News

The 9th China International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF) will be held from 17 to 20 May at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Centre. This year the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. (CAB) was invited once again to present a Macao Pavilion featuring local cultural and creative brands. The Macao Pavilion, with an area of 285 square metres, will be set up in the Cultural Industries Hall of the ICIF venue. This year's Pavilion, designed to reflect a theme of Macao World Heritage, showcases cultural and creative products related to this theme. By connecting the products with World Heritage, the CAB intends to use the Pavilion to promote Macao to the fullest, facilitating the exchange between members of Macao's cultural and creative industries and local and foreign visitors to explore further possibilities for co-operation on joint projects. The Macao Pavilion has been designed as a three-dimensional structure in the primary colours of magenta, yellow and cyan. Various geometries are combined in the Pavilion, and the primary colours blend into many hues, symbolising Macao as a vibrant, diverse, creative and culturally rich city while relating each element within it to the region's World Heritage. This year's participating entities include Macau Creations, Soda Panda Product Design, Lines Lab, the Creative Industries Promotion Association of St. Lazarus Church District, MOD Design Store, San Seng Fung, Ribs, Macao Heritage Ambassadors Association, Macao Daily News and Review Culture Company Limited, all of which will showcase creative products themed on Macao's World Heritage. Under the theme of this year's Fair, "Exhibition and Exchange", the 9th ICIF will focus on creative design, copyright law and intangible cultural heritage, among other issues, highlighting the binomials "culture + technology", "culture + creativity", "culture + tourism", "culture + finance" and "culture + trade". The ICIF aims to become China's main platform for cultural products and projects, promoting and driving the development of the cultural industries and actively launching Chinese cultural products into the global market. The CAB has been organising local industries' participation in the ICIF since 2006, and in 2010 the Macao S.A.R. Government committed to a policy of developing the city's cultural and creative industries. In each edition of the ICIF, the Macao Pavilion has attracted numerous visitors, and the featured brands have successfully presented their products and have registered good sales. In addition, Macao's participation in the ICIF has been widely covered by the Mainland Chinese media, indicating that the S.A.R.'s cultural and creative products are being well received in the Greater China market.
…

Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that visitor arrivals totalled 2,387,281 in March 2013, up slightly by 1.6% year-on-year; same-day visitors accounted for 51.0% of the total, at 1,216,775. In March 2013, visitors from Mainland China decreased by 1.1% year-on-year to 1,431,810, mainly coming from Guangdong Province (633,040) and Fujian Province (61,490); Mainland visitors travelling under the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) totalled 582,774. Moreover, visitors from Taiwan, China (80,651) and Japan (28,719) dropped by 0.3% and 27.2% year-on-year, while those from Hong Kong (612,367) and the Republic of Korea (36,786) increased by 9.0% and 8.3%. Long-haul visitors from the US (16,119), Australia (10,028), and the UK (5,652) grew by 1.3%, 0.3% and 9.2% year-on-year; however, those from Canada (6,514) decreased by 9.5%. The average length of stay of visitors stood at 1.0 day in March 2013, up by 0.1 day year-on-year. Overnight and same-day visitors had an average stay of 1.8 days and 0.2 day respectively. In the first quarter of 2013, visitor arrivals edged up by 1.9% to 7,076,442 year-on-year; same-day visitors accounted for 51.9% of the total. Visitors from Mainland China (4,414,194), Hong Kong (1,724,330), the Republic of Korea (128,834) and Thailand (60,792) recorded year-on-year increase in the first quarter, while those from Taiwan, China (238,588), Japan (76,610) and Malaysia (64,883) decreased. As regards major long-haul markets, visitors from the US (42,854), Australia (28,802) and Canada (17,742) all registered declines year-on-year.
…

According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, new approvals of residential mortgage loans (RMLs) declined whereas those of commercial real estate loans (CRELs) grew in February 2013. With regard to outstanding balance, RMLs and CRELs both witnessed increases. New Lending Approved In February 2013, new RMLs approved by Macao banks dropped 31.3% month-to-month to MOP2.0 billion; of which, 96.1% was extended to residents. In terms of value, new RMLs to residents and non-residents decreased 31.9% and 15.2% respectively. When compared with the same period of 2012, new approvals of RMLs witnessed growth of 29.0%. New RMLs collateralised by uncompleted units (i.e. equitable mortgage) dropped 30.1% month-to-month to MOP80.8 million. The equitable mortgage extended to residents, which accounted for 95.5% of the total, decreased 27.9% while the amount to non-residents also went down by 57.7%. When compared with the same period of 2012, this type of bank mortgage expanded significantly by 167.8% New CRELs rose 96.2% month-to-month to MOP7.4 billion; of which, 95.9% was granted to residents. In terms of value, new CRELs to residents increased markedly by 124.7% whereas the amount to non-residents declined 50.7%. On an annual basis, new approvals of CRELs expanded significantly by 599.2%. Outstanding Balances As at end-February 2013, the outstanding value of RMLs reached MOP99.0 billion, an increase of 0.8% from one month earlier or 28.8% from a year ago. The resident component made up 93.1% of the total. Compared to end-January 2013, outstanding RMLs to residents grew 0.9% whereas the amount to non-residents dropped 0.7%. Concurrently, the outstanding value of CRELs went up by 3.2% from end-January 2013 or 17.6% from end-February 2012 to MOP72.9 billion. Residents accounted for 91.3% of the loans. Compared with one month earlier, outstanding CRELs to residents and non-residents grew 3.5% and 0.5% respectively. Delinquency Ratios At the end of February 2013, the delinquency ratio for RMLs stood at 0.06%, which was largely unchanged from one month earlier but down 0.02 percentage points from a year ago. The ratio for CRELs went down 0.01 percentage point from end-January 2013 but up 0.07 percentage points from end-February 2012 to 0.16%.
…

The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, convened an inter-departmental meeting today to evaluate surveillance measures taken to prevent the spread of the H7N9 avian influenza virus from the Mainland, and to detail prevention and control plans.
The meeting was attended by the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Florinda Chan, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Cheong U, the Director-General of the Macao Customs, Mr Choi Lai Hang, and heads of other bureaux including Government Information, Civic and Municipal Affairs, Public Security Police Force, Fire Services, Health, Macau Government Tourist Office, and Environment Protection.
Mr Chui listened to reports from various departments and evaluated the chances of the virus passing into Macao, after taking into consideration the latest information from the National Health and Family Planning Commission, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the World Health Organization and the neighboring regions.
He vowed that prevention of the virus and protecting the lives and properties of people of Macao is top of the Government's agenda. Since Macao has a high density population, the Government will raise the level of prevention and control plan once the first case of H7N9 is reported in Macao or in the neighboring regions.
If this happened, the Government might sacrifice short-term economic interests to achieve its goal. The Government will also release information in a timely manner to the public.
He said the Government would continue to collect information from different channels with the Mainland and Hong Kong, and he called on the public to remain calm as the Government has sufficient medicines to fight the virus.
So far no H7N9 avian influenza virus case has been reported in Macao.
…

After learning about the tragic news of the earthquake in Ya'an, Sichuan province, University of Macau (UM) students lost no time in organising a series of activities to help the earthquake victims. They prayed on the various social networking websites for people affected by the earthquake, and kicked off a one-week fundraising campaign today (22 April). In addition to the fundraising campaign, UM students will also organise a candlelight vigil, a charity ice cream sale, and a "blessing card" activity. They plan to put more donation boxes on campus to try to raise as much money as possible. UM also plans to provide full scholarships to three students from the earthquake-affected area to encourage them to continue with their studies and to stay positive in the face of the tragic disaster. A counselling team has been established to provide help to UM students who need assistance or emotional support. The donation boxes can be found at the East Asia College (EAC), the Pearl Jubilee College (PJC), the Honours College (HC), the ninth floor of the East Asia Hall, and the Student Centre. All donations received will be delivered to the Macau SAR Red Cross. The disaster relief activities have received great support from UM staff and students. The following UM units have been involved in the organisation of the activities—the China Mainland Students Association, the Postgraduate Association, the Students' Union, the Student Affairs Office, the Communications Office, the Academic Affairs Office, the Alumni and Development Office, the Global Affairs Office, HC, EAC, and PJC.
…

Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) organizes a series of events in Korea to promote diversified travel routes together with the trade partners and attract different types of Korean visitors to Macau. MGTO holds various functions in Seoul and Busan, Korea during April 22 and 25 including a press conference, the opening ceremony of "Vibrant Colours of Macau Photo Exhibition", a sharing session about photography, the award ceremony of "Macau Travel" Photography Contest, Macau Travel Mart and so forth. "Vibrant Colours of Macau Photo Exhibition" was launched at Insa Art Center in Seoul today (April 22) officially as a two-week event. MGTO Deputy Director Manuel Pires, Head of Overseas Marketing Department of Korea Tourism Organization, Kim Kee Hun, Macau's amateur photographer Antonio Leong and heads of several Korean travel agencies hosted the ceremony. The award ceremony of "Macau Travel" Photography Contest was also held at the occasion. Around 200 Korean contestants who once visited Macau submitted their photographic works for the contest. The contest's top ten works and Leong's photo works were showcased together at "Vibrant Colours of Macau Photo Exhibition" under the theme of four colours – "Red, Yellow, Green and Purple" to bring forth Macau's bright characteristics from different visual angles. Leong and the acclaimed Korean travel photographer, Park Sungbin hosted the Macau Photo Story Seminar, a session where they shared their experiences in travel photography and depicted enchanting stories about Macau through their photo works, winning great applause among the audience. During the function, MGTO and Korean travel agencies also jointly presented the 4-day Macau photography tour package which includes a travel route around the World Heritage "Historic Centre of Macau", Cotai District and Coloane, etc. They invited Park Sungbin to join the tour as well. Many attendees showed deep interest in the itinerary. During the press conference on the day, Deputy Director Pires remarked that several popular Korean movies and TV dramas have manifested the captivating scenes of Macau as a "World Centre of Tourism and Leisure" through different angles. The Korean market is therefore familiar with the beauty of Macau attractions. It is hoped that by launching a series of photography functions, more Korean visitors are prompted to enjoy a trip in Macau with different style. MGTO will continue to adopt specific promotion strategies which target the market nature of different countries or regions in order to attract various visitor groups and enrich the diverse combinations of visitor-source markets.
…

The Macao Government is donating 100 million patacas to support relief works in Ya' an, Sichuan Province, and will send medical material and teams to the disaster area if needed. The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, said the Government and the people of Macao are deeply concerned for people in Ya'an, which was hit by a 7-magnitude earthquake on 20 April, killing more then 180. Mr Chui expressed his deepest condolences and sympathy to the victims and their families when he made calls to Secretary of the Sichuan Provincial CPC Committee, Mr Wang Dongming, and to the Governor of Sichuan Province, Mr Wei Hong. On behalf of the people of Macao, he sincerely wished the injured would recover soon and homes rebuilt as soon as possible, said the Chief Executive. The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Cheong U, was appointed to contact Sichuan Government through Macao's supporting committee for the reconstruction works in Sichuan which was established in 2008, to get the latest information on the relief work in Ya'an. Mr Chui instructed the supporting committee to keep in closer contact with Sichuan to understand the actual needs of the victims and to make supporting plans accordingly.
…

Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the Composite CPI (121.11) for March 2013 increased by 4.95% year-on-year, attributable to higher charges for eating out and rising rentals for dwellings. In comparison with March 2012, notable increase was observed in the price index of Housing & Fuels (+8.46%) and Health (+6.81%), which was caused by higher rentals for dwellings and charges for out-patient services; however, price index of Education and Communication decreased by 3.13% and 2.88% respectively. The CPI-A (121.08) and CPI-B (121.61) increased by 5.45% and 4.90% respectively year-on-year. As the effect of the Lunar New Year faded out, the Composite CPI for March 2013 decreased by 0.29% month-to-month. Price index of Recreation & Culture and Clothing & Footwear fell by 6.23% and 2.90% respectively due to reduced charges for package tours and seasonal sale of Winter clothing. The CPI-A and the CPI-B decreased by 0.15% and 0.28% respectively month-to-month. For the 12 months ended March 2013, the average Composite CPI increased by 5.88% from the preceding period, of which the price index of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (+24.13%) and Housing & Fuels (+8.14%) rose significantly, while index of Communication decreased by 3.01%. The average CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 6.33% and 5.99% respectively. The average Composite CPI for the first quarter of 2013 increased by 5.38% year-on-year; the average CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 5.94% and 5.30% respectively year-on-year. The 2008/2009-based Composite CPI reflects the impact of price changes on the general population. The CPI-A relates to about 50% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP6,000 to MOP18,999. The CPI-B relates to about 30% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP19,000 to MOP34,999.
…

The Tourism Crisis Management Office (GGCT) is paying close attention to the strong earthquake that occurred this morning (20 April) in Lushan County, Ya'an City, Sichuan province and maintaining close contacts with the tourism industry for further developments. According to the information provided by the tourism industry, there is no Macao tour group in Sichuan. Only two Macao residents have joined a HK tour group to travel Sichuan's Jiuzaikou Valley (Valley of Nine Villages) - a nature reserve and national park located in northern Sichuan province of south-western China. They are all safe. So far GGCT has not received any calls for assistance or information. Macao residents may call the 24-hour Tourism Hotline at (853) 2833 3000 for assistance if necessary.
…

Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) joined hands with Macau Economic Services, Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute and the representatives of 26 enterprises from local travel industry to promote Macau business and incentive tourism in "Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings China 2013" (IT&CM China 2013) in Shanghai during April 17 – 19. The expo was held in Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center in Pudong, Shanghai this year. MGTO ran a booth themed around Macau and promoted the Incentive Travel Stimulation Program among the trade and incentive-travel organizers in the event. The booth also showcased Macau's latest business tourism trend and products to the industry buyers. The MGTO representatives attended the inaugural ceremony and welcome dinner of the expo on April 17 as well as the "TTG China Travel Awards 2013 Ceremony" on April 19, an evening occasion when MGTO was awarded the Best Tourism Organization in China. IT&CM China enjoys wide recognition as China's prominent business and exchange platform for professional Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE). It also serves as one of the leading business travel fairs in the Asia-Pacific region and an effective platform in the region to promote business and incentive travel. In addition to business and networking activities, the event program this year mainly comprised forums, seminars and talks hosted by experienced professionals. IT&CM China 2013 attracted over 3,000 MICE professionals from different sectors including MICE companies, tourism enterprises and related associations to explore business, education and exchange opportunities in the 3-day event. Over 400 buyers were invited to the expo which held 60 relevant meetings and more than 10,000 business appointments.
…