News

Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) hosted a spring luncheon in Hong Kong today (18 February) to thank Hong Kong’s travel trade and incentive partners for their support to the tourism development of Macao over the years, and also to strengthen its cooperation with travel trade in promoting Macao. MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes led a delegation, among which includes MGTO Deputy Director Cecilia Tse, from Macao to greet more than 150 travel trade executives at the luncheon. Commissioner for Tourism of Tourism Commission, Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Cathy Chu; Executive Director of Hong Kong Tourism Board, Anthony Lau; Deputy Chairman of Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, Gianna Hsu as well as Director of Asia Tourism Exchange Center Ltd., Li Jian Ping, were present in the luncheon among others. During the luncheon, Director Senna Fernandes extended her New Year blessings and appreciation for the support the Hong Kong tourism industry partners had made to promote Macao. Macao welcomed over 30 million visitors in 2015, with Hong Kong being the second largest tourist source market, over 6.4 million Hong Kong residents traveled to Macao last year, registering an increase of 1.7% over 2014. Entering the Year of the Monkey, MGTO will carry on its strenuous efforts to foster diversified and sustainable tourism development in Macao, supporting the Macao SAR Government’s work to speed up the city’s development into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. To align with the new promotional theme “Experience Macao Your Own Style”, MGTO hopes visitors can enjoy their trip in Macao in different ways to experience the city’s diverse culture and local colors. To actively act in tune with MGTO’s promotional strategies, MGTO Representative in Hong Kong will strengthen its communication with media and industry partners by regularly organizing seminars, product update presentations, thematic familiarization tours and joint promotions. Besides, the Representative will maximize its use of the internet and social platforms for tourism promotion. Brand new promotional activities will be rolled out this year, once again targeting different market segments including families, youngsters, as well as niche markets such as students, wedding couples and business incentives, to show the diversity of Macao as a destination.
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Dr Wong Seng Fat, an assistant professor from the Department of Electromechanical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology (FST), University of Macau (UM), has been elected fellow of the Institute of Measurement and Control, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to academic and engineering fields. Dr Wong is the first from Macao to be elected fellow of the institute. Founded in 1944 and incorporated by the Royal Charter in 1975, the Institute of Measurement and Control is committed to promoting the professional excellence and standing of engineers and technologists at all levels in automation, instrumentation, control and related industries. Its aims are to advance the science and practice of measurement and control technologies and their various applications, to foster the exchange of views and the communication of knowledge and ideas in these activities, and to promote the professional development and qualify its members. The institute is therefore both a learned society and a professional qualifying body occupying a niche in the automation-focused industries. Dr Wong is the FST’s coordinator for student exchange programmes, the FST and the Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences’s coordinator for the Honours College, and the Department of Electromechanical Engineering’s coordinator for the faculty’s internship programme. He is the council president of the Macau Institution of Engineers, council president of Macau Mechanical and Electromechanical Engineer Society, fellow of the Chartered Association of Building Engineers, senior member of the Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society, deputy council president of the Macao Innovation & Invention Association, member of the International Forum for Clean Energy (Macao), member of the Traffic Consultation Committee of the Macao SAR government, committee member of the Foundation of Environmental Protection and Energy Conservation of the Macao SAR government, committee member of Standardising System of Consulting Bid for Public Construction, Macao SAR government, and committee member of Professional Qualification in the Field of Electrical Equipment and Elevator, Macao SAR government.
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Consumer Council conducted its latest ‘Supermarket price survey’ in February on 17 February for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Surveyed locations included supermarkets at Lam Mau, Patane and San Kio areas in Santo António 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 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 University of Macau (UM) will confer the Doctor of Letters honoris causa degree on Prof Pai Hsien-yung on Wednesday 24 February, in recognition of his contributions to Chinese literature and the art of Kun opera. Following the degree conferment ceremony, Prof Pai will give a Doctor honoris causa Lecture titled ‘My Kun Opera Journey’. In addition to being a world-renowned writer, Prof Pai Hsien-yung is also dedicated to the studies of modern Chinese history and the promotion of Chinese art and culture. He has produced a youth version of Peony Pavilion, a masterpiece of Kun opera, which has been performed in different parts of the world. In his talk, Prof Pai will share his insight on the connection between literature and Kun opera. The ceremony and the lecture will be held at 5:00 pm in the University Hall. The lecture will be conducted in Mandarin, with simultaneous interpretation into English. Those who are interested please make online registration at https://isw.umac.mo/evm/register/kunop. For enquiries, please call 8822 8400 or email to prs.event@umac.mo. In addition, an international academic conference on the universal influence of Pai Hsien-yung and Chinese literature will be held on 25 February and 26 February in the auditorium in the University Library. More than 30 scholars from the United States, Australia, Southeast Asia, mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan will attend the conference to discuss Prof Pai’s contributions to literature and art. The event is co-organised by UM’s Department of Chinese Language and Literature, the Research Centre for Humanities in South China, and Chao Kuang Piu College.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the volume of real estate transactions in the fourth quarter of 2015 registered quarter-to-quarter growth due to an increase in transactions of parking spaces; meanwhile, total value of transactions declined. For the whole year of 2015, real estate transactions decreased year-on-year both in terms of volume and value. As per Stamp Duty record, a total of 2,482 building units and parking spaces were purchased and sold in the fourth quarter, up 6.8% quarter-to-quarter, in which parking spaces recorded an increase of 49.8%. Total value of transactions decreased by 11.7% to MOP11.04 billion. Purchase and sale of residential units totalled 1,461, of which existing residential units and pre-sale residential units dropped by 12 and 64, with the total value declining by 37.4% and 12.0% respectively. The average price of residential units was MOP76,126 per square metre of usable area in the fourth quarter, down by 9.7% quarter-to-quarter. The average price of pre-sale residential units decreased by 9.2% quarter-to-quarter to MOP103,404 per square metre; the average price of those in Taipa dropped by 22.5%, while the price of those in Coloane and the Macao Peninsula decreased by 7.2% and 0.6% respectively. Many of the pre-sale residential units purchased and sold were in Coloane (110 units), Ilha Verde (18 units) and Novos Aterros da Areia Preta (NATAP) (13 units), with an average price of MOP98,217, MOP88,799 and MOP92,466 respectively per square metre. The average price of existing residential units decreased by 7.4% quarter-to-quarter to MOP71,063 per square metre, with that in the Macao Peninsula and Taipa dropping by 7.9% and 6.1% respectively. Many of the existing residential units purchased and sold were in Baixa da Taipa (169 units), NATAP (148 units) and Barca (135 units), and the average price was MOP78,307, MOP82,644 and MOP57,986 respectively per square metre. Analysed by year of completion, there were 804 residential units built more than 20 years ago (120 in Barca, 107 in Areia Preta & Iao Hon), and the average price decreased by 6.6% quarter-to-quarter to MOP60,525 per square metre. For the 303 residential units completed between 11 and 20 years ago (70 in Baixa da Taipa, 44 in NATAP), the average price dropped by 5.0% to MOP72,257 per square metre. The average price of the 76 units completed within 5 years or less (24 in NATAP, 12 in Doca do Lamau) was MOP102,755 per square metre, down by 5.2%. Analysed by usable floor area, there were 703 residential units having a floor area of 50.0 to 99.9 square metres, and the average price fell by 11.0% quarter-to-quarter to MOP75,557 per square metre. Among the 569 small-sized residential units having a floor area of less than 50 square metres, the average price dropped by 3.3% to MOP71,561 per square metre. The average price per square metre of office units (MOP101,803) and industrial units (MOP38,253) decreased by 1.1% and 23.8% respectively quarter-to-quarter. A total of 9,771 building units and parking spaces were purchased and sold at MOP51.66 billion in 2015 down by 26.1% and 38.3% respectively year-on-year. Purchase and sale of residential units totalled 5,976 at MOP33.45 billion, down by 21.6% and 32.8% respectively. Number of existing residential units (4,891) and pre-sale residential units (1,085) decreased by 1,452 and 197, with the respective total value dropping by 31.6% and 35.5%. The average price per square metre of usable area of pre-sale residential units (MOP119,526) and existing residential units (MOP77,438) decreased by 23.5% and 9.1% respectively year-on-year in 2015, bringing the average price of overall residential units down by 13.0% to MOP86,826. The average price of those in the Macao Peninsula (MOP80,906), Taipa (MOP98,099) and Coloane (MOP103,993) dropped by 15.3%, 7.8% and 15.2% respectively. Meanwhile, the average price of office units and industrial units was MOP113,444 and MOP50,564 respectively per square metre, down by 6.3% and 6.8% year-on-year. In the fourth quarter of 2015, there were 2,343 real estate sale contracts signed, involving 2,844 properties, up by 3.5% quarter-to-quarter; meanwhile, 2,585 mortgage contracts were signed, involving 3,857 properties, down by 3.3%. For the whole year of 2015, a total of 8,771 real estate sale contracts were signed, and number of properties involved (10,506) dropped by 15.9% year-on-year; moreover, 11,563 mortgage contracts were signed, and number of properties involved (16,570) tumbled by 48.5%. As regards construction in the private sector, gross floor area of construction of new buildings totalled 19,158 square metres in the fourth quarter, providing 46 units (30 are residential units) and 27 parking spaces for cars upon completion. With the completion of hotels and large-scale housing estates in Taipa and Coloane, gross floor area of buildings completed reached 1.10 million square metres, altogether providing 2,415 units (2,342 are residential units, of which 93.0% are located in Taipa and Coloane) and 4,193 parking spaces for cars. For the whole year of 2015, gross floor area of construction of new buildings totalled 1.98 million square metres, providing 5,405 units (5,265 are residential units) and 5,735 parking spaces for cars upon completion. Gross floor area of buildings completed was 2.58 million square metres, altogether providing 4,364 units (4,218 are residential units) and 8,232 parking spaces for cars. *Annex Table
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Consumer Council conducted its latest ‘Supermarket price survey’ in February on 16 February for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Surveyed locations included supermarkets near Horte e Costa, Avenida do Ouvidor Arriaga and Rua da Emenda areas in Santo António 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 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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Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) visited Nansha District of Guangzhou today (16 February) to attend the preparation work meeting for “multi-destination” tourism promotional activities of Macao and Nansha in 2016. During the meeting, the attendees discussed the collaboration plan for multi-destination tourism promotion. Following that, the delegation headed to Zhuhai in the afternoon to attend the 2015 conclusion meeting of regional cooperation in tourism between Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macao and the 2016 work meeting. The meeting addressed this year’s plan for regional cooperation in tourism between the tourism authorities of Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macao. During the preparation work meeting held this morning (16 February) for “multi-destination” tourism promotional activities of Macao and Nansha in 2016, MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Deputy Chief of the People’s Government of Nansha District of Guangzhou, Yu Ruolan, Director of Nansha District Tourism Bureau, Hong Minqi, as well as other officials listened to the research project of “multi-destination” tourism promotion of Nansha, Hong Kong and Macao in 2016 presented by the Fok Ying Tung Research Institute located in Nansha under the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Nansha District Tourism Bureau then presented its promotional plan of 2016 based on the above project, followed by an exchange of ideas and perspectives with MGTO. The two parties discussed the directions of their cooperation in line with the project, and confirmed the next steps to carry out the collaboration plan. This year, the two tourism authorities will look into the possibilities to support travel trade launching multi-destination tours to Macao and Nansha, and consider carrying out promotional activities in Mainland cities along the high speed rail route between Wuhan and Guangzhou. MGTO Director Senna Fernandes visited Zhuhai with the MGTO delegation in the afternoon to attend the 2015 conclusion meeting of regional cooperation in tourism between Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macao as well as 2016 work meeting. During the meeting, Senna Fernandes discussed this year’s plan for regional cooperation in tourism between the three destinations with Zhongshan Municipal Tourism Bureau Director Wu Jiamin and Deputy Director Dong Zuwen, Zhuhai Culture Sports and Tourism Bureau Director Wang Lingping and Deputy Director Min Yuntong as well as other officials. The meeting started with a summary of joint tourism projects rolled out between the three destinations in 2015. A chairman rotation ceremony was then held to appoint Zhongshan Municipal Tourism Bureau the rotating chairman of 2016. During the meeting, Zhongshan Municipal Tourism Bureau raised the plan for regional cooperation in tourism between Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macao in 2016, which was later approved by the three parties after discussions. The three tourism authorities have reached a consensus during the meeting, that they will keep on promoting their shared image “Fragrant Hill in the past; Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macao today” and roll out joint promotional activities in various Mainland cities along High-speed rail routes to encourage visitations to the three destinations in one trip. In commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen this year, the three destinations plan to invite their members of travel trade to participate in “Sun Yat-Sen Cultural Tourism Festival” hosted by Zhongshan Municipal Tourism Bureau together. Furthermore, the three tourism authorities will study the feasibility of fostering cooperation in yacht tourism development for individual visitors. In addition, they will further integrate their tourism resources and together produce a tourism promotional video and travel tips around Fragrant Hill, to jointly promote the tourism products of the three destinations. Guangdong and Macao have maintained a stable and long-term collaborative relationship in tourism. by leveraging a range of cooperative platforms such as Guangdong and Macao; Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao; Shenzhen and Macao; as well as Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macao, the two destinations have made continuous efforts to expand their visitor source markets and encourage multi-destination travel through promotional projects across the Mainland and overseas, branding their cities as one regional destination. It was among the major tasks for implementation of the "Framework Agreement on Cooperation between Guangdong and Macao” last year to develop yachting tourism between Nansha and Macao. MGTO led a delegation of Macao travel trade to inspect Nansha last August for an update on the city’s latest development, as well as participate in networking and discussion sessions. Back in 2006, the tourism authorities of Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macao signed the “Memorandum of Cooperation in Tourism between Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macao” to enhance their collaboration in tourism and brand their cities as one regional destination around the theme of Fragrant Hill and Dr. Sun Yat Sen’s life history. The three tourism authorities also jointly presented their multi-destination tourism products in Chengdu and Chongqing last June. In addition, MGTO rolled out destination product presentations and business sessions in Malaysia and Singapore to promote multi-destination travel itineraries together with Tourism Administration of Guangdong Province, Tourism Administration of Guangzhou Municipality, Zhuhai Culture Sports and Tourism Bureau, Tourism Administration of Shaoguan Municipality as well as Zhongshan Municipal Tourism Bureau last July. After the event, the travel agencies in Malaysia successfully launched new multi-destination tourism products into the market. In September, China National Tourism Administration organized a delegation of Taiwanese media and travel agency executives to visit Macao and Zhuhai for an inspection tour along multi-destination itineraries. MGTO and Zhuhai Culture Sports and Tourism Bureau seized the opportunity to update the Taiwanese delegation on the latest tourism trends in Macao and Zhuhai, while MGTO also attended a symposium held in Zhuhai about multi-destination tour routes across Taiwan, Zhuhai and Macao. In 2016, MGTO will carry on its efforts to strengthen its partnership with tourism authorities of different destinations under the regional cooperation framework across Pan-Pearl River Delta; between Hong Kong and Macao; Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao; Guangdong and Macao as well as Fujian and Macao, etc. by regularly holding work meetings and jointly developing tourism resources across various destinations. Moreover, the Office will ride on the opportunities arisen from the Belt and Road Initiative to promote “multi-destination” tourism products.
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The 27th Macao Arts Festival (MAF), organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym), will be held during the month of May. This edition of the MAF is themed “Time” and has “Reshape your Imagination Experience the Spirit of the Times” as slogan, offering a variety of exceptional shows besides its Outreach Programme. This year marks the 400th anniversary of the death of the western world literary giant William Shakespeare and of Ming Dinasty’s famed Chinese opera playwright Tang Xianzu, and therefore the MAF offer special programmes in honour of these two great writers. Recently, IC divulged a preview of the six MAF’s highlights on its webpage, including the opening show, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare’s romantic comedy staged by the Shakespeare Theatre Company from USA, featuring stunning and delicate sceneries and wardrobe, and directed by internationally renowned Broadway director Ethan McSweeney; the monologue Krapp’s Last Tape, directed and performed by internationally acclaimed theatre and opera director Robert Wilson, is a simplified adaptation of Samuel Beckett’s famed work, and is considered a perfect match between the contemporary theatre master and playwright; the Yue opera Lu You and Tang Wan presenting the elegant, poetic, refined and exquisite style of Southern China’s opera and aesthetic spirit, performed by a top female Yue opera troupe in China, Zhejiang Xiaobaihua Yue Opera Troupe; the dance piece Obsession by Japanese dance masters Saburo Teshigawara and Rihoko Sato, which focuses on how a conscious person is torn by an inner obsession through a combination of music, movement, fine arts and images, creating a poetic space characterised by an intense sense of artistic composition and depth; Jérôme Bel and Swiss Theater HORA’s play Disabled Theater performed by actors with cognitive impairments, reveals that people with cognitive impairments are capable to question the status of society and point out the living style of different people; and Tang Xianzu’s romantic tragedy The Legend of the Purple Hairpin, adapted by playwright Tang Ti-Sheng, is performed by renowned Macao Cantonese opera artist Chu Chan Wa and by local Cantonese opera artists, offering the audience a unique opportunity to explore this masterpiece in depth. For more information, please visit the MAF’s webpage at www.icm.gov.mo/fam, follow the MAF’s page on Facebook or subscribe to IC’s WeChat account.
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Spanning seven days from 7 to 13 February, Spring Festival Golden Week has come to an end. According to preliminary statistics, Macao recorded a total of 1,076,611 visitor arrivals during the period (with non-resident workers and students, etc. taken into account), up 4.7% over the corresponding period last year. Strongest surge in Taiwan market During Spring Festival, visitors from the Greater China market went up 4.7% year on year to one million, which accounted for 94.4% of the total visitor arrivals. Among them, nearly 800,000 visitors came from Mainland China, which accounted for 73% of total arrivals, a 4.3% increase. Taiwanese visitor arrivals spiked up 42.7% — the most among all markets — to a record of 24,000; whereas the number of Hong Kong visitors surpassed 190,000 with an increase of 2.6%. On the other hand, visitor arrivals from international markets climbed up 4.4% year on year to 60,000. Hotel occupancy rates rise Up to date, the room supply of all hotels and guest houses has reached 33,047 in Macao. Industry figures reveal that three- to five-star hotels registered an average occupancy rate of 93.4% during the golden week, a year-on-year increase of 5.9 percentage points. Five-star hotels recorded an average occupancy rate of 96.2%, up 2.9 percentage points; four-star hotels registered 92.6%, up 8.5 percentage points; three-star hotels 91.4%, up 6.2 percentage points; two-star hotels 78.7%, up 4.8 percentage points; guest houses 75.6%, slightly up 1.6 percentage points. Star hotel room rates decline The average room rate of three- to five-star hotels in Macao dropped 17.2% to 1,672.7 patacas during the golden week. For five-star hotels, the average room rate went down 12.2% to 2,150.5 patacas; for four-star hotels, down 15.7% to 1,455.6 patacas; for three-star hotels, down 25% to 1,412.1 patacas; for two-star hotels, down 9.1% to 981.6 patacas; for guest houses, slightly up 1.7% to 738.2 patacas. Before and during Spring Festival, Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) actively got prepared for the peak period with a variety of measures adopted as follow: operation of tourism notification system, more scrupulous inspections, reminders sent to trade about various concerns, food guide publication and distribution as well as an array of mega celebrations rolled out during Lunar New Year, etc. The above measures were done to cater to what local residents and visitors need, as well as optimize tourism environment and service quality. Room rates of local hotels and guest houses under different room categories are regularly posted on MGTO’s website for visitors to have the latest information on hand. Via mobile text message and WeChat, the Office also advised visitors to arrange their accommodation and itinerary in advance before their trip to Macao, and to visit popular local attractions at off-peak hours during their stay. Such reminders were sent to divert visitors from crowded areas. Personnel were also stationed at ten tourist spots around town to provide tourism information and guidance for visitors while assisting in crowd management. MGTO and Tourism Administration of Guangdong Province put their “Tourism Notification System for Spring Festival Golden Week” into operation between 7 and 13 February. The Office also collaborated with relevant departments and tourism reception entities to facilitate hospitality work for visitors during Spring Festival Golden Week. During the golden week, MGTO conducted 86 inspections at various border ports and tourist spots, and sealed one apartment allegedly operated as illegal accommodation. MGTO’s Tourist Information counters and tourism hotline service both operated as usual during the holidays. MGTO’s tourism hotline 2833 3000 maintained its 24-hour operator service to answer visitors’ enquiries. During Chinese New Year, MGTO received a total of 26 complaints, assistance requests and enquiries from visitors concerning public transportation (taxi and bus), shopping, tour guide, hotel, dining, public facility, tourist attraction and so on. MGTO has followed up with or transferred the cases to relevant entities for settlement.
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The Monetary Authority of Macao announced today that the preliminary estimate of Macao SAR’s foreign exchange reserves amounted to MOP155.6 billion (USD19.39 billion) at the end of January 2016. The reserves increased by 3.2% from the revised value of MOP150.8 billion (USD18.89 billion) for the previous month. Macao SAR’s foreign exchange reserves at end-January 2016 represented 13 times the currency in circulation or 110.1% of Pataca M2 at end-December 2015. The trade-weighted effective exchange rate index for the pataca rose 0.36 points month-to-month and 4.68 points year-on-year to 107.64 in January 2016, implying that overall speaking, the pataca appreciated against the currencies of Macao’s major trading partners.
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