News

The Government would propose including the Zika virus in Macao’s official list of infectious diseases, as part of the Government’s effort further to minimise the risk of the spread to Macao of the mosquito-borne disease. The list is included in the law relating to the prevention and control of infectious diseases. The announcement was made after the Health Bureau was notified on Tuesday (9 February) by the National Health and Family Planning Commission about the first imported case of Zika on the mainland. The Government is closely monitoring developments relating to the Zika virus and has taken a series of preventive measures endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO). Key tools used in monitoring for Zika virus and preventing its transmission in Macao include: the strengthening of existing monitoring measures for infectious diseases; ensuring sufficient laboratory capacity and testing facilities for detecting the disease; the strengthening of cooperation with the WHO and with neighbouring places including the mainland and Hong Kong for information on the latest developments relating to the disease; and enhancing efforts on sharing information with the public on the risks associated with the virus. Further to safeguard public health, the Government has suspended – with effect from 5 February – accepting blood donations from those returning from affected areas, unless they have been back and symptom free for more than four weeks (28 days). This is the time period recommended by several international organisations to prevent the Zika virus from spreading via blood donations. The Government will launch a mosquito eradication campaign beginning in March in a bid to combat any threat from the virus. It can be transmitted to humans from mosquito bites. Most cases of transmission of the virus from mosquitoes to humans were reported in countries and territories in Central and South America and the Caribbean. They include Brazil, Columbia, Mexico and Venezuela. Contraction of the Zika virus by women in the early stages of pregnancy could lead to abnormalities at birth in human infants. The Health Bureau urges pregnant women and those women planning to become pregnant to consider deferring any scheduled trip to affected areas. Travellers are suggested that if they must travel to the affected areas to wear light-coloured and long-sleeved clothing, apply insect repellent, and stay in air-conditioned places or places with mosquito screens. If any symptoms of Zika infection, such as fever or rash, develop after returning from overseas, affected travellers should seek medical advice immediately.
…

The University of Macau (UM) and its State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI (AMSV) are pleased to announce that three papers and three (PhD) Student Research Previews were accepted and presented at the 63rd ISSCC that took place, as always, in San Francisco, California. This was again an excellent harvest for AMSV the leading laboratory in the field of Electronics in the Greater China region. The IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society is the world’s most authoritative forum in the field of IC (Integrated Circuits) design, and their IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) is considered the ‘Chip Olympics’ of IC academia and industry. This year the conference’s theme was: SILICON SYSTEMS FOR THE INTERNET OF EVERYTHING. Prof Pui-In Mak (Elvis), Dr Jun Yin (Kevin) and PhD student Ka-Meng Lei, presented their papers, entitled ‘A 0.038mm2 Saw-less Multiband Transceiver using an N-Path SC Gain Loop’, ‘A 0.003mm2 1.7-to-3.5GHz Dual-Mode Time-Interleaved Ring-VCO achieving 90-to150kHz 1/f3 Phase-Noise Corner’ and ‘A Handheld 50-pM Sensitivity Micro-NMR CMOS Platform with B-Field Stabilization for Multi-Type Biological/Chemical Assays’, respectively. This last paper was also selected for a Demonstration Session and received the Silk Road Award for the best PhD student paper from the Far-East. PhD Students Liang Qi, Chio-In Ieong (Tom) and Wei-Han Yu (Hank) presented their communications and posters at the Student Research Preview, entitled ‘A 12.5-ENOB 5MHz BW 4.2mW DT Multirate 2-1 Mash ΔΣ Modulator with Horizontal/Vertical Opamp Sharing in 65nm CMOS’, ‘A 0.45V 147-to-375nW Hardware-Efficient Real-Time ECG Processor with Lossless-to-Lossy Data Compression for Wireless Healthcare Wearables’ and ‘A 2.4-GHz Digitally-Modulated Class-D Polar Pa Using Power-Gating, Interactive Am-Am Modulation and a Dynamic Matching Network for Battery Lifetime Extension’, respectively. The last 2 research previews received Student Travel Grant Awards. Finally, Prof Seng-Pan U, Deputy Director of AMSV, received also at the conference his IEEE Fellow certificate attributed in 2016 by the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society. When compared to world-top level universities and companies, the above results are really outstanding and unique by any standards in the state-of-the-art area of Electronics, the leading discipline of the 4th Industrial Revolution also known as INDUSTRY 4.0.
…

The Government would spare no effort in conserving and if possible restoring those relics damaged in what is suspected to have been an accidental fire at A-Ma Temple, said the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Tam Chon Weng. It was distressing to learn that a temple altar and some wall plaques in a pavilion of A-Ma Temple were damaged as a result of the fire, Mr Tam told reporters after a tour of the site on Wednesday (10 February). A-Ma Temple is included on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The fire broke out early on Wednesday morning. The suspected cause was a malfunction of electrical equipment in a pavilion. The affected pavilion of A-Ma Temple remains closed until further notice. The Secretary pledged the Government would strengthen safety measures and safety promotion in the city’s temples and heritage attractions, in a bid to prevent further accidents. The Government has always paid great attention to protecting the city’s heritage attractions and makes frequent inspections of them to ensure they are properly managed. This year’s safety promotion campaign started on 28 January, as the city’s temples usually receive many visitors during the Lunar New Year period in particular. The Fire Services Bureau and the Cultural Affairs Bureau have between them inspected more than 20 temples to promote fire safety message.
…

The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, said the Government’s plan to build more facilities for the monitoring and control – and if necessary treatment – of infectious diseases was aimed at better protecting patients, healthcare professionals and residents in general. Modern equipment – including use of negative pressure and air filtration in monitoring and treatment areas – would help maintain a safe environment and protect people attending or living near the new infectious disease control facilities, Mr Chui told reporters on Sunday (7 February) at a ceremony to mark the Year of the Monkey. Mr Chui said strengthening facilities in the city’s public hospital complex – and ensuring coordination of services regarding precautionary measures – were effective ways to prevent an outbreak of any infectious disease in the city. Were an outbreak to occur, similar good coordination of treatment methods would be the best way to control it. Such approaches had been endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as being effective, Mr Chui said. That system had also been the system used by the Government to safeguard the public during the 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (also known as SARS) in regions neighbouring Macao, he added. Mr Chui was also asked by reporters about what progress had been made in choosing a nominee for the post of Director General of the Macao Customs Service. Mr Chui said the process of choosing a nominee – a responsability of the Chief Executive – had been completed at the end of last month, and the Government was now waiting for confirmation of its choice by the Central Government.
…

According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, new approvals of both residential mortgage loans (RMLs) and commercial real estate loans (CRELs) increased in December 2015. With regard to outstanding balance, RMLs and CRELs both witnessed increases. New lending approved In December 2015, new RMLs approved by Macao banks increased 104.3% month-to-month to MOP5.0 billion; of which, 94.4% was extended to residents. In terms of value, new RMLs to residents increased by 98.3%, mainly driven by new loans granted to enterprises collateralised by residential properties. The non-resident component also rose notably by 317.8% from the preceding month attributable to the low comparison base. When compared with the same period of 2014, new approvals of RMLs rose by 34.0%. New RMLs collateralised by uncompleted units (i.e. equitable mortgage) increased by 54.0% month-to-month to MOP0.6 billion. The equitable mortgage extended to residents, which accounted for 90.6% of the total, rose by 55.3%. This increase was mainly attributed to the larger loan amount recorded for a few number of approvals. When compared with the same period of 2014, new RMLs collateralised by uncompleted units decreased 22.0%. New CRELs grew by 25.8% month-to-month to MOP5.2 billion; of which, 93.2% was granted to residents. In terms of value, new CRELs to residents and non-residents increased by 17.9% and 1,477.9% respectively; of which, the notable increase of the non-resident component was mainly caused by the low comparison base in the previous month. On an annual basis, new approvals of CRELs dropped by 17.1%. Outstanding balances As at end-December 2015, the outstanding value of RMLs reached MOP173.2 billion, an increase of 1.6% from one month earlier or 13.3% from a year ago. The resident component made up 94.1% of the total. Compared to end-November 2015, outstanding RMLs to residents and non-residents rose 1.5% and 2.0% respectively. Concurrently, the outstanding value of CRELs increased by 0.2% from end-November 2015 and was up 33.6% from end-December 2014 to MOP163.1 billion. Residents accounted for 88.2% of the loans. Compared with one month earlier, outstanding CRELs to residents and non-residents grew by 0.1% and 1.4% respectively. Delinquency ratios At the end of December 2015, the delinquency ratio for RMLs remained virtually unchanged from a month ago or up 0.02 percentage points from a year ago, at 0.09%. The ratio for CRELs was 0.02%, down 0.06 percentage points from a month ago or 0.04 percentage points from end-December 2014.
…

Organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau and the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, the second “Art Fair @5 Outubro Street” of this year will be held on Saturday and Sunday (13-14 February), from 3pm to 8pm, at the Hong Kung Temple Square. Admission is free. Residents and tourists are welcome to participate and select their favourite creative products, while enjoying music performances at the same time. 36 booths will be set up during the two-day fair, themed on original handicrafts, creative food and beverage and on-site creations. Cultural and creative practitioners from Hong Kong and Macao will introduce and sell distinctive and creative products, including leather goods, porcelain, silver accessories, textiles, eco-friendly utensils, and natural beauty products, etc. In addition, eight music bands from the two regions will perform, enhancing the festive atmosphere. Performers include Single Path, Crossline, CC Gary, Lok@MatchBox (HK), Rush & Crush, Voicoholics, Sketch and Music Ally (HK). The “Art Fair @5 Outubro Street” takes place at Hong Kung Temple Square on the second weekend of every month, excluding May and November. It aims to provide a display platform for interested parties to develop the cultural and creative industries, thus encouraging and motivating the growth of these industries. The “Art Fair @5 Outubro Street” in March will be held on 12th and 13th of this month, from 3pm to 8pm, at the Hong Kung Temple Square as usual. For more information, please visit the Macao Cultural and Creative Industries Website (www.macaucci.com) or the Tap Seac Art Fair Facebook page (www.facebook.com/TapSeac.Artfair). For any enquiries, please contact Ms. Wong, staff member of IC, through tel. 2892 4040, during office hours.
…

The grand outdoor celebration event for Chinese New Year — “Parade for the Celebration of the Year of the Monkey” was held tonight (10 February), presenting an array of fascinating highlights for local citizens and visitors from around the world in celebration of Spring Festival. A splendid program was rolled out including a multimedia opening themed show, fabulous float parade alongside over 1,000 performers, famous Hong Kong and Macao singers, splendid fireworks, local display of floats and so forth. The whole event went on live broadcast via two local TV stations and LED screens at a total of nine locations around town, filling the city with festive vibe. Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government, Alexis Tam; Chief of Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Ip Peng Kin; Director of Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes; President of Macao Sports Bureau, José Tavares; Vice-President of Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), Chan Peng Fai; Member of Administration Committee of Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM), Ma Kam Keong; and Director of Asia Tourism Exchange Center Ltd. of China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), Li Jian Ping, officiated the opening ceremony together with other guests in front of Macao Science Center at 7:30 p.m. Famous Hong Kong singer Pakho Chau gave a performance while Hong Kong celebrity hosts 6Wing and Kitty Yuen were the hosts of the night, adding much joy and liveliness to the event. A Story behind the whole Parade This year a multimedia opening show themed as “The Monkey King” was specially presented to kick off the Parade. Under special effects, the Monkey King manifested himself in various forms, accompanied by lively young monkeys. To bring out the zodiac sign “Monkey” in the city, the whole Parade revolved around a story about the Monkey King spending a Chinese New Year vacation in Macao with the Celestial Court. As the story began, the Jade Emperor wished to visit the earth for fun with his Celestial Court during Chinese New Year. Upon knowing about the annual float parade rolled out in Macao during Chinese New Year, he commanded the Monkey King to visit Macao and plan an exciting trip for him in advance, then meeting the Celestial Court during the Parade. Four major themes of performance This year, the Parade were joined by 14 floats, 28 local groups as well as a total of 9 performance groups from different places including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Portugal, Spain and the United States, involving a total of 1,338 performers. The Parade was held under four major themes of performance as follow: “Fortune Stars to the World”, “Great Treasures on their way”, “Rhythm of Lucky Blessings” and “Prosperity & Success fills the Year”. The floats and performance groups paraded through Avenida Dr. Sun Yat-Sen in Macao until the destination at Sai Van Lake Square in front of Macau Tower. Meticulously-designed floats Decorated with the Monkey King’s mask, giant golden peaches and dazzling illuminations which symbolize great luck and bliss, MGTO’s float bestows the warmest New Year blessings upon local residents and visitors. Adorning the float with colorful decorations and a lively statue of the zodiac animal Monkey, IACM wishes everyone can enjoy an auspicious year filled with vitality. Themed as “The Historic Centre of Macao”, the design of IC’s float brings out Macao’s cultural glamour and development into a “Cultural Sustainable City”; whereas the float design of Macao Sports Bureau, decorated in traditional red color and themed as the zodiac animal Monkey, manifests different kinds of sports and represents the passion and vitality of local sports sectors. As for CNTA’s float, the design highlights the beautiful scenery of various attractions along the Silk Road across China under the theme “Beautiful China”. Other sponsoring entities of the floats include Galaxy Entertainment Group, Sociedade de Jogos de Macao, S.A., Wynn Macau, Sands Resorts Cotai Strip Macao, Suncity Group, Melco Crown Entertainment, Exmoo News, MGM Macau and Multinational Holdings Group. Cotai Water Jet and Tung Cheng Yuen Buddhist Association are the entities which sponsored the performances. Other sponsoring entities include Macau Coca-Cola Beverage Co., Ltd. Stage performances began at Sai Van Lake Square at 8:45 p.m. tonight, starring local singers Vivian Chan, Sean Pang, Rico Long and Alan Tse. Part of the parading procession also joined the stage performance upon arrival at Sai Van Lake Square, followed by the finale performance presented by famous Hong Kong singers Alex Fong and Stephy Tang. A myriad of fireworks dazzled the sky at 9:45 p.m. and culminated the night with joyful vibe. Festive job fills the city For local citizens and visitors to arrive conveniently at the Parade, MGTO operated seven free shuttle bus routes between designated event venues and various districts on Macao Peninsula, Taipa and Coloane. To liven up the spectators’ spirit, MGTO gave out themed souvenirs along the parade route. In addition, the parade was live broadcasted on TV channels and LED screens installed at nine locations across various local districts. Besides the dazzling float parade, MGTO also rolls out a prize-redemption game “Macao Hunt” on WeChat from 1 to 28 February, encouraging residents and visitors to look out for golden monkeys along four designated “Step Out, Experience Macao’s Communities” walking tour routes for a chance to win attractive prizes. To add more fun to the Parade, additional locations were set up near each seating area for spectators to look for the golden monkeys tonight (10 February). Float display The 14 floats in the Parade are showcased at Sai Van Lake Square and Tap Seac Square during 10 – 13 February and 13 – 21 February respectively. The floats are brightened up with illuminations to allow photo opportunities for residents and visitors from 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. during the above periods. Parade on the sixth day of Lunar New Year The Parade on the sixth day of Lunar New Year will feature 14 floats as well and start with a kick-off ceremony at Rua Norte do Patane at 8 p.m. The parading procession will march through Avenida do Conselheiro Borja, Estrada do Arco, Rua Quatro do Bairro da Areia Preta until the finishing point at Iao Hon Market Garden, where performers including local singers and Hong Kong artist Vincent Wong will dazzle the stage.
…

Upon the invitation of Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), a team of snow-carving artists from Macau Culinary Association joined the 43rd International Snow Sculpture Contest and returned home as the second-prize winner. The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government Dr. Alexis Tam conveys his sincerest congratulations to the Macao snow-carving team, and believes their participation has helped promoting Macao’s destination image to international visitors. This year marks the debut of MGTO in the Sapporo Snow Festival. The Office not only displayed a giant snow sculpture of the Ruins of St. Paul’s, but also rolled out a range of activities in this winter event including 3D video projection mapping, Macao Café, an exhibition of photographs by a Macao artist based in Hokkaido as well as a gratitude dinner. The Office also invited Macau Culinary Association to form a team and join the 43rd International Snow Sculpture Contest on behalf of Macao. The team members include Perry Yuan Kam Hung, Patrick Li Hing Cheung and Tam Kuong Wu. As one of the highlights in the Sapporo Snow Festival, the 43rd International Snow Sculpture Contest featured twelve teams from different countries and regions including Australia, Finland, Hawaii, Latvia, Malaysia and Macao, etc. The teams were required to carve their snow sculpture openly at 11 chome on Odori Site from 4 to 7 February. Winners were announced on the site on 8 February. The piece of artwork presented by the Macao team is known as “Golden Lotus Flower Embraced by the Dragon”. Regardless of the severe weather, the team members poured their painstaking effort day and night to create this lively snow sculpture manifesting their exquisite artistry. With their master skills and perseverance, the Macao team won the second prize in the 43rd International Snow Sculpture Contest. Secretary Tam stated that it is a true inspiration to see the Macao team come back home in the title of runner-up, especially as a new contestant in this international competition. He would like to express deepest congratulations to the team on their outstanding achievement, and believes that the contest not only fostered exchange and friendship among snow-carving artists and spectators from around the world, but also created a prime opportunity for Macao to promote its destination image to international visitors.
…

As consumption by citizensand the number of inbound touristsare expectedto increaseduringLunar New Year,the Consumer Councilheld a meeting before the festivalwith Economic ServicesBureau (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. Until 9th February, 15 phone calls on complaints and enquiries from consumers were received by the Council. Consumer Council reminds consumers and tourists that 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. Besides, the Council has assigned its staff to provide services to consumers through its hotline from9:00 to 18:00 during Chinese New Year holidays (6th to 10thFebruary). Consumer Council hotline: 8988 9315.
…

Festive joy livens up the city as the Year of Monkey arrives. Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) sincerely wishes Macao citizens and visitors a wonderful New Year ahead filled with happiness, peace and good health. MGTO also wishes Macao tourism industry will march toward healthy, diversified and sustainable development, and Macao can achieve its goal to become a “World Centre of Tourism and Leisure”. Chinese New Year is an important traditional festival in Chinese culture. MGTO has gladly prepared a colorful range of festive celebrations for visitors and residents to enjoy in different local districts including “Parade of Gigantic Golden Dragon”, "Parade for Celebration of the Year of the Monkey", “Valentine's Day Fantasia 2016 – The Fairytale of Lights” and “Macao Hunt” WeChat game, promising a festive season filled with memorable moments. MGTO joined hands with Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau and Cultural Affairs Bureau to present Spring Festival celebrations together at the Ruins of St. Paul’s and Senado Square on the first day of Lunar New Year (8 February), sharing the joy of Chinese New Year with local citizens and visitors. Last year Macao welcomed over 30 million visitors. During Spring Festival holidays, a great number of visitors are expected to enjoy their vacation in Macao from the Mainland and neighboring regions. Visitors of different nationalities also choose to visit Macao during this time of the year to experience the ambience of Chinese Spring festival. MGTO takes the opportunity to express New Year wishes to local citizens and visitors, to show warm hospitality of the destination. Chief of Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Ip Peng Kin; MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes; President of Cultural Affairs Bureau, Ung Vai Meng; Member of Administration Committee of Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, Isabel Celeste Jorge; MGTO Deputy Directors Cecilia Tse and Cheng Wai Tong officiated the eye-dotting ceremony for the golden dragon and dancing lions along with local trade representatives 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 souvenirs to local residents and visitors at Senado Square, filling the area with joyful blessings. “Lai Si” given by the God of Fortune conveys the best wishes to Macao for a flourishing and prosperous year ahead. A 238-meter-long golden dragon led a parade across major tourist spots and demonstrated vigorous moves accompanied by vibrant young lions. Their lively performance bestows wishes that Macao will encounter myriad opportunities and achieve remarkable developments in the Year of Monkey. The Chinese zodiac animal “Monkey” symbolizes wisdom and auspiciousness, inspiring Macao residents to embrace new challenges with wisdom and creativity, and work together for a 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, MGTO’s Tourist Information counters distribute “Lai Si” containing phrases of New Year blessings while stock lasts. Each “Lai Si” contains 10 cents for auspicious wishes. Dressed up in new outfits with Chinese and Portuguese traditional style, the five Tourism Ambassadors appear and wish local residents and visitors from around the world a Happy Chinese New Year. As another highlight, the eight performance groups for the "Parade for Celebration of the Year of the Monkey" from different countries and regions are giving performance in advance at various tourist spots on the first and second day of Lunar New Year. Among them, the performance groups from Japan, Portugal, Thailand and Hong Kong performed at Rua do Cunha and the Taipa Houses-Museum on Taipa, Largo Eduardo Marques (in front of Chapel of St. Francis Xavier on Coloane) and Iao Hon Market Garden on Macao Peninsula respectively on the first day of Lunar New Year. The groups from the United States, Malaysia, Spain and Korea will perform at the Ruins of St. Paul’s, Senado Square, A-Ma Temple on Macao Peninsula and Rua do Cunha on Taipa on the second day of Lunar New Year. Each round of performance lasts for 15 to 30 minutes. MGTO rolls out an array of activities during Lunar New Year. Citizens and visitors are welcome to browse MGTO’s website for the program: http://www.macaotourism.gov.mo. Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) is also presenting the grand outdoor celebration event for Chinese New Year, known as the "Parade for Celebration of the Year of the Monkey", on the third day (10 February) and sixth day (13 February) of Lunar New Year. This year, the whole Parade will revolve around a story about the Monkey King, a famous character in a Chinese classical novel. A multimedia opening show will also kick off the Parade for the first time, promising an extravaganza of light and 3D effects. Similar to last year’s show, famous Hong Kong singers and celebrity hosts are invited to dazzle the Parade. A fireworks show is scheduled to take place on the third night of Lunar New Year, to wish local citizens and visitors a fantastic beginning in the Year of Monkey. Besides the dazzling float parade, MGTO also rolls out a prize-redemption game named “Macao Hunt” on WeChat from 1 to 28 February, guiding local residents and visitors to look out for golden monkeys along four designated walking tour routes under the theme “Step Out, Experience Macao’s Communities”, for a chance to win electronic coupons from merchants and enter a lucky draw. Additional locations of golden monkeys are also set up near each spectator seating area of the Parade on the 3rd night of Lunar New Year With Valentine’s Day falling on the period of Chinese New Year this year, MGTO specially presents “Valentine's Day Fantasia 2016 – The Fairytale of Lights” at the Taipa Houses-Museum area and numerous attractions nearby in Taipa from 7 – 29 February, offering a fascinating choice of leisure and entertainment for local residents and visitors. Coming into spotlight from 12 to 22 February, the 3D mapping show themed as “Cinderella’s Glass Slipper” will kindle a romantic vibe and let the warm ambience go on throughout this festive season. The Office will arrange staff to provide guidance and tourism information for visitors at ten major tourist attractions between the first and seventh day of Lunar New Year (8 – 14 February) while assisting in diverting visitors off the crowded areas. 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 United Association of Food and Beverage Merchants of Macau, the Industry and Commerce Association of Macau Northern District, General Union of the Macau Neighborhood Association as well as the Industry and Commerce Federation of Islands of Macau. Offering a contact list of restaurants and eateries open during Chinese New Year, the handy food guide familiarizes visitors with operation information of relevant restaurants in Macao. During Lunar New Year, MGTO's Tourism Hotline 2833 3000 maintains its 24-hour operator service to answer visitor enquiries: http://en.macaotourism.gov.mo/useful/hotline.php This press release is available at: http://industry.macaotourism.gov.mo
…