News

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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Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) participated in Asia-Pacific Incentives and Meetings Expo 2015 (AIME 2015) held in Melbourne, Australia to attract more industry partners to Macau for conventions and incentive travel. MGTO joined with Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute and trade representatives of nine local enterprises to promote Macau's business travel and Incentive Travel Stimulation Program among the participants and incentive-travel organizers at AIME 2015 in Melbourne during February 24 and 25. Themed under its promotional slogan "Touching Moments, Experience Macau", MGTO set up a 90-square-meter booth in the expo to promote the Incentive Travel Stimulation Program and showcase Macau's latest business tourism development and products including event venues, hotels, sightseeing attractions, restaurants, events and festivities plus various development plans. Being one of the premier events in the meetings and events industry in the Asia-Pacific region, AIME was named "Best Exhibition" in the annual Australian Event Awards (AEA) in 2014. This year's AIME was held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and encompassed a tradeshow, education seminar and networking sessions, providing an important communication platform for industry delegates from around the world.
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Four more photo collections on eye-catching activities over the Lunar New Year holidays are now posted on the Government Information Bureau's mobile application "MSAR News". The photographs, taken by the Bureau's photographers, are "First joss stick lit in the A-Ma temple" by Vitor Ng Alves, "The Lunar New Year parade" by Ho Kuok Wai, Kong Chan Wai's "Fun with firecrackers" and Weng Chan's "Parade in Celebration of the Year of the Ram". The collections captured memorable moments in major celebratory activities, including worshippers praying for good fortune, people enjoying the colourful holidays and the city's lively atmosphere, with 10 pictures in each collection. One of the "MSAR News" functions, the "Gallery" has already collected various themed 129 photo albums. Other functions include "News", "News Features", "Hot News", and "Hot News Photos", offering users real-time news, government information, pictures and local weather reports. The app is available for both iOS (Version 5.1 or above) and Android (Version 4.0 or above) systems. It can be searched and downloaded with the keyword "MSAR News" in App Store and Google Play.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total spending (excluding gaming expenses) of visitors in the fourth quarter of 2014 amounted to MOP14.05 billion, down by 13.9% from MOP16.32 billion in the fourth quarter of 2013. Spending of overnight visitors totalled MOP11.06 billion, down by 17.7% year-on-year, while that of same-day visitors increased by 4.2% to MOP3.00 billion. Per-capita spending of visitors was MOP1,757, a decrease of 20.2% year-on-year. Total spending of visitors for the whole year of 2014 reached MOP61.75 billion, up by 3.7% from MOP59.54 billion in 2013, with that of overnight and same-day visitors rising 2.6% and 9.1%, at MOP50.88 billion and MOP10.87 billion respectively. Per-capita spending of visitors for the whole year of 2014 was MOP1,959, down by 3.5% year-on-year. Analysed by place of residence, per-capita spending of visitors from Mainland China was MOP2,038 in the fourth quarter of 2014, a drop of 27.3% year-on-year, and spending of those travelling under the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) decreased by 10.0%, at MOP2,618. Per-capita spending of visitors from Singapore and Malaysia increased by 10.2% and 5.1%, at MOP1,977 and MOP1,718 respectively, whereas that of visitors from Japan (MOP1,716), Taiwan (MOP1,510) and Hong Kong (MOP912) registered year-on-year decrease. Visitors from the United Kingdom had relatively high per-capita spending among the long-haul visitors, at MOP1,518, up by 19.0% year-on-year. Per-capita spending of overnight visitors dropped by 18.4% year-on-year to MOP3,082 in the fourth quarter, and that of same-day visitors decreased by 8.9%, at MOP679. Despite the decrease of 26.1% and 14.1% year-on-year in per-capita spending, overnight and same-day Mainland visitors still had the highest spending of MOP3,587 and MOP815 respectively, while per-capita spending of overnight and same-day IVS visitors reached MOP4,632 and MOP1,368. Moreover, per-capita spending of overnight visitors from Taiwan and Singapore was MOP3,262 and MOP3,168 respectively. Analysed by consumption structure, visitors spent mainly on Shopping (45.3%), Accommodation (26.9%) and Food & Beverage (19.9%) in the fourth quarter of 2014. Per-capita shopping spending of visitors dropped notably by 27.4% year-on-year to MOP796, and the preferred shopping items included Local Food Products (26.1%), Jewellery & Watches (18.6%) and Cosmetics & Perfume (16.9%). Analysed by place of residence, visitors from Mainland China spent an average of MOP1,079 on shopping, fell by 32.8% year-on-year, while that of IVS visitors reached MOP1,648. Meanwhile, long-haul visitors spent primarily on Accommodation and Food & Beverage. According to the results of Visitors' Comments Survey in the fourth quarter, about 88.2% of the visitor-users were satisfied with the services and facilities of hotels, up by 2.3 percentage points from the third quarter, and 82.0% complimented about the services of shops, up by 0.7 percentage points. On the other hand, 40.4% of the visitors commented that points of tourist attractions were adequate, down by 6.5 percentage points quarter-to-quarter, while 18.8% considered that public transport services should be improved, up by 1.8 percentage points.
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