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Macau Government Tourist Office, Hong Kong Tourism Board and Tourism Administration of Guangdong Province co-organized joint promotion activities in three Indian cities to promote Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau tourism as well as travel itineraries with multi stops among their local media and trade. The event is aimed at developing new visitor sources and attracting Indian quality visitors to Macau in order to diversify the tourist market to further extent. The three tourism departments joined hands with Tourism Administration of Guangzhou Municipality, Zhongshan Municipal Tourism Bureau and Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sports and Tourism to co-organize promotion activities successively in Chennai, Mumbai and New Delhi, India. Nearly 300 Indian media and trade representatives were invited to participate in the activities. Director of Macau Government Tourist Office, João Manuel Costa Antunes, Deputy Director of Tourism Administration of Guangdong Province, Mei Qi Jie and General Manager for Business Development of Hong Kong Tourism Board, Patrick Kwok attended the joint promotion event in New Delhi today (August 29) and delivered a speech at the luncheon. Director João Manuel Costa Antunes expressed that Macau has always attached importance to India as a potential market; that Macau Government Tourist Office co-organized the joint tourism promotion event in India with Guangdong and Hong Kong for the first time to promote itineraries with multi stops in one trip, to further extend Indian visitor source and build the reputation as a regional travel destination. He stated that it not only benefits Macau tourism development but also strengthens regional tourism, bringing long-term profits to the entire Pearl River Delta Region as a travel zone; in addition, it also manifests the advantage of complementary resources among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, maturing the cooperation among the three regions. The three tourism departments first introduced their unique tourist attractions and resources during the promotion session followed by jointly promoting itineraries which include all three destinations. The heads of the three tourism departments also met with local media to conclude this joint promotion event. The number of India visitors to Macau increased from nearly 10,000 in 2003 to 170,000 in 2011. During the stay in New Delhi, Director João Manuel Costa Antunes made a courtesy visit to Chinese Ambassador to India, H.E. Zhang Yan, Cabinet Minister of Tourism of India, Subodh Kant Sahai, and met with Secretary, Ministry of Tourism of India, R.H. Khwaja and Director of China National Tourist Office in India, Liu Shijun individually. Director João Manuel Costa Antunes also joined the Executive Director of Macau International Airport Co. Ltd., Suning Liu and the representative of Civil Aviation Authority to meet with Directorate General of Civil Aviation of India.
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The working group on food prices released its latest specific price survey on instant noodles. Prices of 10 brands of instant noodle were surveyed and significant price differences were recorded. The highest price difference recorded was almost 78 percent. Instant noodles are very common in consumers' daily lives, the current specific price survey covered products such as instant noodle, vermicelli and macaroni. The working group on food price collected prices of 10 brands of instant noodle products from 24 retail outlets on 23rd August. Survey result showed that 3 out of the 10 surveyed brands recorded price differences of over 60 percent. 'Nong Shim Shin Ramyun Noodle Spicy Mushroom Flavour (120g)' was sold at $4.2 to $7.5 in various outlets, which amounted to a price difference of 78.57 percent; 'Doll Instant Mifun (70g)', which was sold at $2.6 to $4.5, recorded a price difference of 73.08 percent, and the third highest price difference was recorded in 'Doll Instant Noodle - Sesame Oil Flavour (100gx5)', which was sold at $12.0 to $20.0, with a difference of over 66 percent. The specific price survey on instant noodles is now available on Consumer Council's website (www.consumer.gov.mo) and in the Council's 'Supermarket Price Information Platform' iPhone and Android apps.
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At the start of a new academic year, the University of Macau (UM) welcomed over 1,500 first-year students. The students showed a deep interest in the new friends they met, the environment of the campus they were shown around, and the unique campus culture of UM. UM Rector Wei Zhao said the new students injected a new vigour into the university. He encouraged the students to make good use of the four years and to try to achieve well-rounded growth through the best academic programmes, facilities and learning environment offered by UM. Everywhere on the campus was swarming with people. This year, UM admitted over 1,500 students from nearly eight thousand applicants. Rector Wei Zhao said he felt very proud of the students and expressed his hope that the students can realize whole person development during the four years through UM's "4-in-1" pedagogical model that consists of discipline-specific education, general education, research and internship education, and community and peer education. Rector Wei Zhao noted that with the start of the new academic year, UM will focus primarily on several areas, including the new campus construction progress and the relocation plan, the expansion of the residential colleges, the Charter revision, the further improvement of the "4-in-1" pedagogical model, and the improvement of the academic and student affairs structure, in order to create the best possible learning environment for the students, nurture more outstanding graduates for society, and achieve more results in scientific research. Chui Ka I, first-year student of the Faculty of Business Administration, said: "I look forward to the residential college education at UM, which I believe will not only allow me to discuss academic questions with the professors more frequently, but will also give me the opportunity to learn from their life experiences. I think the four years at UM will benefit me greatly." Chui also said she hopes to enter the Honours College (HC) so she can take full advantage of the unique programmes and overseas exchange opportunities provided by HC. Wong Ka Chon, who majors in computer sciences, shows a deep interest in the "4-in-1" pedagogical model at UM. He believes that general education as well as research and internship education, in addition to the traditional discipline-specific education, will help expand students' knowledge and stimulate their creativity, thereby better preparing the students for future challenges upon graduation. He also looks forward to the residential college arrangement, which he thinks sets UM apart from many universities in Asia, and which he believes will let him experience his university life to the fullest.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that with the arrival of Summer, consumption of Electricity soared by 38.6% over the previous quarter to 1.138 billion kWh in the second quarter of 2012. Consumption of Electricity by the Business sector (76.3% of total) increased by 34.5% quarter-to-quarter to 869 million kWh, with that of the Gaming sector rising by 34.2%; consumption by Households surged by 57.8% to 218 million kWh. Imports of Electricity increased by 32.5% quarter-to-quarter to 990 million kWh in the second quarter, accounting for 83.2% of the available supply; meanwhile, local generation of Electricity rose significantly by 94.3% to 215 million kWh. In the first half year of 2012, consumption (1.959 billion kWh) and imports (1.737 billion kWh) of Electricity increased by 11.9% and 32.8% respectively year-on-year, while local generation (325 million kWh) of Electricity decreased by 38.3%. In the second quarter of 2012, consumption of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) decreased by 21.4% quarter-to-quarter to 10,020 tonnes; meanwhile, imports of LPG declined by 18.4% from the previous quarter to 10,148 tonnes, with the average price of imports rising by 5.0% to MOP10.07 per kilogram. In the first half year of 2012, consumption of LPG (22,766 tonnes) decreased by 2.0% year-on-year. The average price of all fuels, except LPG, decreased from the first quarter of 2012, with that of Unleaded Gasoline (MOP11.42 per litre) dropping by 9.2% but that of Bottled LPG (MOP15.87 per kilogram) rising by 3.1%. At the end of the second quarter of 2012, stock of Gas Oil & Diesel (19.39 million litres) and LPG (1,795 tonnes) increased by 5.8% and 16.6% respectively quarter-to-quarter.
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China's gold medalists from the London 2012 Olympic Games left for Beijing today, on completion of their three-day visit to Macao. The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Cheong U, the Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR, Ms Gao Yan, the President of the Macao Sport Development Board, Mr Vong Iao Lek and some 250 students were at the lobby of the hotel where the Olympians stayed to bid farewell to the delegation. One of the gold medallists told reporters that they felt good about the visit to Macao and hoped to come again.
Mr Cheong said all Chinese people, including the people of Macao, felt so excited for the Chinese athletes' achievements in the London Olympics. The visit of the Mainland gold medalists was a rare opportunity for the people of Macao to share the Olympians' joy and pride as well as their tough training for competition, he said.
The Secretary said he believed the gold medallists would set a good learning sample for local youths and wished that the sport industry of the nation and Macao would continue to develop.
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The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) released results of the Survey on Manpower Needs and Wages for the second quarter of 2012. Survey coverage comprised Wholesale & Retail Trade; Transport, Storage & Communications sector; Security Activities and Public Sewage & Refuse Disposal Activities, excluding own-account workers. At the end of the second quarter of 2012, Wholesale & Retail Trade had 35,551 paid employees, up by 12.0% year-on-year, with 22,685 working in Retail trade. In June 2012, average earnings (excluding bonuses and allowances) of full-time employees rose by 4.9% year-on-year to MOP10,410, with Sales representatives and Salespersons earning MOP14,180 and MOP9,520 respectively in average. The Transport, Storage & Communications sector took on 8,291 paid employees, up by 9.1% year-on-year. In June, average earnings of full-time employees increased by 5.9% year-on-year to MOP16,450. Drivers of passenger/cargo transport by land earned an average of MOP17,800. Security Activities had 5,004 paid employees, up by 5.6% year-on-year. The average earnings of full-time employees in June rose by 9.7% year-on-year to MOP8,380, with Security guards earning MOP7,980 in average. Public Sewage & Refuse Disposal Activities had 698 paid employees, up by 5.0% year-on-year. The average earnings of full-time employees in June increased by 8.9% year-on-year to MOP12,120. At the end of the second quarter of 2012, Wholesale & Retail Trade reported 4,826 vacancies, up substantially by 40.5% year-on-year, of which 3,485 were in Retail trade, up significantly by 52.2%. The vacancy rate of Retail trade had shown a continual growth reaching 15.6% this quarter, while the employee turnover rate has rebounded to a higher level of 9.0%, signifying a continual high demand of human resources. Vacancies in Security Activities (792) rose by 15.6%, while those in the Transport, Storage & Communications sector dropped by 17.5%. In terms of recruitment prerequisites, 60.7% of the vacant posts in Public Sewage & Refuse Disposal Activities and 51.2% of those in Wholesale & Retail Trade required work experience. As regards educational attainment, 64.3% of the vacancies in Public Sewage & Refuse Disposal Activities and 51.2% of those in the Transport, Storage & Communications sector required senior secondary education or higher; meanwhile, 63.3% of the vacancies in Security Activities required primary education only. Besides Cantonese, knowledge of Mandarin and English was respectively required in 69.0% and 45.6% of the vacancies in Wholesale & Retail Trade, while 46.1% of those in the Transport, Storage & Communications sector and 42.9% of those in Public Sewage & Refuse Disposal Activities required knowledge of English.
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The visiting Mainland's gold medalists from the London Olympics toured Macao today and shared their happiness with the people of Macao. The 47 gold medalists met some 2,000 students, teachers and athletes during a sharing session at Macau Forum in the morning. During this session, 11 gold medalists went on stage and chatted with some students, sharing with them how tough it was in becoming a top-notch athlete. About 30 students asked them about their training, pressure management skills and their feelings after winning. The medalists encouraged the students to fight for their goals and dreams, and dare to accept failure. The medalists and other members of their delegation then visited the Ruins of St. Paul's Church and the Macao Museum, to learn more about the history and culture of Macao. During the visit, men's singles badminton gold medalist Lin Dan said the people of Macao gave them a warm welcome and he wished to share his glory and pride of winning with the people here. In the evening, the Olympians participated in a celebratory gathering at Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion. The medalists and their delegation are scheduled to return to Beijing tomorrow.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated in view of a substantial increase in total employment, the unemployment rate for May-July 2012 receded to 2.0%, down by 0.1 percentage point over the previous period (April-June 2012); the underemployment rate was 0.9%, down by 0.1 percentage point. Total labour force increased by 2,500 from the previous period to 348,000; the labour force participation rate stood at 72.2%, up by 0.3 percentage point. Total employment reached 341,000, up by 2,600 over the previous period. Analysed by industry, employment of Hotels, Restaurants & Similar Activities and Retail Trade saw notable increase, while that of the Manufacturing Sector registered decrease. Number of the unemployed decreased by 100 from the previous period to 7,000, with 14.9% being fresh labour force entrants searching for their first job, up by 4.7 percentage points. In comparison with May-July 2011, the unemployment rate and the underemployment rate decreased by 0.7 and 0.2 percentage point respectively, while the labour force participation rate increased by 0.1 percentage point.
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The Government is to set up a Protocol, Public Relations and External Affairs Office to handle an increasing protocol and non-foreign policy related consulate affairs and related activities. According to the 233/2012 Chief Executive Order published today in the Macao SAR Gazette, the Office would function on a project basis and serves a one-year term, subject to renewal. It will report directly to the Chief Executive and will be supervised by a director and two deputy directors. Responsibilities of the office would include planning and organising official activities of the Chief Executive whether in Macao or abroad; co-ordinating visits by guests of ministerial-level or above, and guests suggested by the Chief Executive; managing non-foreign policy related affairs related to consulates of foreign countries accredited to Hong Kong and Macao and officially recognised representatives, and maintaining related contacts; providing assistance for foreign representatives and consulates in Macao in applying documents; providing assistance to government entities in organising events and extending exchanges with international organisations; co-ordinating meeting, conferences, luncheon and banquets and signing ceremonies involving the Chief Executive; and co-ordinating official and large-scale events designated by the Chief Executive, according to the Gazette. Since the establishment of the Macao SAR, Macao has experienced an increase in external affairs activities and has new positioning in external affairs and regional co-operation. It had also received an increasing number of state leaders, officials of all levels, and delegations from the mainland and overseas. There is a need for the Government to enhance its work in protocol and public relations areas. Integrating the functions of managing external affairs, contacts with mainland authorities, protocol and public relations into an Office would strengthen efficiency, build an even better image for the Government and enhance co-operation with other places. According to official figures in 2011, the Government had received 40 delegations from the Mainland, more than 100 visits by consulates and 63 foreign official delegations. In 2011, the Protocol and Public Relations Services of the Government Headquarters had arranged for the Chief Executive one foreign visit and 16 visits to the Mainland. It also participated in organising a wide range of events, meetings, seminars and press conferences involving the Chief Executive.
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Mainland's gold medalists from the London Olympics arrived in Macao today for a three-day visit, at the invitation of the Macao SAR Government. They arrived at the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal in the afternoon and were welcomed by the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Cheong U, and greeted by some 500 students and residents. The medalists were led by the Director of the State General Administration of Sports and President of the Chinese Olympic Committee, Mr Liu Peng, and his deputy, Mr Duan Shijie. The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, met Mr Liu at Macau East Asian Games Dome and congratulated the delegation for the athletes' excellent performance and results during the recent London 2012 Olympic Games. He also thanked Mr Liu for the support given by the State General Administration of Sports and the Chinese Olympic Committee to the development of sports in Macao. He said he wished the athletes could learn more about Macao's heritage and development during their stay. Mr Liu said the delegation would like to share their glory and happiness with the people of Macao, which explained why they here here so soon after the completion of the games. The Government hosted a banquet for the delegation after the meeting. At a speech, Mr Chui welcomed the delegation and congratulated the athletes for their excellence at the Games. He praised them for their spirit, which stimulated Macao people to strive harder in building an even better home. Mr Liu said in his speech he believed that the Mainland and Macao would continue to enhance their exchanges in sports and other areas. Mr Chui presented a HK$10.2 million cheque to two gold medalists at the banquet, Ms Yi Siling and Mr Zou Shiming, who received it on behalf of the delegation. The banquet was also attended by the Vice President of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Mr Ho Hau Wah; the Director of the Liaison Office of the Central Government in the Macao SAR, Mr Bai Zhijian; the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Macao SAR; the Commander of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Garrison in the Macao SAR; principal officials, members of the Executive Council and the Legislative Assembly, and Macao's delegates to the National People's Congress, members of the CPPCC and some members of the community. The delegation stars are the athletes who won gold in 13 sports, namely shooting, fencing, sailing, weightlifting, boxing, taekwondo, walk, swimming, diving, artistic gymnastics, trampoline, table tennis and badminton. Mainland's contingent won 88 medals in the London Olympics -- 38 gold, 27 silver and 23 bronze, and broke six world records and six Olympic records.
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