News

Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that visitors on package tours totalled 581,000 in January 2016, down by 31.2% year-on-year and 18.5% month-to-month. Package tour visitors from Mainland China (455,000) decreased by 33.2% year-on-year, and those from the Republic of Korea (32,000), Hong Kong (16,000) and Taiwan (33,000) dropped by 18.1%, 29.7% and 29.1% respectively; meanwhile, those from Japan (14,000) increased by 27.1%. Outbound residents using services of travel agencies totalled 118,000 in January 2016, up by 5.3% year-on-year. Residents travelling on package tours rose substantially by 27.5% year-on-year to 52,000; the main destination was Mainland China (78.1% of total), up by 21.3%, followed by the Republic of Korea (7.2%) and Hong Kong (4.3%), both showing year-on-year growth. There were 106 hotels and guesthouses operating at the end of January 2016, an increase of 9 year-on-year. Number of guest rooms totalled 32,000, up by 4,000 (+16.0%) year-on-year, with those of 5-star hotels (20,000) and 4-star hotels (8,000) together accounting for 87.5%. A total of 895,000 guests checked into hotels and guesthouses in January 2016, up by 11.9% year-on-year. Guests from Mainland China increased by 8.3% to 580,000, while those from the Republic of Korea (28,000), Japan (17,000), Hong Kong (108,000) and Taiwan (40,000) recorded double-digit growth. The average length of stay of guests held stable as January 2015, at 1.4 nights. The average occupancy rate of hotels and guesthouses was 76.5%, down by 3.2 percentage points year-on-year; 4-star hotels had the highest occupancy rate at 78.9%, up by 1.2 percentage points. Visitor-guests accounted for 73.7% of the total overnight visitors, up substantially by 5.1 percentage points year-on-year.
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To ensure honest business practice and quality services of ‘Certified Shops’, Consumer Council carries out continuous inspection on its ‘Adherents’ and ‘Certified Shops’ with diversified criteria. The Council kicks off its 2016 assessment with on-site evaluation in March, almost 1,500 shops will be graded according to over 30 grading principles, and shops being evaluated are called on to cooperate with the Council. The ‘Certified Shop’ mechanism is an important measure taken by Consumer Council to safeguard the rights of consumers prior to consumption, since its launch in 2001, the ‘Certified Shop’ emblem has increased both local and foreign consumers’ confidence in the retail business in Macao. The annual assessment on ‘Certified Shops’ is carried out by the Council based on a set of scientific, systematic, and objective assessment mechanism, assessment criteria include on-site evaluation, mystery shoppers, and complaint records from other government departments, etc.. The annual assessment is conducted throughout the year and the final results are announced at the end of the year. The ‘Certified Shops’ assessment team kicks off its annual assessment work in March, starting from on-site evaluation on about 1,500 ‘Adherents’ and ‘Certified Shops’. The assessment team will rate the shops according to over 30 guiding principles, including business practices of shops, after-sales service, price labelling, and the environment of the premises, etc., shops being evaluated may also be asked to present certain documents or information to prove that they are qualified in the assessment mechanism. The assessment team has been given training on how to conduct the evaluation for the assurance of work quality and objectiveness. The Council will continue to improve the assessment mechanism for the enhancement of the quality of ‘Certified Shops’ and protection of consumer rights. The Council therefore calls on all shops being evaluated to cooperate with the Council. For enquiry, please call 8988 9315.
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As part of “2016 Macau Library Week”, the Macao Public Libraries of the Cultural Affairs Bureau will launch the “Book Exchange” activity on 1 March, in order to promote reading habits as well as to encourage residents who love reading to make friends through books and share their resources. The book collection period will last from 1 March to 17 April. Any residents interested in participating in the “Book Exchange” activity can bring their collection to the Bureau’s libraries and receive a stamped scorecard. During the activity on 23 and 24 April, residents can exchange books of equivalent value on the scorecard at the Old Court Building located in Av. da Praia Grande. Book collection locations: Macao Central Library, Sir Robert Ho Tung Library, Ilha Verde Library, Mong Ha Library, Coloane Library, Red Market Library, Taipa Library, S. Lourenço Library, Wong Ieng Kuan Library in Areia Preta Urban Park, Library in Ho Yin Garden and Mobile Library. Book collection rules: the staff will categorise the books by their original price and count the books individually. The scoring method is one point for every MOP10 but the score for books worth less than MOP10 will be rounded off; each point will be stamped once. The maximum for each book or set is 100 points, and the books without prices indication will be counted as MOP10. Textbooks, exercise books, magazines, indecent publications, books related to religion, comics, IT books published one year ago, travel books published before 2014, audio-visual materials, promotional materials, pirate books (which violat the copyright law), damaged and contaminated books, incomplete collection and books with inside pages inscribed cannot be exchanged. Only individuals can participate in this activity. For more information, please contact the Sir Robert Ho Tung Library through tel. 2893 0077, the Macao Central Library through tel. 2855 8049 or the Taipa Library through tel. 2884 3105, during office hours.
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The applications for the “Academic Research Grants”, launched by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym), will be open from 1 March to 31 May, 2016. The “Academic Research Grants” aim at encouraging original academic research on the culture of Macao and on the cultural exchange between Macao, Mainland China and other countries. Local or overseas doctorate degree holders with proven academic research experience, and local or overseas individuals with sufficient research experience and recognized academic production are eligible to apply and submit the duly filled out application form and research project plan to IC by double registered mail or in person. Applicants must also submit their curriculum vitae and certified copies of educational qualification certificates; incomplete applications or applications that fail to comply with the above will not be accepted. The grants, in the amount of MOP280,000.00 and MOP250,000.00, will be awarded according to the applicant’s academic background and to the content of the project and are subject to IC’s decision under proposal of the Selection Panel. The “Academic Research Grant Regulations”, application forms and research project plan are available for reference and download on IC’s webpage www.icm.gov.mo. Applications must be submitted before the deadline otherwise they will not be accepted. For more information, please contact Ms. Silvia Kuan, staff member of IC, through tel. 8399 6483 during office hours, or by email to silviak@icm.gov.mo.
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The Cinematheque．Passion under the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) will host a talk entitled “How great is the power of film?”, conducted by renowned Hong Kong director, screenwriter and film critic Philip Yung, to be held on Saturday, 19 March, from 3 to 5pm. Online applications are now accepted. Admission is free. In his role as screenwriter, film critic and director, Yung integrates art with commerce. Being attentive to social phenomena, he insists on his own style of screenwriting. Among the films he wrote are Rigor Mortis, As the Light Goes Out and Father, and others. In 2009, he directed and wrote his first feature film Glamorous Youth, which participated in a number of international film festivals. With Port of Call that he directed and wrote, Yung earned nine nominations in the 52nd Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan last year. The work also won Best Film, Best Actor and Best Actress in the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards 2015, and a number of nominations for the 35th Hong Kong Film Awards. Junior filmmakers can learn a lot with Yung’s personal experience. In this talk, Yung will talk about “the power of film” based on his career and his journey from being a screenwriter to a director. There are sixty seats available. All interested parties are welcome to enrol through IC’s “Activity Registration System” (www.icm.gov.mo/eform/event) by 18 March (Friday) at 12pm. For enquiries regarding the talk or the Cinematheque, please contact Mr. Leong, staff member of IC, through tel. no. (853) 2892 4040 during office hours. For details, please visit the Cultural Affairs Bureau website (www.icm.gov.mo) or the Macao Cultural and Creative Industries Website (www.macaucci.com).
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The Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) has received confirmation from the Embassy of the Sultanate of Oman in Beijing that Macao SAR Passport holders can obtain visa-on-arrival in the Sultanate of Oman for a maximum stay of 30 days. At present, a total of 121 countries and territories have agreed to grant visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to Macao SAR passport holders, while 12 countries have agreed to grant the visa-free access or visa-on-arrival access to Macao SAR Travel Permit holders.
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In order to encourage the development of classical music in Macao, to increase the musical accomplishment and performance of young musicians and to offer them valuable performance and learning opportunities, the Cultural Affairs Bureau organizes the “34th Macao Young Musicians Competition”, dedicated to Chinese and Western instruments, between 25th of July and 7th of August, to be held in several venues in Macao. Applications will be open from 22nd to 29th of April. This edition of Macao Young Musicians Competition features 32 categories of solo Chinese and Western instruments and vocal solo, with elementary, intermediate and advanced levels in each category. Competition in teams includes five categories only, which are not divided into levels. A First, Second and Third prizes, Certificate of Merit and Certificate of Competence will be awarded in each category. The First Prize-winning individual in each category or competitors recommended by the jury will have the opportunity to participate in the “Competition for Special Awards”, competing for the First, Second and Third prizes in each level. The first prize-winning team in each category will have the opportunity to compete for the “Award for Best Group Performance”. The “Cultural Affairs Bureau Prize” will be awarded to the First Prize-winning individual among all advanced levels. The “Cultural Affairs Bureau Prize” will be granted through a scholarship, and the amount of this scholarship equals to the net amount of the winner’s first year tuition fee in a music-related course. The remaining prizes will be delivered to the winners in form of a cheque. Applicants for the solo Chinese and Western instruments categories must hold a valid Macao SAR Resident identity card and must have been born on or after 1995; while applicants for the vocal solo category must have been born on or after 1991. In order to facilitate the applicants, applications can be done either online or in person. Applicants who choose to apply online may register online first, from 10am on 22nd of April to 12am on 29th of April through the webpage of the Macao Young Musicians Competition (www.icm.gov.mo/cjmm). Supporting documents and an application fee of MOP80 per category must be submitted at the Cultural Affairs Bureau Building located at Tap Seac Square between 28th and 30th of April, from 10am to 7pm (open during lunch hour). Applicants may also choose to apply in person at the Cultural Affairs Bureau Building during the period and time indicated above, together with the completed application form, required documents and an application fee of MOP100 per category. For more information regarding the application, the competition’s regulations, the application forms and the list of compulsory pieces, please visit the Macao Young Musicians Competition’s website. Applicants may consult the compulsory pieces of the competition at the Macao Central Library, Sir Robert Ho Tung Library and Taipa Library from 1st of March during office hours. For enquiries, please contact IC through tel. 8399 6911 or 8399 6979, during office hours.
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The Government Spokesperson’s Office has received several media enquiries regarding a case under investigation by the Commission Against Corruption involving staff of the Public Prosecutions Office. In response to these enquiries, the Office states the following: The Government will not comment on the case as this is a pending legal matter. Any further updates on this matter are to be announced by the Commission Against Corruption.
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Aiming to implement the Framework Agreement on Co-operation between Guangdong and Macao, broaden the scope of economic and trade co-operation between Macao and Guangzhou, and jointly promote the development of the convention and exhibition industry on both sides, the Macao-Guangzhou Products Fair has been organised by IPIM since 2012, in co-operation with the Guangzhou Municipal Commission of Commerce. To be in line with the SAR Government’s policy objective of “offering” service and assisting SMEs to explore overseas market, IPIM organises local business enterprises to participate and exhibit their products in the exhibition in Guangzhou. Furthermore, IPIM’s staff also visited participating enterprises after the event, to provide consultation service and collected their opinions. The 2016 Macao-Guangzhou Products Fair was well-received by the exhibitors, who stated that their participation in the Fair had been productive. Some companies started product agent negotiations, while other participants confirmed that sales volume was satisfactory and that such experience would help them develop the Mainland market. 2016 Macao-Guangzhou Products Fair, jointly organised by IPIM and the Guangzhou Municipal Commission of Commerce, was held from 15 to 17 January in Guangzhou. The event attracted over 150,000 visitors, giving the venue a warm atmosphere. QQ Mei Sek Sai Kai Limited, renowned for the production of “belacan” in its own factory, began to participate in the activities organised by IPIM on the recommendation of its business colleagues and managed to get good results. It is the sixth consecutive years that the company participated in the Fair. According to the Director and General Manager of the said company, Mr. Lou Kao Chon, participation in the Fair helped to promote their products and at the same time, find new customers in Guangzhou and neighbouring regions. They have already identified co-operation partners in Guangzhou, Jiangmen and Foshan. At the same time, he considers that participation in the Fair would allow him to learn more about the demand, preference and market price acceptance of the local market and could also serve as a reference for business development. In addition to the factory in Macao, QQ Mei Sek Sai Kai Limited also maintains a factory in Ruili, Yunnan Province, for distribution and sales of their products in major Mainland cities. Macao´s food souvenirs were very popular in the Fair, Mr. Leong Ip Fai, Director and General Manager of Wing Fai Food Trading Company Limited said that he was initially a pastry chef of food souvenirs. In 1989, as he became confident in the mastery of his professional skills, he opened a factory in Mainland China together with some good friends, and introduced Macao´s typical souvenir foods to the Mainland market. He said that, at present, souvenir foods produced by Wing Fai Food Trading Company Limited are available in all major supermarkets in China and Macao, such as Walmart, RT-Mart, Vanguard, Royal, San Miu, as well as all international airports on the Mainland. He began to participate in the exhibitions organised by IPIM about four years ago and he said that such activities served as a platform to showcase branded and fine Macao products and had been very useful in helping him develop his business. In addition, such activities also played a very active role in attracting buyers and developing the Mainland market. He also mentioned that over the four consecutive years that his company participated in the event, they managed to sell an average of several thousand boxes of souvenir foods every day at the venue, and the reaction has been very positive. Mr. Leong hopes that IPIM would continue to organise more events of a similar nature, to help Macao´s SMEs explore the domestic market in Mainland China. Apart from organising companies to exhibit their products at the Fair, IPIM also organises business delegations to visit the Fair. The Director and General Manager of Depend Technology Computer Ltd., Mr. Iun Sio Hong, who has participated consecutively for three years, said that the activities organised by IPIM are very useful to the business sector, as it would provide them the opportunities for networking with local and Mainland counterparts and business talents as well as knowing more about different products which are beneficial to their business development. He added that this year, during the Fair, he met a handbag manufacturer with co-operation potential and therefore he immediately purchased some samples to bring back to Macao and is now discussing issue related to agent agreement with the manufacturer.
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Based on a report received last year, the CCAC has commenced a criminal investigation into a case involving former leadership staff of the Public Prosecutions Office (MP). Coercive judicial measures have been adopted against the individuals suspected of committing crimes following an order of the relevant judicial body. It was discovered in the investigation that the former leadership staff of the MP colluded with some managers of private companies in order to have a majority of the contracts of projects and services of the MP adjudicated to those companies. Between 2004 and 2014, the companies got the contracts involving more than MOP167 million by illicit means and the suspects received advantages amounting to no less than MOP44 million. The former leadership staff of the MP and the companies managers have allegedly committed offences of “fraud”, “unlawful economic advantage”, “power abuse” and “document forgery” under the Penal Code. Upon approval of the relevant judicial body, coercive measures including custody, restriction from departure and suspension from public duties have been adopted against the suspects based on the criminal facts. Since the case is still undergoing investigation, the CCAC will make further announcements if there is any update on the case. The CCAC pledges that it will continue to make all-out efforts to combat various crimes of corruption and devote to the development of a fair and graft-free society.
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