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Macao and Taiwan signed an agreement today to lift all restrictions on flights between Macao and Taiwan to destinations such as Taipei and Kaohsiung, and to allow for the operation of chartered flights between Macao and other Taiwan cities. According to a statement by the Office of the Government Spokesperson, the agreement to open up the skies between the two places was signed today in Macao by the Director of Macao Economic and Cultural Delegation in Taiwan, Ms Leong Kit Chi, and the Director of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Macao, Mr Lu Chang-Shui. The Chief-of-Cabinet of the Office of the Chief Executive, Mr Tam Chon Weng, and Mr Kao Ming-Tsun, the head of Department of Hong Kong and Macao Affairs of the related Mainland Affairs Council co-hosted the signing ceremony, witnessed by some 30 officials and trade representatives from Macao and Taiwan. The new agreement will abolish all the limitations in a flight agreement signed in 1995 between Air Macau and Taipei Airlines Associations, and renewed several times. With improving cross-straits relations, Macao and Taiwan intend to enhance air transport services to boost closer co-operation and bring even more convenience to exchanges between residents in Macao and Taiwan. After cordial and friendly discussions, Macao and Taiwan reached consensus on the content of the agreement in December last year. In addition to abolishing the capacity limitations for flights between Macao and Taipei and between Macao and Kaohsiung, the new agreement will also allow aviation companies to operate chartered flights without capacity limitations connecting Macao and other destinations in Taiwan, including Hualien, Taitung, Magong, Kinmen, Tainan and Chiayi. The agreement, to come into effect after formal government approval, will also allow airlines in Macao and Taiwan to operate code sharing services.
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The University of Macau (UM) in the 2014/2015 academic year will open two new PhD programmes, three master's programmes, and a bachelor's degree programme. Details about the new programmes were given at a press conference held today (17 February). UM Registrar Paul Pang, Faculty of Health Sciences Interim Dean Prof. Ge Wei, Faculty of Law Dean Prof. Shijian Mo, Faculty of Social Sciences Dean Prof. Hao Yufan, and Faculty of Science and Technology Dean Prof. Philip Chen, attended the press conference to introduce the new programmes. The six new programmes are PhD in Biomedical Sciences offered by the Faculty of Health Sciences; PhD in Applied Physics and Materials Engineering offered by the Faculty of Science and Technology; Master of Social Sciences in Macao Studies offered by the Faculty of Social Sciences; as well as Master of Law in Legal Translation, Master of Law in Macau Law and Practice, and Bachelor of Law (Chinese and Portuguese Language/5-Year Programme) offered by the Faculty of Law. The Faculty of Law's new programmes aim to nurture legal professionals with proficiency in Chinese and Portuguese. The 5-year Bachelor of Law programme will be conducted in both languages, and students of the programme will spend their first year in Portugal studying Portuguese. The Faculty of Social Sciences's new programme aims to provide a platform for understanding and studying Macao. It is hoped that Macao Studies can establish itself as an internationally recognised discipline that helps the world to better understand Macao's culture and society. The PhD in Biomedical Sciences offered by the Faculty of Health Sciences aims to establish a regional education and research centre in modern biological and biomedical sciences with international reputation, provide world-class training for the students, and supply high-calibre professionals for research institutes and industry in in Macao, the Pearl River Delta region, and beyond. The PhD in Applied Physics and Materials Engineering offered by the Faculty of Science and Technology aims to provide a chance for postgraduate students of physical science or engineering to pursue specialised knowledge in applied physics, materials engineering, and technology, as well as to train multidisciplinary researchers for local and global academic institutions and industries. UM's bachelor's and master's programmes for the 2014/2015 academic year are now open for applications. The application deadline for bachelor's programmes is 24 February. The deadline for master's programmes and postgraduate diploma programmes is 31 March, and the deadline for PhD programmes is 31 April. Postgraduate programmes are available to both full-time and part-time students. Students admitted to master's programmes can apply for teaching assistantships and postgraduate studentships (PGS). For admission enquiries about bachelor's programmes, please visit http://www.umac.mo/reg/, call 83974007 or email to admission@umac.mo. For admission enquiries about postgraduate programmes and postgraduate studentships, please visit http://www.umac.mo/grs/en/index.php , call 83974898 or email to gradschool@umac.mo.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that purchase and sale of building units and parking spaces totalled 19,237 amounting to MOP96.05 billion for the whole year of 2013 as per Stamp Duty record, down by 24% and 5% respectively year-to-year. Among them, a total of 12,046 residential units were purchased and sold at MOP68.2 billion, down by 29% and 8% respectively year-on-year, of which 3,868 were pre-sale residential units and 8,178 were existing residential units, amounting to MOP33.74 billion and MOP34.46 billion respectively. In 2013, the average price of all residential units increased by 43% year-on-year to MOP81,811 per square metre of usable area, with the average price of those in the Macao Peninsula (MOP79,770), Taipa Island (MOP82,022) and Coloane Island (MOP102,273) rising by 52%, 27% and 26% respectively. The average price per square metre of pre-sale residential units (MOP105,452) and existing residential units (MOP66,175) rose by 27% and 30% respectively. Moreover, the average price of office units and industrial units was MOP74,525 and MOP33,721 respectively per square metre, up notably by 61% and 62% year-on-year. In the fourth quarter of 2013, a total of 4,107 building units and parking spaces were purchased and sold at MOP22.53 billion, up by 29% and 63% respectively quarter-to-quarter. Purchase and sale of residential units totalled 2,494 amounting to MOP14.52 billion, up by 31% and 73% respectively; within these units, 341 were pre-sale residential units, up significantly by 251 units, and the total value amounted to MOP3.91 billion. The average price of all residential units stood at MOP85,974 per square metre in the fourth quarter of 2013, up by 28% quarter-to-quarter. The average price of existing residential units increased by 19% to MOP77,028 per square metre, with the average price of those in the Macao Peninsula and Taipa Island rising by 22% and 12% respectively. Most of the existing residential units purchased and sold were in Baixa da Taipa (289) and Novos Aterros da Areia Preta (NATAP) (256), and the average price amounted to MOP80,283 and MOP106,478 respectively per square metre. The average price of pre-sale residential units increased by 24% quarter-to-quarter to MOP121,019 per square metre in the fourth quarter, mainly due to a 54% surge in the average price of pre-sale residential units in the Taipa Island. The majority of pre-sale residential units purchased and sold were in Baixa da Taipa (129), Coloane (95) and Pac On & Taipa Grande (30), and the average price was MOP146,398, MOP108,715 and MOP120,437 respectively per square meter. Analysed by year of completion, there were 1,080 residential units built more than 20 years ago (160 in Areia Preta & Iao Hon, 142 in Barca) in the fourth quarter of 2013 and the average price amounted to MOP60,035 per square metre, up by 15% quarter-to-quarter. For the 757 residential units completed between 11 to 20 years ago (202 in Baixa da Taipa, 96 in NATAP), the average price rose by 14%, at MOP71,938 per square metre. The average price of the 226 residential units completed within 5 years or less (100 in NATAP, 32 in Novos Aterros do Porto Exterior & Aterros da Baía da Praia Grande) increased by 29%, at MOP129,542 per square metre. Analysed by floor area, there were 1,152 residential units having a floor area of 50.0 to 99.9 square metres in the fourth quarter and the average price rose by 29% quarter-to-quarter, at MOP82,759 per square metre. For the 930 small-sized units having a floor area of less than 50 square metres, the average price was MOP72,747 per square metre, up by 23%. The average price of office units and industrial units amounted to MOP92,644 and MOP38,191 per square metre in the fourth quarter of 2013, up by 16% and 10% respectively quarter-to-quarter. In the fourth quarter of 2013, there were 2,377 real estate sale contracts signed, involving 2,925 properties, down by 8% quarter-to-quarter; meanwhile, 2,939 mortgage contracts were signed, involving 4,306 properties, up slightly by 0.4%. As regards construction in the private sector, floor area of construction of new buildings in the fourth quarter totalled 93,472 square metres, providing 529 units (467 are residential units), 267 parking spaces for cars and 212 parking spaces for motorcycles upon completion. Meanwhile, floor area of buildings completed totalled 70,851 square metres, altogether providing 383 units (193 are residential units). For the whole year of 2013, there were 10,527 real estate sale contracts and 11,758 mortgage contracts signed, involving 13,268 and 17,093 properties. Floor area of construction of new buildings totalled 2,396,055 square metres in 2013, providing 2,241 units (2,124 are residential units), 6,993 parking spaces for cars and 2,162 parking spaces for motorcycles upon completion. Floor area of buildings completed was 562,022 square metres, altogether providing 1,316 units (1,055 are residential units), 327 parking spaces for cars and 38 parking spaces for motorcycles.
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Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) is hosting the tourism promotion event "Experience Macau – Nanning, Guangxi" in Nanning, Guangxi to promote Macau's diverse culture among citizens in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and facilitate networking opportunities between tourism industry partners from both destinations. Chief Executive of Macao Special Administrative Region, Chui Sai On and Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Cheong U attended the inaugural ceremony today (15 February). As an event jointly organized by the Government of Macao Special Administrative Region and the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, "Experience Macau – Nanning, Guangxi" is presented by MGTO; Division for Relations with Hong Kong and Macau, Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region as well as Tourism Development Committee of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from 15 to 23 February in Nanning, Guangxi. Chief Executive of Macao SAR, Chui Sai On; Chairman of the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Chen Wu; Secretary for Administration and Justice, Florinda da Rosa Silva Chan; Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Cheong U; seven members of Executive Council; MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes attended the inaugural ceremony and welcome dinner of "Experience Macau – Nanning, Guangxi" along with 24 members of Tourism Development Committee at Nanning Marriott Hotel tonight (15 February). Chief Executive of Macao SAR, Chui Sai On and Chairman of the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Chen Wu hosted the inaugural ceremony together with other guests. In his opening speech, Secretary Cheong U remarked that on the tourism area, Guangxi is striving to present a beautiful destination while Macau is dedicated to the goal of becoming a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. He believed that Guangxi and Macau can count on their advantages as a travel destination and actively enhance cooperation with each other in tourism through joint marketing activities and multi-destination tours, etc. The inaugural ceremony and welcome dinner presented a spectacular program including dragon dance, 3D audiovisual projection mapping shows, Macau singers' performance, Portuguese embroidering performance as well as display of Macau cultural and creative products. The mapping shows were designed to project 3D images upon the background of various iconic architectures from the World Heritage "Historic Centre of Macau" such as the Ruins of St. Paul's, A-Ma Temple and Guia Lighthouse, which manifests the diverse culture and scenery of Macau. Guangxi Television is going to broadcast Macau travel-themed programs on 16, 19, 21 and 25 February; the TV station will also cover the inaugural spectacular on the spot and broadcast the show after the travel program. In addition, MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes attended the travel mart and luncheon of "Experience Macau – Nanning, Guangxi" in Red Forest Hotel in Nanning together with delegates representing ten tourism enterprises from Macau this morning (15 February). During the function, MGTO presented Macau's tourism resources and updated Guangxi trade partners on the latest tourism trend and products. Following the travel mart, a luncheon was hosted for the industry partners from Macau and Guangxi to meet and discuss business opportunities. Director of Tourism Development Committee of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Chen Jianjun attended the travel mart. A presentation about the tourism resources in Guangxi was also conducted at the occasion. The outdoor promotional activities of "Experience Macau – Nanning, Guangxi" will take place in Yue Hui Square in Nanning from 18 to 23 February. There will be Macau travel photo exhibitions, food stalls, souvenirs and travel information zones as well as 3D audiovisual projection mapping shows and Portuguese embroidering performance. Through the event, the Office aims to promote the positioning of Macau as a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure among citizens in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region so as to attract Guangxi residents to Macau for a fascinating experience of the unique blend of East and West culture as well as the city's festive ambience. In 2011, the Macao SAR Government organized a delegation to attend "Dynamic Macau Business and Trade Fair" in Nanning and seized the chance to hold business and tourism promotion activities there. Last year, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region also led a delegation to Macau and hosted the function "2013 Serene Guangxi‧Macau Tour" for an opportunity to promote in-depth cooperation with different local sectors. Currently there are daily direct flights between Macau and Nanning, which makes it convenient to travel between the two cities.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, left Macao today for a two-day visit to Nanning, capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, to strengthen the co-operation of two sides. Heading a Government delegation, Mr Chui is scheduled to meet Secretary of the CPC Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Committee, Mr Peng Qinghua, and Chairman of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Mr Cheng Wu, to discuss strengthening bilateral co-operation on tourism, commerce and trade, education and in other areas. Mr Chui will also attend the opening ceremony of "Experience Macau - Nanning, Guangxi", a tourism promotional activity organised by the Government Tourist Office (DST). Both Macao and Guangxi are members of the Pan-Pearl River Delta (PPRD) Regional Co-operation and Development Forum, which consists of nine provinces comprising Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, together with the Hong Kong and Macao SARs. The two sides maintain good co-operation on tourism, trade and people's livelihood. Officials travelling with Mr Chui include Secretary of Administration and Justice, Ms Florinda Chan; Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Cheong U; the Chief-of-Cabinet of the Office of the Chief Executive, Mr Alexis Tam Chon Weng; the Secretary-General of the Executive Council, Ms Wallis O Lam; the Chief-of-Cabinet of the Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Ms Cecilia Cheung So Mui; the Director of the Government Information Bureau, Mr Victor Chan Chi Ping; the Director of the Office of the Macao SAR in Beijing, Ms Hong Wai; the Director of the Protocol, Public Relations and External Affairs Office, Mr Daniel Fung Sio Weng; and several members of the Executive Council. Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Tam Pak Yuen, is acting Chief Executive while Mr Chui is away.
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To celebrate the joyful Year of the Horse with Hong Kong travel trade, business partners and media friends, Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) hosted a spring luncheon in Hotel Icon today (14 Feb) to thank them for their continuous support to the tourism development of Macau. Mr. Manuel Pires, Deputy Director of MGTO, led a delegation to join the Spring Luncheon. Over 200 guests from local travel trade, business partners and media were present, including Commissioner for Tourism of the Hong Kong SAR Government, Philip Yung, Director of Asia Tourism Exchange Centre, Liu Zhi Jiang, Executive Director of Hong Kong Tourism Board, Anthony Lau and Chairman of Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, Michael Wu. In 2013, the number of visitors to Macau reached 29,324,000, representing an increase of 4.42% over 2012. Being the second largest tourist source market, over 6.7 million Hong Kong residents traveled to Macau last year. In the Year of Horse, MGTO will continue to promote its diversified tourism developments with the goal of building Macau into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. In addition, MGTO will keep enhancing the community tourism project by launching a diversity of community activities in various districts. In line with the promotional strategies of MGTO, Representative in Hong Kong will launch promotional activities targeting consumers, trade partners as well as niche markets such as students, wedding parties and business incentives etc. Innovative promotional platforms especially social media will be employed to tap in the upcoming markets alongside the traditional print and electronic media. Moreover, seminars, product presentations, thematic familiarization tours and joint promotions will also be organized to strengthen the communication and collaboration with trade partners and the media.
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Consumer Council conducted its fourth 'Supermarket price survey' for February on 13th February for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12th 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 visitor arrivals in package tour totalled 875,788 in December 2013, down by 1.3% year-on-year, attributable to a decrease in visitors from the Republic of Korea. Visitors from Mainland China (653,993), Hong Kong (44,163), and Thailand (20,168) registered year-on-year increase, whereas those from Taiwan, China (61,055); the Republic of Korea (35,554); and Malaysia (12,832) recorded decrease. For the whole year of 2013, visitors in package tour totalled 9,775,798 (33.3% of total visitor arrivals), up by 7.2% year-on-year. Outbound residents using services of travel agencies were 130,870 in December, up by 1.7% year-on-year; those travelling in package tour totalled 51,335 and the main destinations were Mainland China; the Republic of Korea; and Taiwan, China. In 2013, outbound residents increased by 12.0% year-on-year to 1,446,214, of which 549,488 travelled in package tour. There were 98 hotels and guesthouses operating at the end of 2013, providing 27,764 guest rooms, up by 6.5% year-on-year; 5-star hotels had 18,371 rooms, accounting for 66.2% of the total. In December 2013, a total of 966,046 guests checked into hotels and guesthouses, up by 7.5% year-on-year, with 571,113 staying in 5-star hotels. The average length of stay of guests held stable as December 2012, at 1.4 nights. The average occupancy rate was 89.8%, up by 3.1 percentage points year-on-year, with 4-star hotels leading at 92.7%. Number of hotel guests totalled 10,670,599 in 2013, an increase of 11.8% year-on-year; the average length of stay of guests was 1.4 nights; the average occupancy rate stood at 83.1%, down by 0.5 percentage points. In 2013, visitor-guests took up 70.2% of the total number of overnight visitors, higher than the 65.4% in 2012.
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The Monetary Authority of Macao announced today that the preliminary estimate of Macao SAR's foreign exchange reserves amounted to MOP129.5 billion (USD16.19 billion) at the end of January 2014. The reserves rose by 0.4% from the revised value of MOP129.0 billion (USD16.15 billion) for the previous month. When compared with a year earlier, the reserves dropped by MOP7.5 billion or 5.5%. Macao SAR's foreign exchange reserves at end-January 2014 represented 14 times the currency in circulation or 121.7% of Pataca M2 at end-December 2013. 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 0.09 points month-to-month but dropped 0.12 points year-on-year to 96.80 in January 2014. For enquiry, please contact:
Research and Statistics Department, Monetary Authority of Macao (Tel: 83952532; Fax: 28353042)
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Starting this semester, some courses will be conducted on the new campus. University of Macau (UM) Rector Wei Zhao and Vice Rector (Academic Affairs) Simon Ho recently visited the new campus to witness this new chapter in the university's history. They encouraged the students to cherish the opportunity and study hard on the new campus. At this moment, courses that take place on the new campus are mainly general education courses in English, Portuguese and computer as well as some courses offered by the Faculty of Law. The majority of the courses are still conducted on the current campus. The first class on the new campus is International Business Law for first-year postgraduate students. The unseasonably chilly weather and the sudden rain didn't dampen the students' enthusiasm for the start of the new semester. Some of them arrived at the classroom half an hour early to get a feel for the new campus. The first two students to arrive for the class praised the new campus, "It is spacious and beautiful and the facilities are very good. Plus, it takes only ten minutes to walk to the classroom from our dormitory, which is very convenient." Prof. Li Guo'an, a visiting scholar from Xiamen University, who taught the first class, also praised the new campus for its easy access. UM Rector Wei Zhao and Vice Rector Simon Ho made a special trip to the new campus to meet with the students. One student was so excited to see the rector that he gave Wei Zhao a big hug. Rector Wei Zhao chatted with the students and noted that it was a momentous day which ushered in a new chapter in the university's history. He reminded the students attending the law class about the importance of the knowledge of law and encouraged them to study hard so they can contribute to society in the future. Vice Rector Simon Ho encouraged the students to raise suggestions to help build a better campus. UM's new campus has become operational on a limited scale since the beginning of the 2013/2014 academic year. So far 1,300 teachers and students have moved onto the residential buildings on the new campus. Some staff members have also started working there. Two new residential colleges on the new campus have started operation as well. The two colleges have organised various kinds of activities, including the High Table Dinner, the residential college commencement dinner, college donor tree planting activity, basketball competition, talks, and seminars. At this moment, one restaurant, one convenience store and one Laundromat have begun operation. Two new bus routes to the new campus, 37U and MT3U, have been put into service. Some post-delivery works are still ongoing on the new campus.
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