan (39,000) increased by 17.8% and 11.0% respectively. For the whole year of 2016, visitors on package tours totalled 7,544,000, down by 23.4% year-on-year; those coming from Mainland China (5,968,000) and Taiwan (427,000) decreased by 26.2% and 21.3% respectively, while those from the Republic of Korea (371,000) increased by 14.1%.Outbound residents using services of travel agencies totalled 127,000 in December 2016, down by 4.1% year-on-year. Residents travelling on package tours decreased slightly by 0.7% year-on-year to 57,000, of which those visiting Mainland China and the Republic of Korea took up 65.5% and 12.9% respectively. For the whole year of 2016, outbound residents using services of travel agencies dropped by 14.3% year-on-year to 1,256,000. Residents travelling on package tours (501,000) decreased by 17.9%, with those going to Mainland China (342,000) falling by 27.9% while those to the Republic of Korea (51,000) surging by 135.5%.There were 107 hotels & guesthouses operating at the end of December 2016, up by 1 year-on-year. Number of guest rooms increased by 4,000 to 36,000, with that of 3-star hotels rising significantly by 3,000. Guest rooms of 5-star (22,000) and 4-star (7,700) hotels accounted for 60.1% and 21.2% of the total respectively.In December 2016, number of guests of hotels & guesthouses increased by 11.1% year-on-year to 1,177,000, coming primarily from Mainland China (720,000) and Hong Kong (183,000), up by 14.7% and 5.2% respectively. The average length of stay of guests held stable at 1.4 nights as in December 2015. The average occupancy rate of hotels & guesthouses was 89.7% in December 2016, up by 6.2 percentage points year-on-year, with that of 4-star hotels (92.5%) exceeding 90.0%.For the whole year of 2016, guests of hotels & guesthouses totalled 12,001,000, up by 13.6% year-on-year; guests from Mainland China (7,607,000), the Republic of Korea (304,000), Hong Kong (1,782,000) and Taiwan (477,000) grew by 12.8%, 34.3%, 17.8% and 24.7% respectively. The average occupancy rate of hotels & guesthouses stood at 83.3% in 2016, up by 1.8 percentage points year-on-year; 4-star hotels had the highest rate at 86.3%, followed by that of 5-star hotels (83.7%), which climbed up by 5.7 percentage points and 0.3 percentage points respectively. The average length of stay of guests was 1.4 nights, down by 0.1 night year-on-year. Visitor-guests accounted for 72.0% of the total overnight visitors, up by 2.6 percentage points year-on-year.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total merchandise export for December 2016 amounted to MOP753 million, down by 16.1% year-on-year; value of re-exports (MOP597 million) dropped by 17.1%, with that of Machines, apparatus & parts (MOP64 million) falling by 31.3%; meanwhile, value of domestic exports (MOP156 million) slid by 12.2%, with that of Tobacco (MOP42 million) decreasing by 32.2%. Total merchandise import dropped by 2.9% year-on-year to MOP6.78 billion, of which imports of Motor cars and Mobile phones declined by 52.5% and 46.1% respectively. Merchandise trade deficit amounted to MOP6.03 billion.In the fourth quarter of 2016, total value of merchandise export (MOP2.31 billion) and merchandise import (MOP19.61 billion) fell by 8.7% and 7.3% respectively year-on-year, resulting in a trade deficit of MOP17.30 billion.For the whole year of 2016, total value of merchandise export dropped by 6.0% year-on-year to MOP10.05 billion, of which value of re-exports (MOP8.08 billion) decreased by 8.9%, but that of domestic exports (MOP1.96 billion) increased by 7.8%. Owing to the decline in demand for products, such as Motor cars (-55.1%), Mobile phones (-40.0%) and Watches (-23.3%), total value of merchandise import fell by 15.7% year-on-year to MOP71.35 billion. Merchandise trade deficit totalled MOP61.31 billion in 2016.Analysed by destination, merchandise export to Mainland China decreased by 4.7% year-on-year to MOP1.75 billion in 2016, of which exports to the nine provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP1.64 billion) fell by 7.4%, and exports to Hong Kong (MOP5.56 billion) dropped by 12.1%. Meanwhile, exports to the EU (MOP175 million) and the USA (MOP156 million) reduced by 22.7% and 20.6% respectively, whereas exports to the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP6 million) jumped by 594.6%. Exports of Non-textiles declined by 5.1% year-on-year to MOP9.36 billion, of which value of Machines, apparatus & parts (MOP825 million) dropped by 28.8%, but that of Tobacco & wine (MOP832 million) grew by 35.6%. Exports of Textiles & garments totalled MOP691 million, down by 16.8%.By place of origin, merchandise import from Mainland China (MOP25.84 billion) and the EU (MOP17.03 billion) in 2016 decreased by 18.9% and 9.6% respectively year-on-year. However, imports from the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP666 million) increased by 10.7%. Analysed by place of consignment, merchandise import from Mainland China declined by 5.3% to MOP12.02 billion, of which imports from the nine provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP11.35 billion) fell by 6.4%. Imports of Consumer goods dropped by 11.5% to MOP44.74 billion, with imports of Watches (MOP4.78 billion) and Motor cars & motorcycles (MOP1.33 billion) decreasing by 23.3% and 53.5% respectively. Moreover, value of imports of Fuels & lubricants (MOP6.11 billion), Mobile phones (MOP4.79 billion) and Construction materials (MOP1.96 billion) declined by 11.4%, 40.0% and 37.7% respectively.External merchandise trade totalled MOP81.40 billion in 2016, down by 14.6% compared with MOP95.36 billion in 2015.
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The Chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission for the Legislative Assembly Election, Mr Tong Hio Fong, said today the Commission would soon call a meeting to discuss the arrangements for the election, which is to be held later this year.The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, appointed – via an Executive Order – Mr Tong Hio Fong as Chairman of the Commission. The other members of the Commission are: Mr Lai U Hou; Mr José Maria da Fonseca Tavares; Mr Kou Peng Kuan; Mr Iong Kong Leong; and Mr Chan Chi Ping Victor.The Chief Executive this afternoon presided over the swearing-in ceremony of the Commission, held at the Government Headquarters.Mr Tong told reporters that the first meeting of the Commission would be convened after the Lunar New Year holiday period. The Commission plans to hold meetings on a regular basis and would brief reporters after each meeting, he added.The Commission would first adjust its work programme according to the updated Legislative Assembly Election Law and review the work done during the last election for the Legislative Assembly, held in 2013. The dates for this year’s election and for the campaign period would be discussed at a later stage.The Commission will continue to issue in advance all guidelines and rules related to the election, to make sure that each campaign team can follow closely the Legislative Assembly Election Law. The Commission would take immediate action against any wrongdoings by campaign teams, and would also be in close communication with the Commission Against Corruption in matters related to the election process, said Mr Tong.
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The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Leong Vai Tac, today said the Government was progressing with plans – in a pragmatic manner – to launch a minimum wage system that would apply to all employees in Macao.Before launching such a system, the proposed plan would need to go through a public consultation process and the necessary legislative procedures, i.e. the Executive Council and the Legislative Assembly, Mr Leong added.Speaking to reporters today following a meeting of a Legislative Assembly committee, Mr Leong said the Government strived and hoped to create a city-wide minimum wage system, within three years of the enactment of the Law on Minimum Wage for Cleaning and Security Workers of the Property Management Industry.The Law on the Minimum Wage for Cleaning and Security Workers of the Property Management Industry came into force on 1 January, 2016.Nonetheless, an effective date for the launch of a city-wide minimum wage system would only be proposed after a public consultation, taking into consideration the opinions from different sectors of society, and in particular the comments from members of the Legislative Assembly.The Government is currently evaluating the implementation of the law on the minimum wage for cleaning staff and security workers. Once that review is completed, the Government would initiate the preliminary work for a city-wide minimum wage system, including preparatory works for a proposal for public consultation, said Mr Leong.In addition, the Secretary also made comments regarding the decline in the number of gaming promoters in Macao, saying such decrease was due to the Government’s strengthened supervision of the sector. The Government had launched stricter guidelines regulating the work of gaming promoters. This could have resulted in a number of gaming promoters deciding not to continue their activity, as they would have to face stricter rules and supervision.The Government is committed to raising the amount of capital companies are required to pledge to become eligible for a gaming promoter licence, in a bid to enhance service quality and in order to enable a healthy and orderly development of the industry.
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The “13^th China Expo Forum for International Cooperation” (hereinafter ‘CEFCO 2017’), as the annual distinguished event of the international convention and exhibition industry, which was hosted in a region other than mainland China for the first time, was hosted successfully in Macao in mid-January. The Forum was co-organized by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade & the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI), International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), and the Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO), and was undertaken by the China Chamber of International Commerce and the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute. In total, it attracted more than 800 elites and high-rank individuals in the convention and exhibition industry to attend. The elites and leaders in the convention and exhibition industry from all around the world exchanged the newest information about the industry, and shared business opportunities in exchange activities such as, plenary meetings and group meetings which were held in those two days, achieving fruitful results. The “helmsmen” of the three international convention and exhibition organizations, UFI, IAEE and SISO, were also invited to the Forum in Macao, so as to share their experience in hosting conventions and exhibitions with others, and as a result there was a positive influence on the development in Macao’s convention and exhibition industry.“Facing Challenges and Endeavoring to Change” was the theme of the CEFCO 2017, which composed of three planetary meetings, four group meetings and other activities such as theme lectures, conferences, project promotion sessions. The representatives of the reputed exhibition enterprises, organizations related to the industry, professional media, and research institutions from China and overseas, as well as the representatives of the mainland competent authorities in the convention and exhibition industry, were invited to conduct discussions regarding the “Contribution of the Convention and Exhibition Industry to the Recovery of the Global Economy”, “Transformation of the Government’s Role in Advancing the Development of the Convention and Exhibition Industry”, “Channels for the Internationalization of the Convention and Exhibition Enterprises” and “Cooperation for the Innovation of the Convention and Exhibition Industry and Internet Platforms”, and so on.The international convention and exhibition organizations are optimistic about the future of Macao’s convention and exhibition industryAndreas Gruchow, the President of the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI) who came to Macao for the first time, stated that in the two-day expo held this year he attended the opening ceremony, delivered a speech and participated in a series of meetings and exchange activities, during which he made lots of new friends and obtained much valuable information. In relevance to the development of Macao’s convention and exhibition industry, he was optimistic and considered Macao’s environment and facilities suitable for hosting meetings, and thus he agreed that Macao should promote with the ultimate goal of elevating Macao into a City of Events as the developmental direction for the convention and exhibition industry. He also indicated that the most important assets of a city for conventions and exhibitions are its hotels, venues, surrounding recreational facilities, and convenient transportation, all of which Macao is equipped with. Therefore, as long as the government and the related industry endeavor to promote them, polishing Macao’s descent “namecard” for conventions and exhibitions, the supply chain of Macao’s convention and exhibition industry will become well prepared.Similarly, David Dubois, the President and CEO of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) who came to Macao for the first time, stated that Macao has perfect facilities in support to conventions and exhibitions, and that Macau is capable of hosting large-scale meetings and enterprise meetings. In addition, its venues and hotels have been equipped with a full set of facilities, and are surrounded by readily available recreational and shopping sites, so that participants and their family members can enjoy their stay in their preferred ways. Thus, this is an advantage that Macao has. He is quite optimistic about Macao’s future convention and exhibition industry, believing that as CEFCO 2017 was hosted successfully, more and more international convention and exhibition organizers will recognize Macao and consequently attract more international large-scale meetings to be hosted.David Audrain, the Executive Director of the Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO) who had come to Macao seven years ago, came to Macao again for the forum and said he was amazed by the rapid pace of development in Macao’s infrastructure, software and hardware in support to conventions and exhibitions. Having once lived in Las Vegas, he thinks that Macao is similar to Las Vegas in many aspects such as, the magnificent hotels, venues, and the diverse and innumerous recreational activities. He suggested that Macao should learn from Las Vegas for its ways to success, and should develop strength to overcome its shortcomings. In this way, there will be a wider scope of development for Macao’s convention and exhibition industry.Large-scale convention and exhibition events to be hostedIn the next few months, more and more convention and exhibition events will be hosted in Macao consecutively. Apart from the annual event in the environmental field, “2017 Macao International Environment Co-operation Forum & Exhibition” (MIECF), there will also be “Igaming Asia Congress 2017” Convention and Exhibition, organized by the Asian entertainment and gaming industry, social platforms and mobile game companies under cross-border cooperation, “International Exposition of Intangible Cultural Heritage and Ancient Art Macao”, where reputed scholars and collectors from China and overseas cooperatively research on intangible cultural heritage, and “2017 Annual Meeting of the Asia Pacific Dental Association”, in which people from the medical profession from 30 countries and regions will be invited to participate. For details, please visit the Macao MICE Portal: http://www.mice.gov.mo/tc/.
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Having regard to the ATM cash withdrawal needs of citizens and visitors during the Chinese New Year holidays (i.e. from 28 to 31 January 2017), the Monetary Authority of Macao has urged all banks that are providing ATM services to put pertinent arrangements in place, including enhanced surveillance of the functioning of ATMs for timely replenishment of banknotes and clear display on ATMs of the 24-hour customer service hotlines. If necessary, citizens and visitors can contact the relevant banks via these hotlines.
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Having regard to the ATM cash withdrawal needs of citizens and visitors during the Chinese New Year holidays (i.e. from 28 to 31 January 2017), the Monetary Authority of Macao has urged all banks that are providing ATM services to put pertinent arrangements in place, including enhanced surveillance of the functioning of ATMs for timely replenishment of banknotes and clear display on ATMs of the 24-hour customer service hotlines. If necessary, citizens and visitors can contact the relevant banks via these hotlines.
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As consumption by citizens and the number of inbound tourists are expected to increase during Lunar New Year, the Consumer Council held a meeting before the festival with Economic Services Bureau (DSE), Macao Government Tourist Office (DST), Transport Bureau (DSAT), Judiciary Police (PJ), Public Security Police Force (PSP), Macao Custom Service, Civic and Municipal Affairs Council (IACM), Health Bureau (SS) and Bureau of Telecommunications Regulation (DSRT) to discuss on the protection of consumer rights for local citizens as well as inbound tourists.Consumer Council will provide special hotline service from 2.30PM to 6 PM on 27^thJanuary (normal office hours in the morning), and 9 PM to 6 PM daily from 28^th January to 1^st February. Consumer Council’s staff will be taking consumers’ calls regarding complaints or inquiry. Consumer Council hotline: 8988 9315.Consumer Council reminds consumers to inquire about details of the products or services they desire and communicate with the shops, invoices and contracts should also be kept to safeguard their own rights. If anyone finds his or her consumer rights being infringed, he or she should file a complaint at the Council or other departments and provide all necessary detailed information.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the unemployment rate for October-December 2016 held stable as in the previous period (September-November 2016), at 1.9%; the underemployment rate was 0.6%, down by 0.1 percentage point.Total labour force was 392,600 and the labour force participation rate stood at 71.8%. Total employment decreased by 500 from the previous period, at 385,000. Number of the unemployed was 7,600, similar to that in September-November 2016; fresh labour force entrants searching for their first job accounted for 8.9% of the total unemployed, down by 5.8 percentage points.In the fourth quarter of 2016, the general unemployment rate (1.9%) remained unchanged from the previous quarter, while the unemployment rate of local residents (2.7%) increased slightly by 0.1 percentage point. Total employment decreased by 9,200 quarter-to-quarter. Analysed by industry, employment in Construction (37,200) dropped by 7,900, following the successive completion of large-scale entertainment facilities; meanwhile, employment in Health & Social Welfare (13,400) rose by 1,600. Median monthly employment earnings of both the employed (MOP15,000) and the employed residents (MOP18,000) remained unchanged from the third quarter of 2016.For the whole year of 2016, the general unemployment rate stood at 1.9% and the unemployment rate of local residents was 2.7%, up by 0.1 and 0.2 percentage points respectively year-on-year. Median monthly employment earnings of both the employed (MOP15,000) and the employed residents (MOP18,000) stayed flat from the previous year. As regards household employment, average number of employed persons per household was 1.7 in 2016, down by 0.1 year-on-year; the median monthly employment earnings per household remained unchanged from 2015, at MOP28,000.
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