News

To celebrate the Year of the Ram, Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) hosted a spring luncheon in Hong Kong today (27 Feb) to thank the Hong Kong travel trades, incentive travel partners, media representatives and friends for their continuous support to the tourism development of Macau over the years. MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes led a delegation to greet more than 200 luncheon guests, among which includes MGTO Deputy Director Cecilia Tse and Macau Grand Prix Committee Coordinator João Manuel Costa Antunes. When delivering the welcome remarks, MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes expressed her appreciation for the support that Hong Kong tourism partners and media had made to promote Macau. In 2014, the number of visitor arrivals to Macau reached 31,526,000, representing an increase of 7.5% over 2013. Being the second largest tourist source market, over 6.4 million Hong Kong residents traveled to Macau last year. Entering the Year of the Ram, MGTO will continue to engage the promotional theme "Touching Moments, Experience Macau" and make continuous effort to diversify Macau's tourism products and markets with the goal of building Macau as the "World Centre of Tourism and Leisure". MGTO will keep developing tourism elements, continue to strengthen community tourism project to enrich travelers' experience with the local charm. In line with MGTO's promotional strategies, Hong Kong Office will strengthen the communication platform between industry partners and media by organizing seminars, product update presentations, thematic familiarization tours and joint promotions. Innovative promotional activities especially adoption of digital media will be launched to reach different market segments including families, youngsters, ladies, silver hair as well as niche markets such as students, wedding couples and business incentives.
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The Institute for Tourism Studies "Career Day 2015" was held on 27 February at IFT Taipa Campus. The event aimed to provide more information on the employment trends and prospects in the tourism and hospitality industry for graduating students, thus increasing their chances of success in job hunting. 20 organisations with about 2,000 job vacancies from the tourism and services industry joined the event. These included Crowne Plaza Macau, EGL Tours (Macau) Company Limited, Four Seasons Hotel Macao, Cotai Strip®, Galaxy Entertainment Group, Grand Hyatt Macau, Holiday Inn Macau, JW Marriott Macau, L'Arc Macau, Louis Vuitton Macau Company Limited, LVMH Asia Pacific Ltd., Macau International Airport, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Macau, Nuance-Watson (Macau) Limited, Sands China Limited, Sheraton Macao Hotel, Shun Tak Holdings (Macau) Ltd., TDM - Teledifusão de Macau, S.A., Wing On Holidays (Macau) Ltd and Wynn Resorts (Macau) Limited. Representatives from the participating organisations introduced career prospects and positions available in their companies as well as arranged on site interviews for graduating students and participants. The graduates-to-be and participants were enthusiastic about the event. Questions regarding employment trends and employers' expectation were raised and discussed in the fair. In addition, the first batch of Culinary Arts Management graduates is set to graduate in June this year. They are ready to enter into the job market and become popular among employers. The employment rate of IFT graduates is always satisfactory. A graduates' employment survey was conducted with respondents of 2013/14 graduates. According to the survey results, 87.8% of the degree programme graduates were employed, 8% graduates pursued further studies; 76.2% of the employed graduates worked in the tourism and hospitality sector, the median salary of MOP13,900. The Career Day aimed to be the direct communication platform between students and employers, allowing students to have a better idea about the current job market and maximised their chance of successful job application.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total value of retail sales for the whole year of 2014 reached MOP 67.66 billion, up by 1% year-on-year. Value of retail sales of Watches, Clocks & Jewellery (MOP 18.14 billion) and Goods in Department Stores (MOP 9.92 billion) accounted for 27% and 15% of the total respectively. Similarly, volume of retail sales for 2014 increased by 1% year-on-year, with notable increase in sales of Household Appliances (+34%), Motorcycles, Parts & Accessories (+30%) and Chinese Food Products (+24%). Value of retail sales for the fourth quarter of 2014 totalled MOP 17.04 billion, up by 8% compared with the revised figure of MOP 15.82 billion in the third quarter. Retail sales of Watches, Clocks & Jewellery (MOP 4.40 billion) accounted for 26% of the total, which was followed by retail sales of Goods in Department Stores (12%), Adults' Clothing (11%), Leather Goods (11%), Motor Vehicles (6%) and Goods in Supermarkets (6%). Value of retail sales for the fourth quarter decreased by 8% year-on-year, with marked decrease being observed in sales of Goods in Department Stores (-23%) and Watches, Clocks & Jewellery (-21%). On the other hand, sales of Chinese Food Products and Household Appliances increased by 24% and 21% respectively year-on-year. After removing the effect of price changes, volume of retail sales for the fourth quarter of 2014 increased by 4% quarter-to-quarter, of which sales of Furniture & Lighting and Cosmetics & Sanitary Articles soared by 62% and 31% respectively; however, sales of Goods in Department Stores tumbled by 31%. Meanwhile, volume of retail sales for the fourth quarter decreased by 11% year-on-year, with notable decrease in sales of Goods in Department Stores (-37%), Adults' Clothing (-22%), Dried Seafood (-22%) and Watches, Clocks & Jewellery (-19%); on the contrary, sales of Furniture & Lighting, Household Appliances and Chinese Food Products increased by 51%, 24% and 22% respectively. In respect of the comments of the retailers, about 53% stated that sales volume in the fourth quarter of 2014 increased or held stable over the previous quarter, up by 1 percentage point compared with the corresponding figure in the third quarter of 2014, while 47% reported decrease in sales volume. In terms of the retail prices, about 67% reported stable prices, 10% stated an increase and 23% noted a decrease. Moreover, about 68% of the retailers expressed that the stock level remained stable compared with the fourth quarter of 2013, while 19% indicated that the stock level decreased. As regards business outlook for the first quarter of 2015, about 24% of the retailers anticipate that sales volume will increase from the fourth quarter, 44% expect sales volume to remain stable, while 32% foresee a decrease. Concurrently, about 64% predict stable retail prices, 20% expect an increase, while 16% predict a decrease in retail prices.
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Mainland China's seven-day long Chinese New Year golden week adjourned and Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) related measures and work were also successfully concluded. According to preliminary statistics, during Chinese New Year golden week visitor arrivals to Macau numbered 1,028,559 (including non-resident workers and students), a slight decrease of 2.4 per cent over the corresponding period last year, among which 760,623 were Mainland visitors, down by two per cent. Given that last year's golden week extended from the first to the seventh day of the Chinese New Year, according to the lunar calendar, and this year the golden week started at the last day of the year and ended at the sixth day of the New Year (18 to 24 of February), and as Chinese traditionally travel less on the last day of the year that might have contributed to a dip in the figures. Whereas when looking into statistics referring to the period between the first and the seventh day of the Chinese New Year (19 to 25 of February), the number of arrivals recorded (including non-resident workers and students) marked 1,088,579, up by 3.3 per cent, compare to identical period last year, among which 819,266 were visitors from Mainland China, a 5,6 per cent increase. According to data provided by the hotel industry, during the golden week the average occupancy rate of three to five star hotels reached 87.5 per cent, a year-on-year decrease of 6.9 percentage points. The current total of rooms supplied by all hotels and guest houses in Macau stands at 29,382 rooms. Guest houses average occupancy rate for the same period reached 74 per cent, down by 8.6 percentage points, two star hotels 73.9 per cent, down by 13.4 percentage points, three-star hotels 85.2 per cent, down by 8.1 percentage points, four-star hotels 84.1 percent, down by 8.7 per cent, and five-star hotels 93.3 per cent, down by 3.9 percentage points. The average room rate during golden week rate of three to five star hotels in Macau dropped by 15.4 per cent, to 2,019.3 patacas. The average room rate of guest houses was 726.1 patacas, a year-on-year decrease of 4.9 per cent, while the average room rate of two-star hotels was 1,080.3 patacas, down by 11.1 per cent, three-star hotels 1,881.7 patacas, down by 21.1 per cent, four-star hotels 1,725.7 patacas, down by 20.7 per cent and five-star hotels 2,450.5, down 5.8 per cent. Before and during Spring Festival, MGTO was actively preparing for the peak period in various ways by activating the tourism notification system, increasing inspection duties, sending reminders to the trade regarding various concerns, printing and distributing local food guide and carrying out a range of Lunar New Year celebrations, among other initiatives, as the Office strives not only to cater for citizens and visitors' needs but also to optimize local tourism environment and service quality through various measures. MGTO has been regularly releasing the room rates of Macau hotels and guest houses in different room categories on its website so that visitors can obtain the latest information. Before Spring Festival arrived, the Office also sent out Wechat and mobile text messages to Mainland residents who planned to visit Macau during the Golden Week, advising them to make room reservation in advance and to check hotel room rates on MGTO's website if needed; to ensure visitors have more travel tips in hand, the Office also encouraged visitors to download travel information before their trip to Macau or to obtain printed materials at MGTO's Tourist Information counters for free upon arrival. MGTO and Tourism Administration of Guangdong Province putted once again the "Tourism Notification System for Spring Festival Golden Week" into operation, this year between 16 and 25 February. The Office also collaborated with relevant departments and tourism reception entities to facilitate hospitality work for visitors during Spring Festival Golden Week. MGTO conducted 73 inspections in total at various border ports and tourist spots. Between 18 and 24 February, MGTO sealed one premises allegedly operated as illegal accommodation. MGTO's Tourist Information counters and tourism hotline service 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 six complaints, assistance requests or suggestions from visitors regarding restaurants service and charges, food establishments hygiene, tourist guide and carrying capacity, which MGTO has followed up or transferred the cases to relevant entities for settlement. This press release is available at: http://industry.macautourism.gov.mo/en/pressroom/
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Consumer Council's latest issue no. 258 Consumer Report is now available and a review on all the cases handled last year (2014) is included. The Council handled almost 7,000 cases last year and the total amount of claims involved exceeds 90 million patacas. For the 1,668 complaint cases, a settlement rate of 96 percent has been reached.
The Council handled a total number of 6,981 cases in 2014. Among all these cases, 1,668 are complaints with a settlement rate of 96 percent, 5,250 enquiries and 63 suggestions. The total amount of money involved exceeds 90 million patacas, which is about double of that of 2013. Among all these claims, about 8 million patacas are related to tourists' spending, which is about 10 percent of the yearly total amount.
The top 5 categories of complaints are telecommunication services (220 cases), telecommunication products (208 cases), food & beverages (121 cases), electrical products (113 cases), and public transportation (87 cases). The total number of complaint cases of these 5 categories amounts to 749 cases, which is 45 percent of the total complaint cases received in 2014. The number of telecommunication services cases has increased by about 5 percent compared to the number of 2013. Among the 220 cases lodged, 113 are related to 3G mobile phone service charges and trade practices of telecommunication service providers. The number of telecommunication products cases (208 cases) has increased by 3.5 percent compared to the previous year in which 22 cases involves the selling prices of mobile phones. Other categories with obvious increase include taxi services, jewelry & ornaments, aviation services, etc. Meanwhile, categories such as photographic equipment, real estate and computer products, which were all commonly seen with complaints, recorded decrease in the number of complaint cases in 2014.
The number of complaints and enquiries lodged by tourists are 443 and 503 respectively, which leads to a total of 946 cases. The top 5 categories among those cases includes telecommunication products (109 cases), jewelry & ornaments (57 cases), watches (53 cases), clothing & apparel (35 cases), and food & beverages (30 cases). These 5 categories amounts to 284 complaint cases, which is about 64 percent of the total number of tourists' complaints.
A detail analysis and highlights of complaint cases of 2014 are included in Consumer Report issue no. 258, the Council reminds consumers to compare prices of products and services prior to making purchase, and ask for the relevant receipt to safeguard consumers' own rights to claim; meanwhile, traders are requested to adopt good trade practices, which include the labeling of prices of products and services, and the provision of a clear and understandable contract for the transaction. The Council conducted a test on the efficiency and quality of 10 brands of dishwashing detergents. All the samples passed the quoted standard. Consumers may refer to the latest issue of Consumer Report for details.
Consumer Report is now available free of charge at the Consumer Council (Av. Horta e Costa, N.º 24-A, Edf. Cheung Heng, R/C), and the service counter of the Council at Macao SAR Government Service Centre (Rua Nova da Areia Preta, Nº52), Public Information Centre at Vicky Plaza, libraries and bookstores. Consumers may also access the magazine online on the Council's official website (http://www.consumer.gov.mo). For enquiries, please call 8988 9315. The above article can be downloaded at http://www.consumer.gov.mo/c/ccnews.asp
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the Composite CPI for January 2015 increased by 4.75% year-on-year to 103.41, attributable to rising rentals for dwellings, higher prices of clothing and dearer charges for eating out. The smaller year-on-year increase was owing to the higher base of comparison in January 2014 when the Lunar New Year festivities drove up prices of goods and services. In comparison with January 2014, notable increase was observed in the price index of Housing & Fuels (+11.64%), and price index of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages and Health rose by 5.41% and 5.26% respectively. On the contrary, price index of Transport and Recreation & Culture decreased by 1.77% and 1.17% respectively. The CPI-A (103.54) and CPI-B (102.37) increased by 5.30% and 4.27% respectively year-on-year. The Composite CPI for January 2015 edged down by 0.03% month-to-month. Price index of Clothing & Footwear; Recreation & Culture and Transport decreased by 2.85%, 2.18% and 1.58% on account of seasonal sale of winter clothing, lower charges for package tours and receding prices of gasoline. On the other hand, higher rentals for dwellings and rising charges for domestic services drove up the price index of Housing & Fuels and Household Goods & Furnishings by 0.84% and 0.80% respectively. Meanwhile, receding prices of vegetables, fresh pork and seafood tapered off the increase in the price index of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages. The CPI-A and CPI-B decreased marginally by 0.03% and 0.08% respectively month-to-month. For the 12 months ended January 2015, the average Composite CPI increased by 5.91% from the previous period. Price index of Housing & Fuels (+11.96%) and Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+6.00%) registered remarkable increase, while price index of Communication decreased by 0.15%. The average CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 6.44% and 5.72% respectively. The Composite CPI reflects the impact of price changes on the general households. The CPI-A relates to about 50% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP10,000 to MOP29,999. The CPI-B relates to about 30% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP30,000 to MOP54,999.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that visitor arrivals decreased by 1.5% year-on-year to 2.47 million in January 2015; same-day visitors accounted for 55.9% of the total, at 1.38 million. 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 1.9 days and 0.2 day respectively. Analysed by place of residence, visitors from Mainland China decreased by 1.2% year-on-year to 1.67 million, coming primarily from Guangdong Province (706,569), Fujian Province (73,164) and Hunan Province (65,565); Mainland visitors travelling under the Individual Visit Scheme dropped by 8.1%, at 765,323. Visitors from Hong Kong (473,200) and Taiwan (76,983) decreased by 4.2% and 1.1% respectively year-on-year, while those from the Republic of Korea (68,791) increased by 16.3%. Long-haul visitors from the United States (13,532), Australia (10,090), Canada (5,391) and the United Kingdom (3,829) registered year-on-year decline. Regarding mode of transport, visitor arrivals by land totalled 1.38 million, down by 4.7% year-on-year, with 1.21 million entering through the Border Gate, down by 5.7%, and 166,009 arriving via the Checkpoint of Cotai, up by 3.9%. Visitor arrivals by sea increased by 2.4% year-on-year to 912,350, of which visitors entering via the Outer Harbour (562,388) decreased by 0.7% while those arriving via the Provisional Ferry Terminal in Taipa (319,461) rose notably by 21.9%. Visitor arrivals by air increased by 5.3% year-on-year to 170,534, with those entering via the airport accounting for 99.0%.
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Aiming to promote the advantages of Macao´s convention and exhibition industry and to attract a greater number of internationally renowned MICE events to Macao, IPIM´s Executive Director, Mrs. Irene V. K. Lau, travelled to Melbourne, Australia, from 24 to 25 February, to participate in "The Asia-Pacific Incentives and Meetings Expo" (AIME 2015). AIME 2015 is one of Asia-Pacific´s most influential events of the convention and exhibition industry, having attracted last year, over 700 exhibitors and more than 3,000 qualified buyers from over 50 countries and regions. AIME 2015´s exhibitors included government tourist departments, government departments for the development of the MICE industry, hotel operators, convention centres, technology providers, airlines, convention and exhibition centres, international business associations, destination management service operators, conference and public relations operators, transportation and tour operators, and also travel industry publishers. In the course of the two-day event, a press conference was organised by IPIM. Mrs. Irene V. K. Lau, Executive Director of IPIM, and Mr. Mike Williams, Senior Consultant of GainingEdge which provides MICE consultancy service to IPIM, promoted the strength of Macao's convention and exhibition industry and IPIM's "One-Stop Service" for MICE Bidding and Support in Macao respectively. Latest development in Macao's MICE industry was also mentioned in a bid to develop the international tourist market and attract to Macao the holding of greater number of international convention and exhibition events. Several media members from the Asia-Pacific region attended the press conference and respective feedback was both proactive and positive. Through this press conference, it is expected that the media will widely disseminate the services provided by Macao´s convention and exhibition sector, and thus assist in the expansion of the local MICE market. Furthermore, IPIM has set-up a promotion counter in the "Macao Pavilion" located at the AIME 2015´s venue, to promote the "One-Stop Service" for MICE Bidding and Support in Macao and to answer enquiries from the visitors. At the same time, IPIM´s delegates participated in 20 business-matching sessions arranged by the Organisers of the AIME 2015, to conduct business negotiations with potential buyers and promote Macao as an ideal destination for conventions and exhibitions. Other exhibitors in the "Macao Pavilion" included the Macao Government Tourist Office, as well as local tourist agencies and professional conference organizers.
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The new Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym) "Academic Research Grant Regulations" came into effect on February 1. Eligible academics can submit their applications to IC from 1 March to 31 May 2015. The new "Academic Research Grant Regulations" aims at encouraging original academic research on the culture of Macao and on the cultural exchange between Macao, Mainland China and other countries. Local or overseas doctorate degree holders, with proven academic research experience, and local or overseas individuals with sufficient research experience and recognized academic production are eligible to apply and submit the duly filled out application form to IC by double registered mail or in person. Applicants must also submit their curriculum vitae, research project plan and certified copies of educational qualification certificates; incomplete applications or applications that fail to comply with the above will not be accepted. The grants, in the amount of MOP280,000.00 and MOP250,000.00, will be awarded according to the applicant's academic background and to the content of the project and are subject to IC's decision under proposal of the Selection Panel. The "Academic Research Grant Regulations" and application forms are available for reference and download at IC's webpage: www.icm.gov.mo. Applications must be submitted before the deadline otherwise they will not be accepted. For more information, please contact Ms. Silvia Kuan, staff member of IC, through 8399 6381 during office hours, or by email: silviak@icm.gov.mo.
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Consumer Council conducted its seventh 'Supermarket price survey' in February on 24 February for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Surveyed locations included 12 supermarkets in Sé Parish. 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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