News

Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) has the honour to invite Philippe Clergue, Chef de Cuisine from Le Cordon Bleu Paris, Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts Schools to showcase French regional cuisine for the "Le Cordon Bleu Master Chef Week at IFT". The "Le Cordon Bleu Master Chef Week at IFT" took place from 14 to 19 July, a series of various Master Chef Workshops were organised for IFT Culinary Arts Management and Culinary Diploma students, the public and industry professionals to attend. The workshop included tutorials on conceptual knowledge and cooking demonstrations for French regional cuisine, followed by hands-on practical sessions. The workshops in the last two days were open to the public and industry professionals and received about 80 applications. Chef Clergue received his professional culinary training in Toulouse and his apprenticeship at the "Relais de la Poste", 2-star Michelin restaurant where he started his career in the same restaurant in 1981. In his over 30-year kitchen career, he has served in several Michelin star restaurants, a year as "maître d'hotel" at the Elysée Palace and run his own restaurant for over 15 years. In 2006, Chef Clergue joined the elite teaching staff of Le Cordon Bleu Paris. Le Cordon Bleu, one of the leading schools for teaching classical French cuisine, patisserie and boulangerie, was founded in Paris, France in 1895. Over the last century, Le Cordon Bleu has evolved from a cooking school to an international network of 50 international schools across 5 continents, in the area of culinary arts and hospitality institutes, maintaining at the same time the highest standards of culinary excellence. This extraordinary cross-over and collaboration between IFT and Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts School is a good example of IFT's endeavour to bring in new culinary elements to Macao and to exchange ideas with international prestigious institutions. Through organising this event, it is believed that the culinary skills and horizon of local citizens and professionals will be enhanced and insights can be brought to IFT Culinary Arts Management students.
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Consumer Council conducted its fourth 'Supermarket price survey' in July on 14 July for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Surveyed locations included supermarkets near Horte e Costa, Avenida do Ouvidor Arriaga and Rua da Emenda areas in Santo António Parish. The latest 'Supermarket Price Survey' is now available on Consumer Council's website (www.consumer.gov.mo), 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 around 100 supermarkets into 8 areas for price collection. The Council collects prices from these supermarkets for the provision of a more comprehensive database for consumers to check price discrepancies and make price comparisons according to their desired locations. For inquiry, please call 8988 9315.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the Tourist Price Index (TPI) for the second quarter of 2014 increased by 6.14% year-on-year to 133.52, attributable to higher charges for hotel accommodation and restaurant services, as well as dearer prices of clothing and local food products. Notable increase was observed in the price index of Accommodation (+12.63%); Clothing & Footwear (+7.08%); Food, Alcoholic Drinks & Tobacco (+5.39%); and Restaurant Services (+5.36%). On the contrary, price index of Miscellaneous Goods decreased by 0.13% year-on-year. TPI for the second quarter of 2014 decreased by 7.29% quarter-to-quarter. Price index of Accommodation and Transport & Communications dropped by 28.26% and 2.13% respectively on account of a smaller rise in hotel room rate and airfare during the Easter holidays compared with those in the Lunar New Year. Meanwhile, dearer prices of Summer clothing and handbags drove up the price index of Clothing & Footwear by 8.33% quarter-to-quarter. The average TPI for the last four quarters ended the second quarter of 2014 increased by 6.68% from the previous period, with marked increase being observed in the price index of Accommodation (+14.57%); Food, Alcoholic Drinks & Tobacco (+7.04%); Clothing & Footwear (+6.00%); and Restaurant Services (+5.63%). For the first half year of 2014, TPI went up by 6.76% year-on-year, of which price index of Accommodation; Food, Alcoholic Drinks & Tobacco; and Clothing & Footwear increased by 17.25%, 5.51% and 4.89% respectively. The 2009/2010-based TPI reflects the price change of goods and services purchased by visitors. Sections of TPI goods and services are selected according to the consumption pattern of visitors, namely Food, Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco; Clothing & Footwear; Accommodation; Restaurant Services; Transport & Communications; Medicine & Personal Goods; Entertainment & Cultural Activities; and Miscellaneous Goods.
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The Monetary Authority of Macao announced today that the preliminary estimate of Macao SAR's foreign exchange reserves amounted to MOP125.9 billion (USD15.76 billion) at the end of June 2014. The reserves increased by 2.6% from the revised value of MOP122.7 billion (USD15.37 billion) for the previous month. Macao SAR's foreign exchange reserves at end-June 2014 represented 13 times the currency in circulation or 111.1% of Pataca M2 at end-May 2014. The trade-weighted effective exchange rate index for the pataca, a gauge of the domestic currency's exchange rates against the currencies of Macao's major trading partners, increased 0.20 points month-to-month but dropped 0.31 points year-on-year to 97.45 in June 2014.
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The 26th Macao Arts Festival (MAF), organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau will take place in May next year. In order to promote the development of local arts, the IC invites all registered local associations and individual artists to present projects for shows until October 15. Selected works will be included in next year's MAF programme. The MAF has as main objectives the "dissemination of traditional Chinese culture, the introduction of prominent works from all over the world and the promotion of the development of local arts", offering the population a variety of performances and exhibitions, enriching the city's cultural life and, at the same time, offering the local performing arts a display and exchange platform.
All local artists as well as local art associations registered at the Identification Services Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. are invited to present their proposals for consideration, with categories including theatre, dance, music, film, Chinese opera, children's shows, etc. There are no restrictions to the form of the shows, and proposed projects can be premiere shows or re-run shows. However, shows must conform to the MAF's objectives, reflecting the rich regional culture and humanity spirit and possessing high artistic quality and visual appeal. In order to encourage creativity and further develop arts education, productions inspired by local literary works, original works and children's shows will be first and foremost taken into consideration.
Interested local artists or registered local associations should submit detailed proposals including the concept, an introduction to the content of the show, production team and cast's brief introduction, set design plan and technical requirements, budget estimation, and any additional information regarding the project. Deadline for proposal submission is October 15, proposals should be submitted to the Cultural Events Department, Cultural Affairs Bureau Building, in an envelope marked 'Call for Local Performance Proposals for the 26th Macao Arts Festival'. For further details, please visit the Cultural Affairs Bureau website at www.icm.gov.mo or telephone Ms. Chou or Ms. Lei on 8399 6651/ 8399 6605, respectively, during office hours.
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The third edition of Global Tourism Economy Forum ("GTEF" or "the Forum") is scheduled to take place at the Venetian Macao from 27-29 October 2014 around the theme "Maritime Silk Road - From Macau We Begin". A press conference was held at the Tourism Activities Centre in Macau today (14 July) to announce details of the Forum. Chief of Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macau SAR Government, Cecília Cheung and Director of Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes both delivered a remark in the conference, followed by an introduction presented by Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of GTEF, Pansy Ho. GTEF is a high-level tourism event hosted by the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macau SAR Government in collaboration with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Its third edition will feature the historically glorious "Maritime Silk Road" ("MSR") as its theme, exploring strategic intercontinental cooperation in tourism and business opportunities across nations, provinces and cities along the MSR route, carrying on the same exploratory spirit of our predecessors who reshaped the economic landscape decades ago. Effective international exchange platform inspires in-depth discussion
The Forum plays a significant role for a global tourism destination like Macau, with tourism being the pillar of the city's economy. Chief of Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Cecília Cheung commented, "Macau has been closely following the Central Government's Twelfth Five-Year Plan to establish the city as a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure as well as a regional trade and business service platform." She added, "The third edition of the Forum will be held in late October, a time also to welcome the 15th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Macau SAR, making the event particularly meaningful. As Macau undertakes the mission to develop into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure, it is essential to possess a global vision and knowledge of the current trends in the world. We expect the third edition of GTEF to gather tourism heavyweights and experts who can share insightful perspectives around this year's theme while exploring new drives and elements which the Maritime Silk Road can become to enhance regional and global tourism development." MGTO Director Senna Fernandes addressed, "Macau is dedicated to building "one centre, one platform" as the strategic goal to promote adequate diversification of the city's economic development. The GTEF is going to be held in Macau for the third year in a row. It serves as a great opportunity for Macau to function as a platform and forge ahead with the goal of becoming a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure through learning the latest tourism trends and gaining relevant experience from the international forum." Expressing her gratitude to the entire Macau community for its support, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of GTEF, Pansy Ho expects the Forum to ripple its value as a platform of idea exchange and as a springboard for the promotion of multilateral cooperation. She said, "The 3rd GTEF is designed to emphasize the unique role Macau plays in the ancient Maritime Silk Road. Today, we hope the same spirit can be rekindled, using tourism economy as the new driver for regional cooperation." She added, "The valuable results of GTEF are highly recognized by many countries and mainland provinces, Kazakhstan, Mexico, JiangXi and Shandong are already actively working with the organizer on their featured participation. We have also expanded the exhibition element under popular demands." The first two editions of GTEF have achieved phenomenal success, earning a solid reputation as an effective platform that brings to Macau key decision-makers in the global tourism industry, as they exchange perspectives with their Chinese counterparts, explore business ideas and generate solutions to far-reaching issues. Last year, the second edition of GTEF attracted over 1,100 representatives from 29 countries and regions as well as delegations from 10 provinces and cities of Mainland China. Recognizing the unique values of GTEF and its growing momentum, many international organizations are building closer partnerships with GTEF. During the Forum in 2014, UNWTO and the coordinator of GTEF, Global Tourism Economy Research Centre will be publishing the first report of their joint research projects on the issues discussed in the past two editions of GTEF and on the subject of tourism industry development in cities along the MSR. In addition, the Forum has partnered with Pacific Asia Travel Association Foundation to host its closing dinner as a charity fundraising event for the sustainable development of regional tourism projects. Distinctive Panel Setting Drives Flourishing Ideas
This edition of GTEF is designed with a delicate mix of various activities. The Face to Face, Ministers and Private Sector CEOs session is set to be the Forum's centre of attention, putting global leaders from the private sector into real-time discussion with tourism ministers of European and Asian countries on current and future development of tourism and related industries under the topic of "Driving synergy to deepen cooperation on the 21st century Maritime Silk Road". It is coupled with a comprehensive introduction of MSR under the topic of "21st Century Maritime Silk Road in Motion" in the [Passage from the Past to the Present – The New Silk Road] session, and the kick-off of the forward-thinking [Shaping the Present for the Future] session which discusses the topic about MSR countries thriving on the 21st century backdrop. The fascinating panels are enriched with Presentation by Featured Country, Interview with Travel and Tourism Leaders, GTEF 2015 Partner Country Presentation and networking luncheon. The new addition of Pavilion Exhibition also brings fascinating dimensions to the Forum; comprising a variety of exhibitions, presentations and performances, the pavilion will be opened to the public on 29 October 2014, expected to create more networking opportunities for participating countries and regions with different sectors in Macau. About the organizational structure of Global Tourism Economy Forum
Co-organized by the China Chamber of Tourism under the authorization of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC) and coordinated by the Global Tourism Economy Research Centre, the first three editions of GTEF are hosted by the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macau SAR Government. The Forum also earns continued support from its supporting units including Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macau SAR, Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Macau SAR, China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO). Vice Chairman of The National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Ho Hau Wah is the Forum Chairman of GTEF, while Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macau SAR Government, Cheong U is the Executive Chairman of GTEF.
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Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) received a mega incentive travel delegation comprising 3,500 business visitors coming from Australia and the United States to Macau for a series of meetings and team-building activities. Originated from Australia, Flight Centre Travel Group chose to hold its annual global gathering in Macau last week for eight days in a row. The event gathered 3,500 management personnel and elites coming from Australia and the United States. The program of the annual gathering includes senior leader meetings, area leader meetings, global gathering meeting, team building sessions, gala dinner and awards night, etc. Founded in the 1980s, Flight Centre Travel Group currently owns 12 travel agency brands which operate their business across 11 countries and regions with over 15,000 employees around the world. MGTO hosted a welcome dinner for the delegates of which 200 also joined a sightseeing tour around the Historic Centre of Macau. In her welcome speech during the cocktail reception, MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes shared about the tourism development in Macau; she also invited Flight Centre Travel Group to join hands with MGTO's market representative in Australia to promote Macau as a travel destination together. MGTO has been making strenuous effort to expand the international tourist market for Macau and enhance the city's profile as a business tourism destination, striving to draw a greater diversity of visitors to Macau. In recent years, numerous groups and organizations have chosen Macau as the destination to host mega events and conferences. These have been great opportunities to show to the world that Macau has a range of world-class tourism facilities to offer along with its capability to host MICE events as a city also flourishing with the unique cultural nourishment of East and West. According to the statistics, over 1,000 conventions and exhibitions were held in Macau in 2013, including 60 mega conferences which hosted a total of 2.03 million participants. The number of visitor arrivals topped 12,851,806 in Macau in the first five months this year. The figure shows a remarkable rise of 8.8% from the previous year. Over 1.2 million are international visitors among the total. This press release is available at: http://industry.macautourism.gov.mo/en/pressroom/
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Consumer Council conducted its specific price survey on over-the-counter drugs on 10 July for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Result of the mentioned survey has been uploaded to the Council's website (www.consumer.gov.mo) and is available in the Council's 'Supermarket Price Information Platform' iPhone and Android apps. For inquiry, please call the Council's hotline: 8988 9315.
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The exhibition Collotype • Recurrence – Spatial Convergence of John Thomson and Wong Ho Sang, organized by the Macao Museum under the Cultural Affairs Bureau, registered a large number of visitors, receiving approximately 30,000 people since its opening at the end of May until June 30. In addition to the exhibition, the Macao Museum will hold the Wet Plate Photography –Esthetics of Contemporary Nostalgic Images seminar at 3 pm on July 19 (Saturday). Admission is free. The Exhibition Collotype • Recurrence – Spatial Convergence of John Thomson and Wong Ho Sang consists of two sections. The first section showcases photographic works by British photographer John Thomson (1837-1921) taken on his first visit to the Far East in the 19th century, and published in Illustrations of China and Its People (London, 1873-1874), also on display. The photographs were taken by Thomson, using the collotype printing technique, when he travelled throughout China from 1868 to 1872. The second section presents works obtained via wet plate processing by contemporary Macao photographer Wong Ho Sang, especially for the exhibition. This section not only provides visitors with a better understanding of the photographic method employed by Thomson in the 19th century, but also offers the public an insight into the most advanced printing technique at the time, that allowed the production of images of high resolution and effectively solved the problem of definition in photos processed through traditional printing methods. The seminar counts on photographer Wong Ho Sang as speaker, who will briefly introduce the historical background, operating techniques and contemporary tendency of wet plate photography. The seminar will be conducted in Cantonese. Those interested should reserve seats through the number (853) 8394 1218 (Ms. Leong), during office hours. Seminar participants will be offered free admissions to the Macao Museum on the same day, as well as a chance to participate in the secret room game The Secret of Wet Plate Photography at the temporary exhibitions educational area. Participants who complete this game in two minutes or less can win a set of "Old Photographs of Macao" postcards, available on a first-come-first-served basis and while stocks last. The Macao Museum opens daily from 10 am to 6 pm (ticket office closes at 5.30 pm) and is closed on Mondays. Admission to the Museum is free on Sundays for local residents, upon presentation of a valid Macao ID or student ID. For more information about the above-mentioned exhibition and other related activities, please call: (853) 2835 7911, during office hours, or visit: www.macaumuseum.gov.mo or www.icm.gov.mo.
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The 26th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest will be held above the sea area before Macau Tower on 8, 13, 20, 27 September and 1 October. Ten contesting teams will brighten up the city skyline with spectacular fireworks on the nights. Macau International Fireworks Display Contest is an event organized by Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO). During the press conference held today (10 July), MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes unveiled the program highlights of this year's contest. Director Senna Fernandes expressed, "The city welcomes the 26th edition of Macau International Fireworks Display Contest this year. We are glad that the event has won ardent support from many well-known fireworks companies from across the globe in the past 25 years, making it one of the most stunning events of the year which fascinates more than ten thousands of citizens and visitors flocking into town for the fireworks show every year." The 26th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest is scheduled to take place above the sea area in front of Macau Tower from 8 September to 1 October. The two teams from Croatia and Taiwan, China will stage their fireworks displays on 8 September, a night to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival. Different outstanding pyrotechnic companies came from around the world to join Macau International Fireworks Display Contest each year in the past, and this year makes no exception. The ten teams this year come from (according to the order in the contest program) Taiwan, China; Croatia; China; France; Korea; Poland; Portugal; Australia; Italy and Spain. Croatia and Poland are two new countries in the contest; similarly, the companies from Spain and Australia will stage their first performance in Macau. Over the past 13 years, Mirnovec Pirotehnika from Croatia has organized a number of international fireworks festivals which involved internationally-acclaimed fireworks companies. The Croatian company has also actively joined various international fireworks contests and won great awards, including the second place in International Fireworks Festival in Malta in 2012 and in Belgium and Canada respectively in 2013. Surex, on the other hand, is a Poland company which holds great passion for pyrotechnics and excels at producing a diversity of tailor-made products. The company also received a range of accolades in numerous important international events, including the third prize in International Fireworks Competition in Shanghai in 2012. The pyrotechnic businesses from Spain and Australia will make their debut in Macau. The Spanish company Pirotecnia Zaragozana once joined various international contests and often came out among the top three. In 2012, the company won the first prize in Pyrotechnic Art Festival of Cannes in France. Coming from Australia, Skylighter Fireworks has been in charge of the fireworks show on New Year's Eve in Brisbane since 2009 and the Australia Day celebrations in the city from 2010 to 2014, creating wonderful displays which attracted 40,000 spectators every year. The other six teams have come to Macau for the contest before and some of them ranked among the top three. The Italian company La Tirrena has a long history since founded in 1898 over a century ago. The company has earned outstanding awards along the years, enjoying wide recognition across Italy and the international community. Five years ago, La Tirrena won the second prize in the Macau contest. Coming from Portugal, PYROFEL - Pirotecnia Lda. joined the Macau contest twice and was once the champion in town. The company specializes in creative fireworks design and incorporating into fireworks displays a range of multimedia elements such as light, laser, water and music. Based in Hunan, China, Sunny Fireworks won the third place in Macau before and the second place in International Fireworks Competition in Shanghai in 2012; whereas the pyrotechnic businesses namely SODIP Pyrotechnie and Daehan Fireworks Co. from France and Korea respectively both joined the fireworks display contest in Macau twice in the past. Sy Yuan Fireworks Co., Ltd. from Taiwan, China also took part in the Macau contest two years ago. Overall the teams demonstrate competitive experience and are ready to bring on a myriad of spectacular displays for both citizens and visitors. This year, MGTO again requests the teams to choreograph their fireworks displays to both music and laser light projections to enhance the audience's experience with a more fascinating light and sound spectacular. Spectators can view live broadcast of the fireworks shows with background music on TDM - Radio Macau's Chinese Channel (FM 100.7) and TDM – Macau TV Channel every fireworks evening. MGTO and Companhia de Telecomunicações de Macau S.A.R.L. (CTM) have co-launched "Macau International Fireworks Display Contest SMS Game" since 2010. The game has won enthusiastic feedback with over 2,000 text messages received last year. MGTO will again present the SMS Game with CTM this year to encourage citizens' participation in the event. The Office will actively promote this year's fireworks display contest through an array of international, regional and local media and advertising channels, including advertisements broadcasted through international media in neighboring regions and promotion via key media and travel magazines in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. Other strategies include poster and leaflet distribution and so forth. The event is also widely promoted in regional and overseas travel fairs and exhibitions. The Office uses the Internet as a promotion platform as well. MGTO and the General Union of Neighbors Association of Macau will jointly present the Fireworks Carnival again to add more fun and color to the fireworks evenings. Over 66,000 individuals enjoyed the five-day carnival last year. MGTO accepts applications for the Trophy Design Contest, Photo Contest and Student Drawing Contest of the 26th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest starting from today (10 July). A prize-giving ceremony was held today (10 July) to award the winners in the Trophy Design Contest, Photo Contest and Student Drawing Contest for last year's Macau International Fireworks Display Contest. MGTO will keep on presenting more wonderful events and programs for visitors while enriching the diversity of local tourism products to boost the glamour of the destination, working in line with the goal of developing Macau into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure.
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