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The 2015 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum and Exhibition (2015MIECF) takes place for three consecutive days starting from today. This year’s MIECF is held under the theme “Green Economy - Solutions for Clean Air”. Representatives from green enterprises and environmental industry, experts and academics from around the world joined in Macao to discuss current hot environmental issues. MIECF continues its role as a green platform, providing the opportunities and environment for promoting collaboration between operators of the environmental industry around the world and create business openings. The opening ceremony took place at 10:00 am this morning at the Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel. Officiating guests included the Chief Executive of Macao SAR, Mr Chui Sai On, Deputy Director General of the Liaison Office of the Central People´s government in the Macao SAR, Mr. Yao Jin, Deputy Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People´s Republic of China in Macao SAR, Mr Pan Yundong, Vice Minister of Ministry of Science and Technology of the People´s Republic of China, Dr Zhang Laiwu, Vice-Governor of the People´s Government of Jiangxi Province, Mr Zheng Wei Wen, Executive Vice-Governor of the People´s Government of Hunan Province, Mr Chen Zhaoxiong, Vice-Governor of the People´s Government of Guangdong Province, Mr Xu Ruisheng, Vice President of the People´s Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Mr Tang Renjian, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People´s Consultative Conference of Yunnan Province, Mr Wang Chengcai, Secretary for the Environment of Hong Kong SAR, Mr Wong Kam-Sing, Former Prime Minister of Norway, chaired the World Commission on the Environmental and Development (the “Brundtland Commission”), Special Envoy on Climate Change of the United Nations and Former Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director General of the Department of Science, Technology and Standards, Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People´s Republic of China, Mr Xiong Yuehui, representing the Minister of Environmental Protection of the People´s Republic of China, Mr. Chen Jining, the Deputy Director General of the Department of Resource Conservation and Environmental Protection, National Development and Reform Commission of the People´s Republic of China, Ms Ma Rong, representing the Chairman of National Development and Reform Commission of the People´s Republic of China, Mr Xu Shaoshi, Secretary for Economy and Finance of Macao SAR, Mr Leong Vai Tac, Secretary for Transport and Public Works of Macao SAR, Mr. Raimundo Arrais do Rosário, Deputy Secretary General of the People´s Government of Sichuan Province, Mr He Luzhang, Deputy Secretary General of the People´s Government of Guizhou Province, Mr Wu Qiang, Director-General of the Department of Ecology and Environment Protection of Hainan Province, Mr Deng Xiaogang and the Deputy Director-General of the Environmental Protection Department of Fujian Province, Mr Yu Pinghe. Speaking at the Opening Ceremony, the Chief Executive of Macao SAR, Mr Chui Sai On said that the government will strengthen urban air pollution control, and develop relevant measures to improve air quality, to be in line with the carbon dioxide reduction targets of our country. Mr Chui said that the government will continue to improve the quality of life of the citizens, with the objective of developing Macao as a World Tourism and Leisure Centre as well as a trade and economic co-operation service platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries. Mr Chui added that the Macao SAR Government will continue to deepen and promote regional environmental co-operation, especially collaboration with the Pan-PRD provinces/regions and co-operation between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries. In order to meet with the demands of the new era of environmental protection, the Government will nurture the service-oriented environmental industry, and through the building of a region with clean air, promote the construction of a low-carbon and liveable city. MIECF continues to offer international forums, exhibition, business matching and networking opportunities to the participants, to develop fully its role as a green platform designed to promote the development of the environmental industry and environmentally-friendly technologies. The Vice Minister of Ministry of Science and Technology of the People´s Republic of China, Dr Zhang Laiwu, Director General of Department of Science, Technology and Standards, Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People´s Republic of China, Mr Xiong Yuehui, and the Deputy Director-General of the Department of Resource Conservation and Environmental Protection, National Development and Reform Commission of the People´s Republic of China, Ms Ma Rong, gave keynote speeches at the Opening Ceremony. Vice Minister Dr Zhang Laiwu said that future of the environmental co-operation between Mainland China and Macao is promising, and that a lot of works have been done in the area of science and technology co-operation. He said that co-operation projects have been launched in the field of environmental protection, that such co-operations have already been institutionalized. He stressed that results have been achieved, particularly in the areas of transportation, environmental pollution, reduction of carbon emission, and electric car, and that the next step would be to carry out more works in the field of environmental protection. Mechanisms to maintain the said co-operation are already in place, he said. Mr. Xiong Yuehui pointed out that there will be growth in the environmental industry within the next five years and that it will become a new growth area for the economy. He said that the government will invest significantly in technical engineering and in energy efficient projects, to promote the development of the environmental industry. In her keynote address, Ms. Ma Rong said that it is necessary to accelerate and promote environmentally friendly construction, as environmental protection will be a new norm in China´s development process and a new pillar of the economy. She stressed that, back in 2013, the State Council has already made plans for the development of the environmental industry, and the country will take low-carbon development as a basis to turn the environmental industry into new pillar for the country´s industry. Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, Former Prime Minister of Norway, who chaired the World Commission on the Environment and Development, the “Brundtland Commission”, Special Envoy on Climate Change of the United Nations and Former Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) delivered her keynote speech during the Opening Ceremony. At the Green Forum tomorrow (27 March), experts and academics from different countries and regions will continue to express their insight on various environmental issues. Through the Green Matching, Green Exhibition and Green Networking, exhibitors and buyers will promote business co-operation and jointly create business opportunities.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that both the unemployment rate (1.7%) and the underemployment rate (0.4%) for December 2014-February 2015 continued to remain stable as in November 2014-January 2015. Total labour force was 403,400 and the labour force participation rate stood at 74.0%. Total employment was 396,500, a decrease of 1,300 from November 2014-January 2015. Analysed by industry, employment in Hotels, Restaurants & Similar Activities and Construction saw decrease. Number of the unemployed was 6,900, up by 200 from November 2014-January 2015; fresh labour force entrants searching for their first job accounted for 9.2% of the total unemployed, down by 2.1 percentage points. In comparison with December 2013-February 2014, the labour force participation rate increased by 0.6 percentage points, while both the unemployment rate and the underemployment rate remained constant.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that attributable to the Lunar New Year holidays, visitor arrivals increased by 4.5% year-on-year to 2,676,024 in February 2015; same-day visitors totalled 1,574,123, up by 13.8%. The average length of stay of visitors decreased by 0.1 day year-on-year to 0.9 day; overnight and same-day visitors had an average stay of 1.8 days and 0.2 day respectively. Visitors from Mainland China rose by 10.7% year-on-year to 1,898,650, coming primarily from Guangdong Province (965,127), Zhejiang Province (64,430) and Fujian Province (58,351). Mainland visitors travelling under the Individual Visit Scheme set a new single-month record of 1,141,165, up substantially by 38.9%. Visitors from Taiwan (74,176) and the Republic of Korea (56,240) increased by 1.4% and 7.3% respectively year-on-year, while those from Hong Kong (522,796) decreased by 5.2%. Long-haul visitors from the United States (11,693), Australia (5,665), Canada (5,245) and the United Kingdom (3,920) registered year-on-year decline. Regarding mode of transport, visitor arrivals by land totalled 1,585,052, up by 15.1% year-on-year; visitors entering through the Border Gate accounted for 85.3% of the total, at 1,352,055, up by 13.0%, while those arriving via the Checkpoint of Cotai rose notably by 29.9% to 231,247. Visitor arrivals by sea decreased by 8.9% year-on-year to 915,999, of which visitors entering via the Outer Harbour (576,616) and the Provisional Ferry Terminal in Taipa (287,156) dropped by 8.7% and 11.0% respectively. Visitor arrivals by air decreased by 2.0% year-on-year to 174,973, with 174,036 entering via the airport. In the first two months of 2015, visitor arrivals reached 5,141,636, up by 1.5% year-on-year, with same-day visitors sharing 57.4% of the total. Visitors from Mainland China (3,568,302), Taiwan (151,159) and the Republic of Korea (125,031) increased by 4.8%, 0.1% and 12.1% respectively year-on-year, but those from Hong Kong (995,996) and Japan (38,685) dropped by 4.8% and 24.8%. Moreover, long-haul visitors from the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom recorded year-on-year decrease.
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A new collection of photographs on the season of mist is now available at the Government Information Bureau’s news application “MSAR News”. “Macao in mist” is a set of ten photographs which captured the phenomenon caused by the mass fine droplets of water in the air here in Macao. Through the camera of the Bureau’s photographer Pedro Kong, a thick layer of fog blankets buildings, sea view and driveway, giving a sense of mystery. More photo collections are available at “MSAR News”, which can be downloaded in App Store and Google Play. Other functions of the app include“News”, “News Features”, “Hot News”, and “Hot News Photos”, offering users more real-time news, government information, pictures and local weather reports.
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Background 1. First commissioned by the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture in 2003, the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) has been conducting the annual Tourism Carrying Capacity (TCC) study. The objective of the study is to determine the optimum number of visitors that Macao can receive per day. Methodology 2. There are several and varying methods for assessing a tourism destination’s optimal capacity to receive visitors. In Macao’s case, IFT adopts two approaches for determining the optimum number of visitors. The first approach is based on the concept of social carrying capacity (SCC), which uses subjective measures perceived and experienced by residents and visitors. The second approach assesses changes in the physical carrying capacity (PCC) of key tourism infrastructure and physical facilities. 3. The SCC approach estimates optimum carrying capacity based on Macao residents’ satisfaction with factors affecting their quality of life and visitors’ satisfaction with the quality of their visiting experience. These subjective factors include (a) perceived level of crowdedness, (b) satisfaction with the quality of the environment, (c) satisfaction with transportation services, (d) service quality and (e) waiting time at food and beverage as well as retail outlets, (f) satisfaction with tourist attractions as well as recreational activities, (g) satisfaction with border immigration clearance. Visitors also provide their satisfaction (h) hotel service performance and (i) availability of hotel rooms. Multiple regression modeling of the relationship between these factors and daily visitor numbers help determine an estimated optimum capacity. 4. Data for the SCC approach is collected via an extensive field survey conducted throughout the year. Results for 2013 is based on data collected from 6,005 respondents (of which 2,987 were residents and 3,018 visitors). For 2014, survey data were obtained from 6,007 respondents (2,991 residents and 3,016 visitors). 5. The PCC approach evaluates the physical and service carrying capacities of eight major tourism-related infrastructures and services. These include (a) hotel accommodation, (b) restaurant and dining facilities, (c) public buses, (d) taxis, (e) ferries, (f) border immigration clearance, (g) major non-paid visitor attractions, and (h) inbound tour operations. IFT collects data directly from organizations that manage, operate, or utilize the above facilities to gauge their physical service capacity to service residents and visitors. Findings 6. Based on IFT’s latest analysis using a social carrying capacity (SCC) approach, the estimated optimum carrying capacity of Macao for 2013 and 2014 are as follows: (* Please find attached file) 7. In terms of physical carrying capacity (PCC) several tourism services and facilities were able to increase their capacity to service visitors in 2013 and 2014 but there were also setbacks. a. Ferry services, inbound tour operating services, and border immigration clearance were able to maintain adequate or augment capacity to handle increased visitor numbers. b. The total number of hotel rooms is currently below the optimum number of visitors and may be inadequate particularly during peak periods but additional accommodations are in the pipeline from properties currently in development or planned. c. The physical capacities of transportation, especially taxis and public buses, remain strenuous. For example, there were reductions in the number of taxis in operations but several new licenses have been issued and additional ones are planned soon. As more visitors utilize the public taxis and buses as a means for transportation, the risk for a further squeeze will be likely, as residents and visitors share both transport facilities. d. Macao’s major visitor attractions and restaurants and dining establishments also face capacity issues. There are certain periods during the year in which service capacities of these sectors are adequate but on other days could be insufficient to meet the demand. Discussion 8. Compared to previous years, Macao’s tourism carrying capacity (based on the SCC approach) has increased in a stable manner, but reached a highpoint in 2013 and showed a leveling off in 2014. This trend suggests that Macao’s capacity to absorb visitors may have reached a saturation point in 2014. From a social perspective, this is likely due to residents’ beginning to grow weary of the effects of continued tourism growth on important quality of life issues such as deteriorating experience with public transport and perceived crowding in the street as well as deterioration in visitors’ travel experience caused by over-crowdedness and possible decline in tourism service quality in F&B and retail outlets as well as immigration borders. 9. Though critical measures were taken in 2014 to augment capacity in several areas (e.g., increasing the opening time of the border entry points, adding new taxi licenses) and crowd control measures during peak periods of visitation like the Chinese New Year golden week holiday period, the effects of these improvements were not proportional enough to the continued increase in the number of visitors especially on some peak days. Thus it is likely that both residents and visitors perceive an overall deterioration in overall conditions. About the annual TCC Study 10. Different methods for assessing a destination’s tourism carrying capacity will lead to different estimates, depending on the assumptions and techniques adopted. IFT will endeavor to explore other complementary methods to assess Macao’s tourism carrying capacity in order to provide accurate and reliable information and taking into account as many perspectives as possible for supporting better policy formulation and enhancement of Macao’s tourism development. 11. The TCC study is a retrospective study—it does not seek to impose future boundaries or limits to Macao’s tourism. It serves to indicate at which levels of visitor numbers were residents’ and visitors’ experience affected and thus provide important inputs to future planning and policy. Recommendations 12. To improve and enhance Macao’s tourism carrying capacity in the long run, the following general policy directions can be explored or discussed: a) It is important that physical capacity growth of key infrastructure and facilities is coordinated, balanced, and synchronous. Additional room capacity provided by recent (and upcoming) new hotel properties, for example, will not prove efficient if there is no corresponding increase or enhancement in other areas such as public transport and improvements in service quality. b) In the near future, it is highly recommended that measures be taken to moderate and balance the growth in visitor numbers so that it is managed in a stable method, avoiding any rapid surge or decrease. c) Greater selectivity in target source markets to achieve diversity and quality. d) Continued expansion of service infrastructure and facilities as well as availability and diversity of attractions. e) Encourage variations and coordination in the opening hours or periods of selected attractions as well as the scheduling of events in order to distribute demand more evenly throughout the year and throughout each day. f) Define certain zones for long-term development, delineating clearly areas where tourism development can be more concentrated as well as segregated from residential areas. g) Develop facilities or zones to cater to the needs of frequent cross-border shoppers, many of who visit Macao for one day, in order to reduce congestion at key areas of the city.
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To enhance the investigation skill of the local aviation investigators as well as boost the regional cooperation on aircraft accident investigation, the investigators of mainland China, Hong Kong and Singapore met with our local investigators and mapping technicians in Macao to conduct a joint wreckage mapping exercise for two days. The exercise went on smoothly and achieved its goal. The participants were able to further develop their skills in using the mapping equipment and their knowledge in data analysis. The exercise was carried out on 25 and 26 March 2015, simulating an aircraft crash at Coloane after the aircraft has taken off from Macau International Airport due to engine failure. The Civil Aviation Authority of Macao SAR (AACM) immediately established the accident investigation team to start their work. When the search and rescue work was concluded, the team went to the accident site to perform the wreckage mapping and documentation, and then worked out the data plotting and analysis, and concluded the exercise with a debriefing. The mapping drill was the first of its type to have been run by AACM inviting foreign entities to participate. The invited parties were the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the Civil Aviation Department of Hong Kong SAR and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board of Singapore. In consideration that the exercise was concerned with mapping, AACM also invited Macao’s Cartography and Cadastre Bureau to take part. The exercise investigation team, composed of 30 members, was operating the mapping and videoshooting equipment such as the Global Positioning System, the infrared and laser measuring equipment, the 3-D scanner, the unmanned aerial vehicle and so on in the mapping. The members were also taking the tape measurement to map the wreckage pieces and then comparing the results with the two methods. Through training activities in regional cooperation projects, AACM seeks to grasp the various opportunities to put theories into practice and acquire the valuable knowledge of the foreign entities in carrying out the respective work, aiming to enhance the knowledge and skill of our local investigators. AACM’s Accident Prevention and Investigation Group (APIG) was established in May 2013 and ever since then has been playing an active role in the respective activities organized by the International Civil Aviation Organization and its subsidiaries, such as attending or hosting conferences and workshops. APIG has also taken part in the exercises organized in other places, for example, high mountain, desert survival, sea search and so on. In June this year, APIG will attend the “Third Meeting of the Asia Pacific Regional Aviation Safety Team – Accident Investigation Ad hoc Working Group” held in Sri Lanka and will present the report of the exercise in the meeting.
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Consumer Council conducted its eighth ‘Supermarket price survey’ in March on 25 March for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Surveyed locations included 13 supermarkets in Taipa and Coloane area. The latest ‘Supermarket Price Survey’ is now available on Consumer Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo), and the ‘Supermarket Price Information Platform’ iPhone and Android apps. 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 over 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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Lisandra Wagan Fesalbon from the University of Macau’s (UM) Public Speaking Team won the championship at the ‘21st Century Coca-Cola Cup’ National English Speaking Competition held in Henan University, China. Of the 100,000 contestants who entered the competition in May 2014, only 64 made it to the national grand final, advancing successively from internet trials, campus trials, oral exams via phone, and regional finals. Fesalbon from the Department of Government and Public Administration, Faculty of Social Sciences, earned unanimous praise from the judges for her outstanding performance in the grand final and won the championship. This is the first time a student from Macao has won a championship at this competition. ‘I’m really happy to win the championship, and I’m very grateful to my coach Randall Tran for his coaching,’ says Fesalbon. ‘Without his training, I wouldn’t have been able to beat so many strong contestants from around the country.’ Launched in 1996, the 21st Century Cup is an annual English speech contest which also serves as a trial for the international public speaking contest held in London every May. The topics for this year’s semi-final and national grand final are ‘Seeing Is Not Believing’ and ‘On the Balance between Yin and Yang from a Young Person’s Perspective’, respectively.
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In 2005, within the framework of Asian Academy for Heritage Management established with the support of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), UNESCO and the Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao (IFT) have jointly developed the Cultural Heritage Specialist Guide Training and Certification Programme for UNESCO World Heritage Sites and IFT’s faculty designed the outline and content of the programme. The programme has been recognised by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) with the 2007 PATA Gold Award under the category of "Education and Training", and by the World Heritage Committee at its 31st Session as “a best-practice example of an initiative aiming at integrating the conservation of World Heritage within the wider sustainable development framework for the benefit of local communities." Since 2005, IFT has been providing consultancy and training to Asian Pacific countries and regions, namely Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Lao PDR, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Mainland China and Macao SAR. The programme is celebrating its 10 years this year. Till now, this programme has trained up 123 professional cultural heritage guides in Macao and they play an important role to promote cultural heritage tourism in Macao. The Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA) under the Prime Minister’s Office of Thailand, which is also the main project partner of UNESCO Bangkok Office for the Cultural Heritage Specialist Guide Training and Certification Programme, paid a study trip to Macao a few days ago to study about the Cultural Heritage Specialist Guide Training and Certification Programme offered by IFT. The delegation is composed of the Deputy Director of DASTA, directors of historical parks, representatives of UNESCO and Ministry of Tourism and Sport, top trainers as well as lecturers of Naresuan University. IFT is still a very important key player in this programme because it has a lot of experts and experiences to share with the rest of the region,” said Ms. Linina Phuttitarn, from the Culture Unit of UNESCO Bangkok Office. Dr. Fanny Vong, President of IFT, Ms. Diamantina Coimbra, Director of Tourism and Hotel School, Dr. Sharif Shams Imon, Coordinator of Heritage Management Degree Programme and Dr. Cora Wong welcomed the delegation and introduced IFT’s work and success in particularly the role in offering and supporting the CHSG Programme. Also, both sides shared the challenges and the sustainability of cultural heritage conservation in Thailand and Macao.
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The donation campaign organised by IFT for the student victim in the fatal car accident in Av. Wai Long earlier was ended at 20 March noon. Thanks to the support of our students, faculty and staff as well as the generous Macao residents, we collected more than two million patacas for the family. And the donation was passed to the student’s mother.
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