News

Macao Post has launched the "Secure Electronic Postal Box – SEPBox" on 8 October 2013. After success registration and activation of "Secure Electronic Postal Box – SEPBox", users have the chance to win a brand new Smartphone. The first round lucky draw had been finished in November while the second round lucky draw was held on 11 December under supervision of the Administration Committee of Macao Post. The winner of the second round lucky draw is Ms. IAO SOK CHENG who has received a brand new Smartphone - Samsung Galaxy S4. With success registration and activation of "Secure Electronic Postal Box – SEPBox" on or before 31 March 2014, users are automatically eligible for the monthly lucky draw and there are still four lucky draws chances remain, the earlier you register and activate your SEPBox, the greater the chances of winning. For more information of "Secure Electronic Postal Box - SEPBox" and lucky draw, please visit our website http://seps.macaupost.gov.mo. For enquiry, please contact us at Tel: 28720 029 or email us at: support@seps.macaupost.gov.mo.
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To celebrate the coming Chinese New Year, Macao Post will issue a lucky ornament titled "Macao's Lunar Year of the Horse Stamp" on 3rd January 2014. It is engraved with laser techniques for highlighting the Macao Post Headquarters' building and a thin wooden card with the wood horse stamp image is affixed on the other side. The unique design is certainly a precious and commemorative collectable. It will be available for sale at the Macao Post Headquarters, the "Rua do Campo" Post Office, the Maritime Ferry Terminal Post Office, the Airport Post Office and the Communications Museum and the selling price is MOP 15.00.
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Chinese New Year is coming, Macao Post will launch "Gift Fulfillment Service" from 3 to 19 January 2014. Customers can express their warmest regards to Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao families, friends and business partners in this Chinese Lunar New Year. Macao Post has specially selected 10 sets of New Year gifts sets and hampers to suit different clients' needs. The price is only starting from MOP128 (inclusive of delivery charge). To place your order, please visit Macao Post website at www.macaupost.gov.mo, Central Post Office or any post offices on or before 19 January. For enquiry, please feel free to contact our Gift Fulfillment Service hotline at 8396 8504 or email to ns@macaupost.gov.mo.
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The stamp issue "Legends and Myths X – The Cowherd and the Weaving Maid" issued by Macao Post on 23rd August, 2012, with the unique design of the souvenir sheet, ranked the 9th place of the "Grand Prix de I' Exposition WIPA" for the "Most Beautiful Stamp" award for year 2012, at Vienna International Philatelic Exhibition on 21st October, 2013. After the great honor of awarded the 8th place of the "Most Beautiful Stamp" for the souvenir sheet of "Seng Yu – Idioms III" issued in the year 2009, this is another outstanding work to be awarded in Vienna International Philatelic Exhibition. Macao stamps with outstanding designs and themes have once again been given an affirmation and proven its international status. "Legends and Myths X – The Cowherd and the Weaving Maid" is designed by a Macao famous artist Mr. Lio Man Cheong, and the souvenir sheet depicts the idiom "Meeting on the Magpie Bridge". The Weaving Maid can meet the Cowherd during the Qixi Festival, luckily, a group of magpies with black feathers, bald heads and long tails comes along and form a "bridge" in the Milky Way, allowing the Cowherd and the Weaving Maid to meet each other. The moving story of "Meeting on the Magpie Bridge" is widespread in Chinese folklore. Since Mr. Lio Man Cheong has been awarded the great honor in "Gods of Chinese Mythology" and "Temples of Macao" in Macao Post's stamp design competitions in 1991, he has already designed more than 30 Macao stamp issues, which are always of high appreciation throughout the years.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that Gross National Income (GNI) at current prices amounted to MOP 301.72 billion in 2012. In comparison with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at MOP 348.22 billion, value of GNI was lower than GDP by MOP 46.50 billion, equivalent to 13.4% of GDP. Besides, per-capita GNI (MOP 530,221) was lower than per-capita GDP (MOP 611,930) by MOP 81,709. In 2012, values of both GNI and per-capita GNI were lower than the values of GDP and per-capita GDP, implying that the income earned by non-resident investors from investment in Macao was higher than the foreign income earned by resident investors from abroad. Although there had always been a net outflow of external factor income in Macao, portfolio investment income and other investment income earned by resident investors from abroad rose significantly by 55.8% and 43.1% respectively in 2012, contributing to an increase of 34.1% year-on-year in total inflow of external factor income, higher than the increase in income earned by non-resident investors from Macao (+21.2%). Therefore, the difference between GNI and GDP as a percentage of GDP narrowed down slightly, from 13.5% in 2011 to 13.4% in 2012. In 2012, GNI and per-capita GNI increased by 13.0% and 9.1% in real terms year-on-year, higher than the growth of GDP (+9.9%) and per-capita GDP (+6.1%). GNI is the total income earned by residents of an economy from engaging in various economic activities within or outside the economy, corresponding to GDP plus total inflow of external factor income minus total outflow of external factor income. Gross National Income (GNI) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 2008-2012
(* please find attached file)
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the unemployment rate (1.9%) and the underemployment rate (0.4%) for September-November 2013 held stable from August-October. Total labour force was 375,000 and the labour force participation rate stood at 73.2%. Total employment reached 368,000, an increase of 1,700 from August-October. Analysed by industry, employment in the Gaming sector increased by 2.9% to 85,000. Number of the unemployed was 7,000, up by 100 from August-October; fresh labour force entrants searching for their first job accounted for 12.8% of the total unemployed, down by 0.2 percentage points. In comparison with September-November 2012, the labour force participation rate increased by 0.7 percentage points; the unemployment rate remained constant, while the underemployment rate decreased by 0.4 percentage points.
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Consumer Council conducted its 'Supermarket price survey' for December on 26th December for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12th 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 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 economy saw steady growth in 2012; Gross Value Added, Intermediate Consumption and Compensation of Employees of all economic activities increased by 17.0%, 10.2% and 17.3% respectively year-on-year. Analysed by industry, the respective indicators for Gaming rose by 18.5%, 7.4% and 16.3% year-on-year; industries relative to the tourism and gaming sector, namely Wholesale & Retail (+23.6%), and Hotels & Restaurants (+16.1%) registered favourable increase in Gross Value Added. The tourism and gaming sector played a predominant role in the economy of Macao, and supported the growth of other economic activities, with Gross Value Added of Real Estate Activities, Construction and Banking, rising by 24.9%, 13.0% and 14.8% respectively. With enterprises having proper control over their costs and operating expenses, ratio of Gross Value Added to Gross Output of all economic activities increased from 43.1% in 2011 to 44.6% in 2012. On the other hand, economic development and manpower shortage pushed Compensation of Employees up by 17.3% year-on-year, with the ratio of Compensation of Employees to Gross Value Added rising by 0.1 percentage point year-on-year to 31.1%. Regarding changes in the industrial structure, Gross Value Added of the secondary sector grew by 13.3% year-on-year, lower than the rate of economic growth, bringing its relative importance to GDP down by 0.2 percentage points to 6.2%. Relative importance of Manufacturing and Electricity, Gas & Water Supply stood at 0.7% and 0.8%, with minimal changes compared with 2011; meanwhile, relative importance of Construction fell by 0.2 percentage points year-on-year to 4.7%. Gross Value Added of the tertiary sector increased by 17.2% year-on-year, with its relative importance to GDP rising by 0.2 percentage points from 93.6% in 2011 to 93.8% in 2012. Gross Value Added of Gaming (45.9%), Hotels & Restaurants (7.8%), and Wholesale & Retail (7.7%) together accounted for 61.5% of GDP. Meanwhile, Gross Value Added of Real Estate Activities surged upon the increase in property prices, with its relative importance to GDP rising by 0.5 percentage points to 7.1%. Gross Value Added of other economic activities such as Transport, Storage & Communications; Renting & Business Activities; and Banking, Insurance & Pension Funding registered increase, yet lower than the rate of economic growth, bringing the respective relative importance down by 0.3, 0.3 and 0.1 percentage point year-on-year. Industrial structure of Macao is the compilation of GDP under the production approach, which equals the sum of Gross Value Added (Gross Output minus Intermediate Consumption) of all economic activities, plus taxes on products. Industrial structure of Macao at current prices, 2010-2012
(* Please find the attached file)
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Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) launches an iPhone App named "Step Out, Macau" today (27 December) so that citizens and visitors can enjoy easy access to information about the four walking tour routes of the project "Step Out, Experience Macau's Communities" on phone. With the new mobile app, users can explore various walking tour routes more conveniently for a wonderful travel experience. MGTO unveiled the first four walking tour routes under the theme "Step Out, Experience Macau's Communities" in September, encouraging visitors to explore different quarters in Macau for fascinating encounters and local traditions. The four routes include "A Tour of Historical Trails", "A Tour of Nature and Creativity", "A Tour of East Meets West" and "A Tour of Arts and Culture". In line with the four walking tours, the "Step Out, Macau" App not only provides maps and videos of the four routes but also introduces various tourist spots along the routes as well as transportation tips in the first stage. Other functions will be successively available including virtual reality, social network and instant information. The app is available in Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, English and Portuguese. Citizens and visitors are welcome to download the app for use. Users may search and download the app for free from App Store by entering the key word "Step Out, Macau", or go to the link for free download: https://itunes.apple.com/hk/app/lun-qu-xing-shang-step-out/id775613890?mt=8. MGTO will also launch the Android version in the future so that more visitors can use the app. MGTO is actively promoting community tourism, guiding visitors to stroll around various local quarters leisurely and discover hidden gems in town. At the same time, the Office will continue to provide Macau travel information through multimedia and interactive channels.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that visitor arrivals increased by 2% year-on-year to 2,432,975 in November 2013; same-day visitors accounted for 52% of the total, at 1,271,023. In November 2013, visitors from Mainland China increased by 3% year-on-year to 1,546,641, coming primarily from Guangdong Province (703,192) and Fujian Province (63,357); Mainland visitors travelling under the Individual Visit Scheme totalled 697,024. Moreover, visitors from Taiwan, China (85,707), Malaysia (38,779) and the Republic of Korea (38,505) increased by 7%, 13% and 11% respectively year-on-year, while those from Hong Kong (522,653) decreased slightly by 1%. Long-haul visitor arrivals from the US (18,519) were similar to the figure in November 2012, those from Australia (9,798) and the UK (7,192) increased by 9% and 10% respectively year-on-year; however, visitors from Canada (7,541) decreased by 14%. The average length of stay of visitors stayed unchanged from a year earlier, at 1.0 day in November 2013; overnight and same-day visitors stayed an average of 2.0 days and 0.2 day respectively. In the first eleven months of 2013, visitor arrivals totalled 26,737,993, up by 5% year-on-year; visitors from the Mainland and the Republic of Korea increased by 10% and 7% respectively, while those from Hong Kong and Taiwan, China decreased by 4% and 7%. Besides, visitors from the US (163,345), Australia (98,150) and Canada (67,529) posted year-on-year decline, but those from the UK (56,806), France (39,774) and Russian Federation (27,816) registered increase year-on-year.
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