News

Consumer Council conducted its first ‘Supermarket price survey’ in September on 1 September for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Surveyed locations included supermarkets near Areia Preta 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. Consumers may also access the resources through WAP channels on their mobile phones. With reference to the local six 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 Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, said today that the 70th anniversary of victory of the Chinese people’s war of resistance against Japanese aggression and world anti-Fascist war exhibition could help people to memorise the history and treasure peace. Mr Chui said at the opening ceremony which took place at the Handover Gifts Museum of Macao that he hoped the exhibition could help the people, especially the younger generation, to memorise the history, honour the martyrs, cherish peace, create a better future, and uphold a peaceful development. The relics, documents and photos on displace showed the support from Macao people during the war, said Mr Chui. At that time, a number of anti-Japanese groups were established to concert efforts for national salvation and the support of refugee influx, which demonstrated a distinctive patriotic sentiments and a noble humanitarian spirit. He urged the people continue to close ranks and to seize opportunities for adequate economic diversification especially when Macao was experiencing economic consolidation. Pushing forward the establishment of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiative and the integration with Guangdong and other areas could further enhance competitiveness of the city and livelihood of the people. In his opening speech, Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR, Mr Li Gang, expressed his utmost gratitude to Macao’s people who had sacrificed and contribute in the anti-Japanese war and urged Macao people to continue to stay united in the development of the country and Macao. The opening ceremony was officiated by Vice Chairman of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee, Mr Ho Hau Wah; Deputy Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC in the Macao SAR, Mr Cai Siping; Director of the Politic Department of the People Liberation Army Macao Garrison, Mr Zhang Jian. It was attended by about 100 government officials, representatives of the Central Government agencies stationed in Macao and people from all walks of life. The guests were presented revolutionary songs performance by the choir of the Women’s General Association of Macau and details of showpieces by Director of the Government Information Bureau Mr Chan Chi Ping and President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau Mr Ung Vai Meng. The exhibition, which will run until 4 October, showcases about 210 photos and about 80 relics of the war, displaying a closer look of the history, Macao people’s wartime life and anti-war sentiment in Macao at the time. There will be guided tours provided by the Cultural Affairs Bureau from 5 to 30 September.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that economic adjustment continued, with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the second quarter shrinking by 26.4% year-on-year in real terms, down further from the 24.5% drop in the first quarter. The economic contraction was mainly due to a decline in exports of services, of which exports of gaming services decreased by 40.5% year-on-year and exports of other tourism services dropped by 21.5%. On the other hand, domestic demand remained stable; investment grew by 3.2%, while private consumption expenditure and government final consumption expenditure increased by 2.0% and 5.7% respectively, mitigating the economic downturn; merchandise exports also rose by 25.6%. The implicit deflator of GDP that measures changes in prices increased by 5.0% year-on-year. Private consumption expenditure saw modest growth. Though the unemployment rate edged up by 0.1 percentage point year-on-year to 1.8%, private consumption expenditure grew by 2.0% as the overall employment situation and income remained stable. Household final consumption expenditure in the domestic market and abroad increased by 1.3% and 7.2% respectively year-on-year. Government final consumption expenditure expanded by 5.7% year-on-year. Compensation of employees increased by 4.4%, and net purchases of goods and services rose by 8.1%. Total investment continued to grow. Gross fixed capital formation grew by 3.2% year-on-year; private investment expanded by 1.6%, with investment in construction rising by 3.1% on account of the construction of several major tourism and entertainment facilities in progress; meanwhile, investment in equipment decreased by 8.3%. On the other hand, government investment went up by 36.0% year-on-year, of which public construction investment rose by 45.2% while equipment investment shrank by 19.4%. Merchandise trade registered slower growth. Merchandise exports increased by 25.6% year-on-year, while decrease in visitor arrivals and shrinking spending pulled down the growth in merchandise imports to 1.3%. Service trade showed no signs of improvement. Exports of gaming services declined further by 40.5% year-on-year while exports of other tourism services dropped by 21.5%, pushing total exports of services down by 35.9%. Imports of services also declined by 35.5% amid stagnant exports of services. In the first half year of 2015, the economy contracted by 25.4% in real terms. The economy of Macao was affected by multiple unfavourable factors in the first half year; sluggish external demand dragged down exports of tourism and gaming services, with exports of gaming services dropping by 40.1% and exports of other tourism services falling by 19.6%. Nevertheless, domestic demand remained stable; total investment rose by 15.8% while private consumption expenditure and government final consumption expenditure maintained stable growth, reducing the magnitude of economic slowdown.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that visitors on package tours totalled 820,000 in July 2015, up by 16.3% month-to-month and yet down by 22.3% year-on-year. Package tour visitors from Mainland China (687,000) decreased by 19.1% year-on-year, while those from Taiwan (55,000), Hong Kong (16,000) and the Republic of Korea (12,000) dropped by 24.0%, 44.8% and 61.7% respectively. Visitors arriving on package tours decreased by 18.5% year-on-year to 717,000; meanwhile, visitors joining local tours totalled 102,000, down by 41.5%. In the first seven months of 2015, visitors on package tours totalled 5,762,000, down by 2.9% year-on-year; those arriving on package tours decreased by 2.3% to 4,746,000. Outbound residents using services of travel agencies totalled 137,000 in July 2015, down by 6.8% year-on-year; those travelling on package tours increased by 12.7% to 62,000, and the main destinations were Mainland China (80.3% of total), Taiwan (6.7%) and Japan (4.0%). In the first seven months of 2015, outbound residents using services of travel agencies totalled 872,000, up by 1.9% year-on-year. There were 102 hotels and guesthouses operating at the end of July 2015, providing 30,000 guest rooms, up by 7.2% year-on-year. Number of guest rooms in 5-star hotels totalled 20,000, accounting for 66.6% of the total supply. Number of 5-star hotels increased by 3 year-on-year in July 2015, bringing guests of hotels and guesthouses up by 4.6% to 978,000. Guests from Hong Kong (163,000) surged by 44.6%, while those from Mainland China (607,000) decreased by 1.1%. The average length of stay of guests was 1.4 nights, an increase of 0.1 night year-on-year. The average occupancy rate of hotels and guesthouses decreased by 6.0 percentage points year-on-year to 80.6%, but still higher than the monthly occupancy rate in the first half year. Meanwhile, 5-star hotels had the highest occupancy rate of 82.3%, down by 5.4 percentage points year-on-year. In the first seven months of 2015, hotel guests totalled 5,859,000 and the average occupancy rate stood at 78.5%, down by 6.2% and 7.5 percentage points year-on-year respectively. Visitor-guests accounted for 69.4% of the total overnight visitors, down by 0.4 percentage points year-on-year.
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Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, said the Government would submit proposals to the Legislative Assembly before using its surplus reserves for investments. He stressed the Government would invest its surplus reserves on the principles of capital protected, secure, with certain returns and a withdrawal mechanism. Speaking to reporters on 28 August, Mr Chui said the Government would strictly follow the Budget Framework Law and the law regulating financial reserve: investing the surplus reserves only when it was approved by the legislature. In addition, the discussion of Guangdong investment projects had not yet started and there was no decision made on any project yet, said Mr Chui. In views of the recent volatility of stock markets, Mr Chui assured that the Government foresaw a yearly positive return, adding that only a small portion was invested in stocks. Taking into account of the fluctuation of financial markets, Mr Chui urged residents to pay close attention to risk management before investing.
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The Tourism Crisis Management Office (GGCT) is paying close attention to the bus crash that occurred yesterday in Yangmingshan, Taipei, and maintaining close contact with the Macao Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan for further developments. From information gathered through the Macao Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan, the Macao resident who suffered injuries with a fracture on his left upper limb has undergone a successful operation. His family has traveled to Taiwan and his return to Macao is expected to be in early September if his condition remains stable. The Macao Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan and GGCT are in close contact with the family of the affected for their immediate assistance. Until the present moment, GGCT has not received any request for information or assistance. If necessary, Macao residents can call the 24-hour Tourism Hotline (853) 2833 3000.
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The Tourism Crisis Management Office (GGCT) is paying close attention to the bus crash that occurred today in Yangmingshan, Taipei, and maintaining close contact with the Macao Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan for further developments. From information gathered through the Macao Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan, it was confirmed that a Macao resident suffered injuries with a fracture on his left upper limb but was conscious and is at this moment still undergoing operation. His parents departed tonight at 20:00 to Taiwan. A team from the Macao Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan went to the hospital to visit the affected Macau resident. Until the present moment, GGCT has not received any request for information or assistance. If necessary, Macao residents can call the 24-hour Tourism Hotline (853) 2833 3000.
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Plácido Domingo, the world’s most renowned operatic virtuoso, came with his hand-picked artists to present his first concert in Macao where co-operated with the Macao Orchestra under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau. The concert took place at Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium on 29 August and was co-organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau and Macau Government Tourist Office and supported by MGM MACAU. In the concert, Domingo presented numerous beloved classics and Spanish folk opera from his virtuoso’s origins. Domingo’s powerful and highly flexible voice has deeply impressed by audiences. With his perfect collaboration with the Macao Orchestra, it amazed the audience and attracted a full house in the evening. The enchanting two-hour performance aroused an enthusiastic response from the audience. For the encore section, Lu Jia, the music director of Macao Orchestra, led the Macao Orchestra to perform the most symbolic songs in Macao "Song of the Seven Sons" with Domingo. Music aficionados were impressed by angelic songs from the performers in this brilliant evening. Plácido Domingo is a highly renowned tenor for his outstanding skills and artistic achievements, and he is reputed as one of the ‘Three Tenors’. He has held numerous highly acclaimed concerts around the world, across United States, China and several European countries.
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The Tourism Crisis Management Office (GGCT) is paying close attention to the Yangmingshan bus crash that occurred today in Yangmingshan, Taipei, and maintaining close contact with the Macao Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan for further developments. From information gathered through news, a Macao resident suffered injuries and will need an operation. The said resident is already in contact with his family. GGCT is in close contact with the Macao Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan to verify his identity. Until the present moment, GGCT has not received any request for information or assistance. If necessary, Macao residents can call the 24-hour Tourism Hotline (853) 2833 3000.
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The Taipa Library, under the Macao Central Library, in turn under the áuspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, will be officially inaugurated on 1 September, Tuesday, at 3pm, introducing the public about the latest library facilities and service, as well as concluding the actual operation during the experimental period from April. The establishment of the Taipa Library helps to increase more cultural facilities in Taipa. Its collections of books and promotion campaigns contribute to developing reading habits in the community. The Library has been operated on an experimental basis since April and received an increasing number of visitors. Meanwhile, the Taipa Library has also organized several activities for parents and children, which were highly appreciated by the public. The Cultural Affairs Bureau keeps on promoting reading habits in the city by establishing libraries in each district for the public to access the reading facilities. The Taipa Library is the first library under the Cultural Affairs Bureau running a self-check system, allowing the public to have self-service on book loan and return. Also, it offers a public reading platform to the residents in Taipa, which helps to improve its cultural facilities and promote the reading habits in the society. The Taipa Library opens from 9.30am to 8.30pm, from Tuesday to Sunday, and from 2pm to 8.30pm on Mondays, and closes on public holidays. For more information, please contact Mr. Lam, during office hours, through the telefone numbers 2884 3105 or 2884 3172, or browse the Macao Central Library’s webpage at www.library.gov.mo.
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