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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 June 2015. With regard to outstanding balance, RMLs and CRELs also witnessed increases. New lending approved In June 2015, new RMLs approved by Macao banks increased 5.7% month-to-month to MOP3.9 billion; of which, 96.8% was extended to residents. In terms of value, new RMLs to residents increased 6.2% whereas those to non-residents decreased 8.2%. When compared with the same period of 2014, new approvals of RMLs witnessed a decrease of 57.1%. New RMLs collateralised by uncompleted units (i.e. equitable mortgage) decreased by 14.7% month-to-month to MOP282 million. The equitable mortgage extended to residents, which accounted for 96.8% of the total, decreased 11.3%. When compared with the same period of 2014, new RMLs collateralised by uncompleted units decreased by 89.7%. New CRELs grew by 51.8% month-to-month to MOP6.2 billion; of which, 95.8% was granted to residents. In terms of value, new CRELs to residents increased 64.6% whereas those to non-residents decreased 45.4%. On an annual basis, new approvals of CRELs dropped by 42.7%. Outstanding balances As at end-June 2015, the outstanding value of RMLs reached MOP165.5 billion, an increase of 1.4% from one month earlier or 20.1% from a year ago. The resident component made up 94.1% of the total. Compared to end-May 2015, outstanding RMLs to residents and non-residents rose 1.5% and 0.7% respectively. Concurrently, the outstanding value of CRELs increased 1.1% from end-May 2015 and was up 34.0% from end-June 2014 to MOP140.8 billion. Residents accounted for 89.2% of the loans. Compared with one month earlier, outstanding CRELs to residents grew 1.3% whereas those to non-residents dropped 0.9%. Delinquency ratios At the end of June 2015, the delinquency ratio for RMLs was 0.07, down 0.01 percentage point from a month ago or up 0.01 percentage point from a year ago. The ratio for CRELs reached 0.07, up 0.03 percentage points from a month ago or remained virtually unchanged from end-June 2014.
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The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) will conduct the Pilot Survey of the 2016 Population By-census from 11 to 25 August for a period of 15 days, in order to test the various operational aspects of the 2016 Population By-census. The Pilot Survey covers some 2,200 housing units in the districts of Doca do Lamau and Fai Chi Kei. All selected housing units would have received a notification letter from DSEC prior to the start of the Survey. The Population By-census is a large-scale household sample survey conducted in between two population censuses, which aims to collect up-to-date information for updating the population statistics of Macao and for keeping track of population changes. To facilitate smooth operation of the Pilot Survey, DSEC officials visited the Macau General Union of the Neighborhood Associations (UGAMM) and the Property Management Business Association Macao early this month, to introduce the Pilot Survey and listen to the comments and suggestions of the associations. All enumerators, wearing a yellow Pilot Survey uniform and carrying a valid Enumerator Identity Card and a Pilot Survey satchel, will visit the selected housing units to collect data during the Pilot Survey period. Households may choose to complete the e-Questionnaire available at the 2016 Population By-census webpage (www.dsec.gov.mo/Intercensos2016) between 11 and 21 August. All personal and household data collected will be kept in strict confidence and used solely for statistical purposes. DSEC calls for the support of the public to provide accurate information. To verify the identity of an enumerator or make an appointment for interview, please call the Pilot Survey Hotline at 8809 8809.
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The Government would allocate more resources to diversify young people’s career development, said the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, at an exchange session with the youth. The Government had attached much attention to youngsters’ development and had a good communication with them to ensure their views were heard during administration, said Mr Chui. Sharing his views on education system and economic situation with local young people at an exchange session for youth employment and entrepreneurship on 9 August, Mr Chui said this opportunity allowed him to know better the youth and to better optimise youth policy. On education system, Mr Chui said the exam-based system could hardly be changed completely in a short period of time, but stressed the Government would strive to seek a more flexible method letting students demonstrate their potential while bettering parent-child relationships. System that was in use in international schools might be not applicable to all schools in Macao, but exploring a more diversified education system was the priority of the Government, he said. Mr Chui said the finance status remained stable even in the period of consolidation when revenue from gaming had experienced decline over the past 13 months. If there was any need to impose stricter financial measures, Government would cut administrative spending; but Mr Chui assured projects related to people’s livelihood, social services and welfare would not be affected. Speaking to the press after the session, Mr Chui said the Government would explain to the public the land exchange issues involving Iec Long Firecracker Factory, after a thorough investigation carried out by the Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Mr Raimundo do Rosário. Office of the Secretary for Transport and Public Works issued a statement today saying after analysing the existing information the Secretary considered to refer the case to the Commission Against Corruption.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the total population was 642,900 as at end-June 2015, an increase of 2,200 quarter-to-quarter; female population (325,400) accounted for 50.6% of the total. There were 1,662 live births delivered in the second quarter of 2015, a decrease of 50 or 2.9% quarter-to-quarter. Male babies totalled 893 and the sex ratio at birth stood at 116.1, corresponding to 116.1 male babies per 100 female babies. In the first half year of 2015, a total of 3,374 live births were recorded, up by 71 year-on-year. Meanwhile, mortality totalled 475, a decrease of 67 quarter-to-quarter; the top three underlying causes of death were Neoplasms (170), Diseases of the Circulatory System (114) and Diseases of the Respiratory System (77). In the first half year of 2015, mortality went down by 10 year-on-year to 1,017. In the second quarter of 2015, there were 1,666 Chinese immigrants and 385 individuals granted right of abode, down by 973 and 215 respectively quarter-to-quarter. Non-resident workers totalled 180,523 at the end of the second quarter, an increase of 5,599 over the previous quarter. A total of 939 cases of marriage registration were recorded in the second quarter, down by 13 quarter-to-quarter. In the first half year of 2015, there were 1,891 cases of marriage registration, down by 221 year-on-year.
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Professor Jao Tsung-i, a worldwide renowned sinologist who has been undertaking scholarly and artistic pursuits for a long time, is a specialist concurrently in literature, arts and academics, and a rare master of the arts in Macao, Hong Kong and Mainland China of the century. He has close ties with Macao and has always been highly supportive of Macao’s cultural arena by donating paintings and calligraphies to the city’s cultural organizations. The establishment of the Jao Tsung-I Academy is to present to the public Professor Jao’s academic and artistic achievements, to promote traditional Chinese culture and arts, as well as to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the inscription of “The Historic Centre of Macao” onto the World Heritage List. Organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), the opening ceremony of the Academy that counted on the presence of Professor Jao himself was held on 9 August, at 5:00pm, also featuring a birthday cake and handprint ceremony to celebrate the professor’s 100th birthday. The opening ceremony was officiated jointly by the Chief Executive of the Macao SAR Government, Fernando, Chui Sai On; by the Vice-Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Edmund, Ho Hau Wah; by the Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao S.A.R., Li Gang; by the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macao S.A.R., Hu Zhengyue; and by the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao S.A.R. Government, Alexis, Tam Chon Weng. Among the special guests present were O Lam; Lam Wan Nei; Ambrose So; Tong Chi Kin; Hoi Sai Iun; Lao Ngai Leong; Lei Loi Tak; Suen Siu Man e Wong King Keung, etc. Several of Professor Jao’s relatives, members of the Jao Tsung-I Petite École Fan Club of the University of Hong Kong and guests from Macau academic, artistic and cultural sectors gathered to witness the opening of the Jao Tsung-I Academy. Professor Jao’s achievements are made by hands, literally, with each and every stroke on his art pieces of calligraphies and paintings. Thus, IC invited the sinologist to leave a handprint on a bronze mould, which will become a part of the Academy’s collection, serving as an example of learning spirit for future generations. The rundown of the opening ceremony also included unveiling a bronze statue of Professor Jao, which symbolized not only the opening of the Academy but also the bequeathing of the professor’s spirit of learning. The day of the opening ceremony also marked Professor Jao’s 100th birthday, for which IC arranged the professor, accompanied by all officiating guests, to cut a birthday cake, which stimulated a festive atmosphere on the scene. Following the opening ceremony, President of IC, Ung Vai Meng led the guests on a tour to the permanent exhibition “Calligraphies and Paintings Donated by Jao Tsung-I”, allowing them to enjoy the professor’s remarkable and refined paintings and calligraphies. The Academy will officially open to the general public on 11 August. With exhibition rooms, a library, an auditorium and courtyard, it holds the permanent exhibition “Calligraphies and Paintings Donated by Jao Tsung-I”, and collects the works and catalogues related to Professor Jao in the library. All these are open to the public. The Academy opens daily from 10:00am to 6:00pm, and remains open on public holidays. It is closed on Mondays and admission is free. Address: Avenida do Conselheiro Ferreira de Almeida, n.º 95 C-D. For more information, please call 2852 2523 during office hours.
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Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) paid a visit to Nansha in Guangzhou and Shenzhen together with Macau trade delegates on 5 – 7 August, where they met with local tourism officials and members of the travel trade for enhancement of regional cooperation in tourism. It is among the major tasks in 2015 for implementing the "Framework Agreement on Cooperation between Guangdong and Macao" for Macau and Nansha, Guangzhou to jointly develop yachting tourism. To implement the task proposed in the cooperation meeting between Guangzhou and Macau this May, MGTO led a delegation with representatives of Macau travel trade to Nansha for an update on the city’s latest development. The delegation then took the opportunity to pay an exchange and familiarization visit to Shenzhen. MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Head of Destination Marketing Department Betty Fok and Head of Licensing and Inspection Department Ines Chan together with representatives of Association of Macau Tourist Agents, Travel Industry Council of Macau and Macau travel agencies formed a delegation of 16 members to visit the two cities. Besides visits to local attractions, the three-day program included a networking and discussion sessions with members of the travel trade in Nansha and Shenzhen. In addition, MGTO officials met with the tourism authorities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen to discuss a range of topics for enhancement of cooperation including tourism resource sharing, visitor trends between the destinations, concerted efforts in promoting regional travel and upgrade of tourism quality. MGTO officials met with Director Zhu Li and Deputy Director Tan Aiying of Tourism Administration of Guangzhou Municipality in the morning on 6 August. The two parties exchanged perspectives regarding stronger regulation on tourism market as well as multi-destination tour routes. The MGTO delegation met with Director Zhang Heyun, Deputy Director Yang Yongqun and Division Chief Chen Biao of Culture, Sports and Tourism Administration of Shenzhen Municipality in the afternoon to discuss topics including tourism market regulation and multi-destination tour routes. It was also under discussion that Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macau will make a greater joint effort in promoting their destinations and organizing media familiarization trips to boost the Indian market in the latter half of 2015. The delegation also visited an array of tourism resources and facilities as well as famous attractions in Shenzhen and Nansha New District including Nansha Wetland Park; Sunflower Garden featuring a 6D themed light show; The OCT Harbour, Shenzhen and China Folk Culture Villages. Guangdong and Macau have maintained a stable collaborative relationship in tourism for a long time. Along the way, the two destinations have been leveraging a range of cooperative platforms as follow: Guangdong and Macau; Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau; Shenzhen and Macau; as well as Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macau. By running a joint booth in travel marts and holding joint promotional activities, the tourism authorities have made a continuing effort to widen their visitor markets and encourage multi-destination travel through promotional projects across the Mainland and overseas, branding their cities as one regional destination. During the Golden Week, the two tourism authorities activated the tourism notification system between Guangdong and Macau so that Mainland visitors could obtain timely travel tips. In recent years, Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau have striven to enhance their collaboration in leisure tourism and foster the development of special “multi-destination” travel products. The tourism authorities of Shenzhen and Macau signed the first Memorandum of Cooperation in Tourism in 2006. Following that, the two offices signed the “Agreement on Cooperation to Foster Quality and Integrity Tourism in Macau” in early 2012 and the “Framework Agreement on Cooperation in Tourism between Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai” in September. The two destinations also held a joint presentation of their tourism products in Chongqing in the same month to foster their tourism development through destination promotion, industry management and multi-destination tours. Guangdong province stands as Macau’s greatest visitor market from the Mainland. Between January and May this year, Macau welcomed over 4.33 million visitor arrivals from Guangdong. Regional travel has become a leading trend for tourism development. MGTO hopes to build a stronger communication system with different Mainland provinces and cities through various platforms to attract more international visitations to Macau and neighboring cities in the style of visiting multi destinations in one trip.
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The Government took heed of the consultation for amending the New Regime of Tobacco Prevention and Control, which included banning smoking in casinos, said Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Tam Chon Weng. He said the Government was open to all opinions; if the poll showed the majority were in favour of smoking lounges in VIP rooms, the Government would study the lounges’ safety standard proposed by the sector. Mr Tam stressed the Government would consider moving forward only when the proposal was accepted by casino workers. Speaking to reporters on 6 August, Mr Tam re-iterated that banning smoking in casinos was in bids to further protect health of the people, tourists and especially casino workers. When asked, the Secretary said the Government would consider cancelling smoking lounges in airport, since such policy was already adopted in many places in the world. The consultation, organised by a standing committee of the Legislative Assembly, will end on 30 September. Opinion can be delivered to the committee through the Assembly’s website (http://al.gov.mo/). The New Regime of Tobacco Prevention and Control came into effect since 1 January 2012, banning smoking in public indoor areas such as schools, health institutes, workplaces and factories. Beginning from 2015, smoking is also banned in all bars, dancehalls, saunas and massage parlours.
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The Monetary Authority of Macao released today the credit card statistics for the second quarter of 2015. The total number of personal credit cards in circulation was 870,062 at the end of June 2015, equivalent to an increase of 2.7% over a quarter earlier. The numbers of Pataca (MOP) cards, Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) cards and Renminbi (RMB) cards were 628,756, 79,035 and 162,271 respectively. MOP cards, HKD cards and RMB cards witnessed respective growth of 2.9%, 1.1% and 2.9% quarter-to-quarter. Compared with a year ago, MOP cards and RMB cards (the majority of which were MOP/RMB dual-currency cards) rose 10.9% and 9.1% respectively whereas HKD cards dropped 2.6%. As at end-June 2015, credit card credit limit granted by banks in Macao reached MOP19.5 billion, up 6.7% from end-March 2015. Credit card receivables amounted to MOP2.1 billion while the rollover amount totalled MOP616.7 million, accounting for 28.9% of credit card receivables. The delinquency ratio, i.e. the ratio of delinquent amount overdue for more than three months to credit card receivables, edged down from 1.07% at end-March 2015 to 1.06% at end-June 2015, but was higher than the level of 0.87% a year ago. For the second quarter of 2015, the credit card turnover remained virtually unchanged at MOP4.3 billion. The cash advance turnover was MOP218.2 million, accounting for 5.0% of total credit card turnover. Credit card repayments, in which payments for interest and fees are included, went down 8.9% from the previous quarter to MOP4.2 billion.
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Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) joined hands with Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and delegates on behalf of 22 local tourism businesses to promote Macau as a business travel destination in "The China Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition" (CIBTM) in Beijing. The delegation seized the opportunity to build up their business network and partnership with members of the travel trade from across the Mainland. CIBTM was co-hosted by Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development and Reed Exhibitions at the China National Convention Centre in Beijing from 5 – 6 August 2015. During the exhibition, MGTO recommended its "Travel Stimulation Program" to incentive travel organizers while sharing with industry professionals and buyers about the business tourism trends and products in Macau. The event also created a range of networking and business opportunities for industry partners from Macau and across the Mainland. CIBTM is recognized as one of China’s largest and most well-established professional exhibitions for the meetings and incentive travel industry. Welcoming the tenth edition of CIBTM this year, the organizer held functions in celebration. MGTO was invited to the appreciation luncheon and welcome dinner for exhibitors under the theme “CIBTM – Celebrating 10 Years”. During the banquet, MGTO was awarded the accolade “Most Multi Culture MICE Destination” in recognition of its remarkable efforts in promoting Macau as a business travel destination. Since launching the "Incentive Travel Stimulation Program" in 2012, the Tourist Office has made incessant efforts to encourage entities, enterprises and visitors from different niche markets to choose Macau as their incentive and corporate travel destination through the program. The Office also made new endeavors to keep promoting incentive travel by presenting the revamped version of "Travel Stimulation Program” on 1 July this year. In addition, MGTO actively joined the past editions of CIBTM in Beijing and leveraged this major platform to create cooperation opportunities and foster business connections between Macau and Mainland travel trade. The efforts have been made to expand the business travel market for the destination. The exhibition’s main program in 2015 features professional education forums, meetings, seminars, networking functions and so on. This edition of CIBTM attracted nearly 400 prominent exhibitors from across the country and abroad.
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Lead content of all water samples collected from new public housing estates meet the standard of the World Health Organization (WHO). The results of the second round tests showed that lead content in all 48 water samples collected from kitchen and water meters of unoccupied units in public housing buildings was at the highest 3.2ug/L, in line with the WHO safety standards with lead content lower than 10ug/L. The similar results were also found in the first round of tests, which showed the highest lead content recorded in 49 water samples was 3.5ug/L. To ease public concern over water quality in public housing estates following the incident in neighbouring area, the Government had formulated a contingency plan for potential incidents related to water safety and had activated an inter-departmental mechanism for testing water quality in 50 new public housing estates completed since 2007. The Government would also conduct water testing in 12 older public housing estates to further assure the public the safety and stability of water supplies in Macao. The Government Spokesperson Office held a joint press conference last week with all relevant departments to announce contingency plan to tackle potential incident related to water supplies and a string of measures to monitor and to ensure water quality in Macao, including regular water testing and measures to strengthen management for water supply facilities in public housing buildings.
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