News

Due to the recent challenging safety situation in some areas of Egypt, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a travel safety reminder to Chinese citizens who intend to visit there. Following is the translated version of the full text: "Continuous and massive protests taking place in Egypt's Cairo and Alexandria since 30 June have caused casualties. In view of the above situation, the Department of the Consular Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy in Egypt specially remind Chinese citizens to exercise caution when travelling to Egypt, especially Cairo, Alexandria and the Nile Delta. In any case of emergency, Chinese citizens should timely report to local police and contact the Chinese Embassy and consulate in Egypt through the following means: Police reporting hotline in Egypt: 00202-122; Tourist Police in Egypt: 00202-3906028; Consular Assistance and Protection hotline of the Chinese Embassy in Egypt: 00202-27380466、00202-27363556; Consular Assistance and Protection hotline of Chinese Consulate General in Alexandria: 00202-271125995." The Tourism Crisis Management Office (GGCT) will keep monitoring the latest development of safety situation in the above cities and also advises Macao residents to avoid making unnecessary trips. Those who are currently travelling in Egypt should remain cautious for personal safety. According to the Macao tourism industry, there are no Macao tour groups currently in Egypt. However, there are some five individual travellers visiting there. GGCT so far has not received any requests for assistance. If necessary, Macao residents can call the tourism hotline (853) 2833 3000 or the Chinese Embassy and consulate for assistance.
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The Macao SAR Government is highly concerned over reports of US Government's secret internet surveillance on many countries and regions, and wondered if it included Macao networks. The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, said he has expressed the concern when he met with Consul General of the United States in Hong Kong and Macao, at the reception to commemorate the 237th anniversary of the Independence of the United States of America. The SAR Government has been dedicating full efforts to safeguard Macao's freedom of information, personal privacy and network safety by applying effective measures to protect the government's internal network and data, Mr Chui said. Meanwhile, the Office for Personal Data Protection has sent a letter to the Consulate General of the United States in Hong Kong and Macao to ask for a clarification, and an explanation for the allegation.
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In order to provide diversified training opportunities for Macao's local hotel industry professionals and enhance their management skills, Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) and Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL), Switzerland co-orgainsed a two-day Executive Development Programme on Leadership Module: Key to Personal Effectiveness on 2 and 3 July. The programme helped participants to understand that their perceptions of the world, work and the other people in their lives are affected by past experiences, their expectations and where they place their priorities. Their level of performance and overall team working results can be significantly impacted by increased self-understanding and understanding of others, by enhancing their ability to adapt and by improving their ability to connect with others in both personal and work theatres. The programme attracted 23 professionals of local hotels and mega resorts to participate. IFT has the honour of inviting Mr. Yateendra Sinh, the CEO of Lausanne Hospitality Consulting SA, the Consulting and Executive Education subsidiary of Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, to be the facilitator of this programme. Graduated from the University of Bombay majoring in Economics and Hotels & Management, Mr. Sinh held various operational responsibilities such as pre-opening and managing hotels, business clubs, townships and large IT infrastructure networks. Since moving to Switzerland in 2000, he has delivered training and consultancy on strategic, managerial and operational issues, in over 36 countries. Mr. Sinh believes in continuous improvement of service quality and in providing the hospitality industry with radical and innovative solutions. The purpose of the programme is to enable participants to recognise and understand the person they are dealing with and adapt the best approach for communication. Programme topics include: Knowledge
- Explain the nature of perception and its importance in our relationship with others.
- Identify the four basic colour energies and the characteristics associated with each.
- Examine the relative strengths and weaknesses of each colour. Competencies
- Develop a quick way to recognise the different types of person you are dealing with in the hotel Industry.
- Develop efficient strategies to communicate, influence and negotiate.
- Elaborate the perception from "Difficult Person" to a "Valued Person" in your relationship with somebody. Mindset
- Be ready to see others in a different and a more valuable way.
- Open for new challenges and objectives. As the tourism and hospitality industry is growing swiftly in Macao, the demand for knowledgeable professionals is increasing and thus hotel management needs to upgrade themselves to cope with the changing market trends. This module addresses the key requirements in "Best communication" to help participants to enlarge their leadership skills. It is hoped that participants can always strive a fruitful collaboration with people they are dealing or negotiating with. IFT is always striving to enhance its research and teaching so as to contribute to the society. By organising diversified seminars and workshops, IFT constantly shares with the industry the most updated information and research findings about the future development of Macao's sustainable tourism industry and ways to enhance it.
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Consumer Council conducted its specific price survey on rice on 2nd July for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12th 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 Civil Aviation Authority of Macao SAR (AACM) participated in the "24th Meeting of the Asia Pacific Air Navigation Planning and Implementation Regional Group (APANPIRG)" and the "3rd Meeting of the Regional Aviation Safety Group - Asia Pacific (RASG-APAC)" held in Bangkok from 24 to 28 June 2013 to discuss with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the aeronautical authorities of other Asian Pacific countries about the work items for the coming year. The APANPIRG is an annual meeting in the Asia Pacific Region with the objective of allowing attendees to discuss about the enhancement of operation safety through further improving the facilities and procedures in four main issues, namely the air traffic management, airspace safety monitoring, communication/navigation/surveillance systems, and meteorology. The 24th Meeting was held from 24 to 26 June 2013, during which AACM took part in the Air Traffic Management Sub-group and the Communication/Navigation/Surveillance Systems Sub-group. In the Air Traffic Management Sub-group, the Aerodrome Operations and Planning Working Group which is a subsidiary of the said Sub-group, was chaired by the Director of Airport Infrastructure and Air Navigation of AACM, Mr. Kevin Lam, who was elected to be the chairperson of this Working Group in this May. The Aerodrome Operations and Planning Working Group was attended by more than 40 delegates from over 20 states/administrations or international organizations. The Working Group adopted the following decisions: in the area of airport pavement operation, ICAO will provide the definition of "unrestricted operations" in the relevant guidance material; in the area of runway safety, the aeronautical authorities will work together with their airports to establish runway safety teams and runway safety programmes; in the area of aerodrome certification, the Working Group urged states/administrations who have not yet implemented the requirements of aerodrome certification and safety management systems to do so as high priority; in the area of creating clearance for aircraft at an airport, ICAO will carry out study on the provision of guidance material for vertical clearance between an aircraft and an object on aircraft stands; in the area of obstacle limitation surfaces, ICAO will take into reference the advancement of air navigation systems and the need for land use optimization to review the obstacle limitation surfaces requirements and amend when necessary to cope with the development of the air transport businesses in Asia Pacific. Being the chairman of the Meeting, AACM will put its best endeavours in the four-year chairmanship to coordinate with the other members to aim for the betterment of air navigation services in Asia Pacific. The 3rd RASG-APAC was held from 27 to 28 June 2013 and attended by more than 100 participants from over 30 states/administrations or international organizations. The Meeting came up with 24 decisions, including the conclusion of the guidance materials for controlled flight into terrain, loss of control in flight, runway excursions and incursions, and so on. In addition, the new Global Aviation Safety Plan which was approved by the ICAO Council in this May was also introduced in the Meeting. The new Global Aviation Safety Plan aims at providing a performance framework and assistance to ICAO's member states and administrations, the airlines worldwide and the Aviation Safety Groups in Asia Pacific, Pan American Region, Europe, Middle East and Africa, in their formulation of the aviation safety plans. The Meeting discussed how the RASG-APAC should define their safety priorities and targets in compliance with this new Plan and agreed that the follow-up work of such compliance would be a task item for the coming year. In 2012, AACM cooperated with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore to write the working paper on "Sharing of Information on Potential Precursors to Air Accidents" which was already presented and approved in the 2nd RASG-APAC. The 3rd Meeting concluded the follow-up task of this working paper by assigning the Safety Reporting and Programme Ad hoc Working Group to be the focal group for matters relating to this task and to provide data analysis capabilities. AACM wishes to state that aviation is a highly international industry. The stable development of the air transport services between two places requires the safe operation of both places to achieve at the same standard. Therefore, the aviation safety policy of Macao does not only focus on internal monitoring within its own Special Administration Region. AACM ensures that all aviation activities under Macao's jurisdiction comply with Macao's aviation laws and regulations and the international standards. At the same time, AACM also wishes to collaborate with ICAO and other aeronautical authorities, or through technical assistance rendered to each other, to work together to enhance the entire aviation safety level in Asia Pacific. Being a counterpart in Asia Pacific, Macao actively participates in the various working groups or task forces motivated by ICAO. Macao takes the notion that through sharing of resources, Macao can exchange information with foreign experts or render consultancy service to other states that require it, hence making bigger contribution to aviation safety enhancement in Asia Pacific
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In order to combat different forms of trafficking in persons, the Human Trafficking Deterrent Measures Concern Committee organises the"Workshop on Combat Trafficking in Persons: Forced Labor" at the Labour Affairs Bureau on 2, 4, 8, 10, 12 July. Legal Advisors from the Office of the Secretary for Security are invited as speakers and participants include officers from the Labour Affairs Bureau, Macao Customs, Unitary Police, Public Security Police, Judiciary Police and Legal Affairs Bureau. Content of the workshop is divided into theory and practice. Participants will be introduced the relevant laws and forms crime, as well as victim identification techniques. At present, a screening questionnaire is adopted to high risk groups in order to effectively identify human trafficking victims. The questionnaire has recently been amended and is broadened to the area of screening forced labour victims. Speaker of the workshop will introduce to the participants effective ways to use the questionnaire. According to the law, all victims of trafficking in persons (including sexual exploitation and forced labour) are emtitled to protection by the Government. Protection offered to the victims include visa, shelter, medical, financial, legal and social reintegration assistance.
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Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) hosted the Annual Marketing Meeting in Macau from June 24 – 28. MGTO's overseas market representatives came to Macau to report their work progress and discuss upcoming promotional strategies at the meeting. Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Cheong U met with the overseas representatives at a luncheon after the meeting adjourned on June 28. MGTO and the representatives visited Hong Kong afterwards for a meeting with Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) on June 29 to exchange ideas and discuss cooperation opportunities. Over 50 overseas representatives of MGTO came from 16 countries and regions to attend the 5-day Annual Marketing Meeting. As the meeting commenced, MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes presented Macau tourism's latest development to the representatives and advised them with regard to marketing strategies. Senna Fernandes remarked that MGTO is actively developing cultural and community tourism which includes cultivating new sightseeing routes and rich tourism elements, thus guiding visitors to explore different communities and fostering the diversification of tourism products and markets. MGTO also keeps promoting Tourism Awareness Campaign, a scheme which encourages citizens and visitors to actively support and participate in Macau travel industry. MGTO required the overseas representatives to carry out promotion work in line with Macau's tourism trend and the goal of developing Macau into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. The representatives will also highlight the mega events this year in their destination promotion, including the 25th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest, the 60th Macau Grand Prix and the upcoming 2nd edition of Global Tourism Economy Forum in September. They also attended the press conferences and explanatory sessions for the related events during the marketing meeting. During the meeting, MGTO's related department heads held individual meetings with the representatives to evaluate their work achievements over the past year and discuss their future projects in order to carry out more effective promotional activities. Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Cheong U led MGTO's superiors, department heads and overseas representatives to Hengqin on June 27 for an inspection visit to the Chimelong International Ocean Resort, a project which will be completed in near future and Hengqin New Area Planning Exhibition Hall. Secretary Cheong was also present at the luncheon after the marketing meeting's summary session on June 28, an occasion to meet and have group photos with MGTO officials and market representatives. During his address to the representatives, Secretary Cheong indicated that Macau tourism industry is thriving upon a sound foundation; as various transportation, infrastructure and mega tourism projects are under construction now and will soon be completed successively, he hoped that the representatives will keep working hard to enhance their promotion in overseas markets and increase the international visitor arrivals to Macau. MGTO's officials and overseas representatives also attended the annual marketing exchange meeting with HKTB in Hong Kong on June 29 to discuss tourism cooperation between the two destinations. The two parties exchanged ideas regarding marketing and promotion strategies while discussing opportunities for their mutual cooperation in overseas markets and sharing their successful promotion ideas with each other.
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Consumer Council conducted its specific price survey on milk powder on 28th June for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12th 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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IFT Tourism Research Centre (ITRC) is releasing Q4 2012 quarterly and 2012 annual results of the Macao Tourist Satisfaction Index (MTSI). ITRC has been collecting quarterly data on visitor satisfaction in Macao since 2009 and its database now spans results covering more than three years. Reports can be downloaded from the ITRC website: http://www.ift.edu.mo/itrc. Highlights of the latest findings are as follows: Visitor satisfaction barely above the 'psychological passing mark' as at Q4 2012
ITRC's latest analysis of the Tourist Satisfaction Index (TSI) for Macao shows visitor satisfaction during the last quarter of 2012 was 70.2 out of the maximum 100 of the scale. Although this performance is slightly lower than the 70.7 recorded in third quarter of 2012, the index remains around the 'psychological passing mark' of 70, above which previous highs of the TSI were recorded during 2009 and 2010. The overall long-term trend for overall visitor satisfaction, however, continues to show a slight downward trend. Nevertheless, the TSI has been steadily improving since 2011. See Figure 1. Full year MTSI improved in 2012
A total of 4,616 respondents were interviewed throughout 2012 across ten tourism-related sectors in Macao. The full year MTSI score for 2012 is 69.8, which shows a slight improvement of 1.7 points compared with the 68.1 full year result of 2011. Only the year of 2010 was found to perform exceptionally well and the TSI of that year peaked at 72.1. Looking at the long-term performance of Macao's tourism industry, the TSI of 2012 is marginally below the four-year average of 69.9 covering the period of 2009 to 2012. See Figure 2. Visitors are most satisfied with services provided by the events sector, followed by transportation and hotels in 2012; performance of the heritage sector deteriorates remarkably
Results for 2012 show the events sector (73.7) to be improving steadily and consistently outperforming other sectors. Transportation (72.3) and hotels (71.0) are ranked the second and third. Though improvements are found in restaurants (68.1), tour guides/operators (67.2) and immigration service (66.9), they continue to lag behind the other sectors. It is encouraging that nine out of ten sectors showed improvement in visitor satisfaction in 2012 compared to 2011. Transportation (↑5.33%, 72.3), retails shops (↑4.77%, 69.7) and immigration service (↑4.03%, 66.9) score significantly higher in 2012. On the other hand, substantial decline in satisfaction in the heritage attractions (↓3.21%, 69.0) is recorded, which pulled down its ranking from the second in 2011 to the seventh in 2012. See Figure 3. Comparing Macao's TSI with other destinations
Because ITRC conducts the TSI research in conjunction with regional partners in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Zhuhai in Mainland China, we are able to compare Macao's performance relative to those destinations. The comparison of TSI across different destinations allows us to determine the relative competitiveness and performance of Macao. The results for 2012 shows Hong Kong TSI to have the highest TSI score (75.1), followed by Guangzhou (73.1), and Macao (69.8) at the third place. See Figure 4. About the MTSI
Every quarter since 2009, ITRC has been measuring the level of visitor satisfaction in Macao across various sectors. Results across all sectors are averaged to form an overall Macao Tourist Satisfaction Index (MTSI). The ten tourism- related sectors in the TSI include (a) casinos, (b) events, (c) heritage attractions, (d) hotels, (e) immigration services, (f) non-heritage attractions, (g) restaurants, (h) retail shops, (i) tour guides/ operators, and (j) transportation services. With similar studies conducted by partners in other countries, results obtained in Macao are compared, when available, with those obtained in Hong Kong, Singapore, Shenzhen, and other destinations for comparing performance and competitive benchmarking.
Methodology
The MTSI is measured using a field survey in which respondents are selected and interviewed based on a systematic random sampling technique. Interviews with visitors are conducted at major tourist sites and transport terminals in Macao. Around 1,150 interviews are conducted quarterly. The TSI is an index comprised of the responses to three major questions: overall satisfaction, performance compared with expectations and with ideal performance given TSI model estimates. Results are transformed and reported on a scale ranging from 0- to 100-points. The higher is the score on the index, the higher is the level of satisfaction. The overall TSI is the average of all ten sectoral TSIs. For more information
Please contact Ms. Virginia Hong or Ms. Wendy Tang (itrc@ift.edu.mo). * please find the attached file.
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In order to share the fruits of economic development with the general public, the Macao SAR government had announced the"Wealth Partaking Scheme 2013", under which, local permanent residents would receive 8,000 patacas, whereas non-permanent residents 4,800 patacas. With the Administrative Regulation No.11/2013 gazetted, the scheme came into effect on 14 May 2013, and its implementation will officially start in July. The distribution overview is as follow: 1. Beneficiaries
1) Holders of valid or renewable Macau SAR Resident Identity Card on 31 December 2012 are entitled to receiving the cash premium.
2) Pursuant to Article 3 (2) of Law No.8/2002 regarding the circumstances of non-compulsory acquisition of resident identity card, persons below the age of 5 on 31 December 2012, will be granted the cash premium upon the obtainment of the abovementioned identification document.
3) Holders of valid or renewable Macao SAR Resident Identity Card who are currently residing abroad will be granted the cash premium, provided that they can prove that they are unable to renew their Macao SAR Resident Identity Card due to the reason of bedridden, completely or partly paralyzed. For those who have submitted the documentary proof and were granted the cash premium in the previous year, the Social Welfare Bureau is authorized to exempt them from documents resubmission if it is concluded that no new evidence is needed for the approval of current Scheme after analyzing the existing documents.
4) Macau SAR residents, who are eligible for this scheme, have not received the cash by reason of death, the respective amount can be requested by the administrator of the deceased's estate, which is required under Article 1917 of the Civil Code for the administration of the deceased estate unit its liquidation and distribution. 2. Modes of distribution
1) Bank transfer
The following individuals will have the cash premium disbursed by means of bank transfer:
- Persons receiving financial assistance or subsidy for senior citizens from the Social Welfare Bureau;
- Teaching staff receiving direct subsidy as well as students in tertiary education receiving student aid from the Student Benefits Fund of the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau;
- Retired civil servants receiving retirement pension and other persons receiving aforesaid pension for the family of the deceased;
- Civil servants.
2) Crossed cheque mailing
The rest qualified for being awarded the cash premium will receive the crossed cheque via mail by the Identification Services Bureau. Details are as follows:
- Beneficiaries aged 18 or above will each receive a cheque made payable to the beneficiary;
- Minor beneficiaries (under the age of 18) will each receive a cheque made payable to the beneficiary, his/her father, and his/her mother, which may be deposited either into the beneficiary's account, his/her father's account, or his/her mother's account. The crossed cheque will be sent via mail so as to enable the beneficiaries to get the cheque in the simplest way. Since it is a crossed cheque, it can only be deposited into the payee's account, in this way, even if one gets the cheque of others, in no way can be the cheque cashed. 3) Special circumstances
The Social Welfare Bureau shall be responsible for the distribution of cash premium to the following persons: persons stated in above 1 (3), minors whose guardianship has not been established, incompetent persons and persons deprived of their liberty by rehabilitative measures or subjected to criminal punishment.
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