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According to the Fiscal Reserve Act that came into effect at the outset of this year, the fiscal reserves and foreign exchange reserves are managed under separate accounts. The assets allocated from the foreign exchange reserves to the fiscal reserves will be reflected in fiscal reserve accounts, which will be disseminated regularly in the future. Due to the official transfer of the relevant assets last month, the preliminary estimate of Macao SAR's foreign exchange reserves fell to MOP126.7 billion (USD15.86 billion) at the end of February 2012, as against the revised value of MOP283.3 billion (USD35.46 billion) at end-January. Macao SAR's foreign exchange reserves at end-February 2012 represented 18 times the currency in circulation or 152.5% of Pataca M2 at end-January 2012. 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, fell by 0.52 points month-to-month and 0.13 points year-on-year to 88.08 in February 2012. For enquiry, please contact:
Research and Statistics Department, Monetary Authority of Macao (Tel: 83952532; Fax: 28353042)
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In 2011, a total of 490 applications for temporary residency for managerial personnel, technical and professional qualification holders were received by the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) (an decrease of 52 compared with last year), 65 applications for major investment and major investment plans (an increase of 29 compared with last year), representing 88.29% and 11.71% of the total of 555 new applications in 2011. Approved cases for managerial personnel, technical and professional qualification holders amounted to 412 (a decrease of 126 compared with last year), approved applications for major investment and major investment plans totalled 10 (a decrease of 12 compared with last year). In accordance with the Administrative Regulation No. 7/2007, temporary residency applications for fixed asset purchases have been suspended since 4 April 2007. There were over 4,000 applications lodged before the closing date of the policy and are still being processed. Therefore, there were no new residency applications for fixed assets purchases in 2011 while all of the 38 already approved cases were lodged before 4 April 2007. Statistics of Temporary Residency Applications and the Cases and Number of People Approved in 2011 See attachment! Remarks：Figures of fixed assets approved applications only include those registered cases as of 4 April 2007 when the Administrative Rules were in effect, figures of approved cases in other categories include all applications submitted during and before 2011. For further enquiries on the residency application guidelines, please contact IPIM by visiting the website: www.ipim.gov.mo, email: gjfr@ipim.gov.mo, tel: 28712055 or fax: 28713950. Applicants may also visit the website and enquire about the progress of their residency application status.
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The theme of the International Museum Day this year is "Museums in a Changing World: New challenges, new inspirations." Communications Museums is organizing the "Seminars of International Museum Day 2012" in May. The objective is not only to allow local museum professionals to acquire new knowledge, broaden their vision in museum management and service provision, but also to provide a platform for the general public, especially teachers and students, to have a deeper understanding of museums' roles and, therefore, increase their influence in the community. The first seminar, which is for Museum professionals, will be held at the Auditorium of Communications Museum in the afternoon of May 4. The organizer has invited Ms. SIU Kai Kuen, Chief Curator of Hong Kong Museum of History and Mr. SZETO Yuen Kit, Curator (Xubaizhai) of Hong Kong Museum of Art to deliver speeches on "Hong Kong Museum of History under new thoughts" and "Beyond exhibition – The curatorial concept of modern museum", respectively. The second seminar, which is for the general public, is co-organized by the Macao Polytechnic Institute and the Education & Youth Bureau. It will be held at at the Auditorium of Macao Polytechnic Institute in the afternoon of May 5,. Citizens, teachers and students are welcome to attend the seminar. The organizer has invited Professor LI Wen Ru, Ph.D., Deputy Director of the Palace Museum, Beijing to introduce the "Development trend of museums in China"; Professor SUN Wei Hsin, Ph.D., Director General of the National Museum of Natural Science, Taichung to discuss "Life is short, why don't we explore the interest of knowledge? – The role of museums in lifetime education for the general public."; and Associate Professor VAI Mang I, Ph.D. to talk about "A life of science popularization – How to develop interest in science?". The seminar is free of charge, and it is also recognized as a "Training Programme for Educators". Registration will be accepted from now till April 30. Seats are limited and first-come-first-served. For more information of the seminars and registration, please visit http://macao.communications.museum or contact Communications Museum for details (Telephone: 28718063 / 28718570; Fax: 28718018; Email: info@macao.communications.museum).
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that visitor arrivals in package tours surged by 43.6% year-on-year to 634,993 in January 2012, attributable to the Lunar New Year holidays. Visitors from Mainland China (424,234) increased by 34.1%, with 176,498 from Guangdong Province. Moreover, visitors from Taiwan, China (60,273); Hong Kong (41,877); and the Republic of Korea (34,428) soared by 151.5%, 139.0% and 43.2% respectively year-on-year. Outbound residents travelling in package tours increased by 44.1% year-on-year to 26,272 in January 2012. The most popular tour itineraries were Mainland China (69.5% of total); Malaysia (6.4%); and Taiwan, China (5.1%), with 13,532 travelling to Guangdong Province. Meanwhile, outbound residents travelling under own arrangements using services of travel agencies soared by 56.5% year-on-year to 67,383; the main destinations were Mainland China (59.4% of total); Hong Kong (21.2%); and Taiwan, China (7.5%). Number of available guest rooms of the 95 hotels and guest-houses reached 22,338 at the end of January 2012, an increase of 2,239 rooms (+11.1%) year-on-year, with those of the 5-star hotels accounting for 63.5% of the total. Hotels and guest-houses received 699,233 guests in January 2012, an increase of 9.1% year-on-year; the average length of stay increased by 0.02 night to 1.5 nights. The average occupancy rate of hotels and guest-houses stood at 79.1%, down by 0.4 percentage point year-on-year; average occupancy rate of the hotels was 79.6%, with 5-star hotels reaching 81.3%. In January 2012, visitor-guests accounted for 59.1% of the total number of tourists (overnight visitors), lower than 63.7% in January 2011.
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The 59th Macau Grand Prix will be held from November 15 – 18, 2012. This year's programme includes three headline races: the Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix; the FIA World Touring Car Championship – Guia Race of Macau (FIA WTCC); the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix; and four support races.
This year, the Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix - the FIA Formula 3 Intercontinental Cup - celebrates its 30th anniversary. This isthe race every young driver wants to win,on thedemanding Guia street circuit, on their way to the world stage and Formula 1. Seventeen ofthis season's 24 Formula 1 drivers have raced at the Macau Grand Prix, including the youngest-ever two-time F1 World Champion, Sebastian Vettel. The new FIA WTCC season kicked off on March 11 at Italy's Monza circuit. There will be a total of 24 rounds this season, and for the eighth consecutive year, the two final rounds will be held on the famous Guia Circuit. On the grid, former-Formula One driversand up-and-coming talent doing battle for the title. The Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix - 46th Edition, has a long and fascinating history. Recognised as one of the world's most challenging two-wheel road races, each year it attracts an entry of elite riders from Europe, North America and Asia Pacific.This year, the entry system will be enhanced with the aim of creating an even more competitive race. Details will be announced in the regulations. The support race programme once again includes the Macau GT Cup, the Macau Touring Car Cup, the Macau Road Sport Challenge, and the MAC/HKG Interport Race. With a full grid which includes some of the world's top sportscar drivers, the Macau GT Cup is a favorite with fans, particularly those from Hong Kong, Macau and across the Asian region. Last year, the race attracted Edoardo Mortara, who made historyin 2010 by becoming the only driver ever to win the Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix twice. Mortara took victory in the 2011 Macau GT Cup in his Audi R8 LMS, while Le Mans class winner Danny Watts of Great Britain gave the McLaren MP4 its Asian debut at Macau. Local and Hong Kong drivers look forward to competing in the Macau Touring Car Cup, the Macau Road Sport Challenge, and the MAC/HKG Interport Race. Qualification races for local drivers will be held viathe Macau Touring Car series, organized by the Automobile General Association Macao-China (AAMC), in April and May. The races allow local competitors to gain experienceahead of the November GrandPrix showcase. Tickets for this year's 59th Macau Grand Prix are on sale now, with prices ranging from MOP50.00 for practice days to MOP900.00 for the Lisboa Stand on race days. Book your tickets now with the Macau Grand Prix Committee at (853) 87962210 / (853) 87962242 or email: macaugp@cgpm.gov.mo. For details, please visit the Official Website: http://www.macau.grandprix.gov.mo/.
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15th March is 'World Consumer Rights Day'. Consumer Council, along with Legal Affairs Bureau (DSAJ), will co-host a carnival at Iao Hon market Garden to promote the regulations and services of Consumer Arbitration Centre. The carnival will be held on 15th March, from 12PM to 2PM, booth games, legal counselling services on consumer arbitration, and on-site quiz games, etc. will be available. Residents are welcome to participate in this activity. Consumer Council pointed out that since the article on the meaning of 'consumer dispute' under the regulations of Consumer Arbitration Centre has been modified recently to define the scope of cases accepted by Consumer Arbitration Centre, the Council and DSAJ therefore co-host a series of events to celebrate 'World Consumer Rights Day' and to promote the regulations of Macao Consumer Arbitration Centre. Consumer Council indicated that 444 cases have been successfully mediated or arbitrated since the establishment of the Arbitration Centre on 15th March, 1998. The opening ceremony of the said carnival will be held on 15th March at 12PM by members of Consumer Council's General committee, and DSAJ. Aside from the carnival, an online quiz will also be held by both Consumer Council and DSAJ. Participants who have correct answers to 20 random questions will be entitled to a draw and 20 winners will be drawn and awarded with MOP1,000 each. Residents interested in the quiz are welcome to visit Consumer Council's website (www.consumer.gov.mo) and DSAJ's website (www.dsaj.gov.mo) to participate in the online quiz from 9AM, 15th March, to 5PM, 14th April. Terms and conditions as well as how to enter the quiz will all be available on the two departments' websites. For inquiry, please call 8988-9315.
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At present, a total of 95 countries and territories have agreed to grant visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to the Macao SAR passport holders. Among them, the Republic of Serbia is the 94th country that has agreed to grant visa-free access to the Macao SAR passport holders and Brunei Darussalam is the 95th country that has agreed to grant visa-free access to the Macao SAR passport holders.
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(12 March 2012) The Government Information Bureau (GCS) today introduced an iPad App for Macao Yearbook after the successful launch of the Macao Yearbook iPhone App late last year. The App allows users to download the entire Macao Yearbook or parts of the publication for convenient browsing on the iPad. The new iPad App and the updated version of the Yearbook iPhone App offer free downloads of the latest edition of the Macao Yearbook as well as the full texts of the Macao Yearbook published in the previous five years. In addition, the App has individual sections on Macao Facts; Highlights of the Annual Policy Address; Major Events; and Principal Officials to give users a quick glance at Macao. The section on Macao Facts provides tables and charts for easy comparison of data in different years. The App is available for free download at the App Store in three languages, namely Chinese, Portuguese and English. Users can search the App with the key word "Macao Year Book" or "Macau – Livro do Ano"; alternatively it can be downloaded through a link on the Government Information Bureau's website www.gcs.gov.mo. The Macao Yearbook is a reference book published annually by the Government Information Bureau. It outlines major events and changes made in the course of Macao's political, economic, social and cultural development. It aims to promote Macao and provide detailed information and data for all who wish to study and understand Macao.
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Guangdong and Macao Consumer Council recently conducted a test on biscuits, pastries and extruded foods, result showed that 4 out of 50 samples collected in Guangdong province were tested unsatisfactory while all 20 samples collected in Macao complied with the testing standards. Macao Consumer Council, in collaboration with Guangdong Consumer Council, conducted a test on biscuits, pastries, and extruded foods in late 2011 to early 2012, taking 50 samples from Guangdong province and 20 samples from Macao. The two Councils tested the mentioned food products in 16 criteria, including their acid value, peroxide value, amount of bacteria contained, coliform bacteria, molds, sulfur dioxide, aluminum, saccharin sodium, cyclamate, acesulfame-K, benzoic acid, sorbic acid, protein, fat, vitamin C and product label, etc. All tests were conducted according to standards adopted nationally and within the industry. Since different regulations are being used in Guangdong and Macao regarding the labeling of pre-packed foods, the 20 samples collected locally were compared with the labeling regulation used in Macao instead of the one adopted in mainland China. To sum up, only 4 samples (all collected in Guangdong) out of the total 70 samples collected failed the test; all samples collected in Macao were satisfactory; overall passing rate was almost 95%. Manufacturers of the said failing products had been requested by Guangdong Consumer Council to improve the quality of foods, while Macao Consumer Council calls on businesses to ensure the safety and hygienic condition of all products, as well as to comply with the food labeling regulation.
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The Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) is informed by the Consulate General of Brunei Darussalam in Hong Kong that, holders of the Macao SAR Passport have been exempted from visa requirements when entering Brunei Darussalam for a stay of maximum 14 days since 28 January 2012. At present, a total of 94 countries and territories have agreed to grant visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to the Macao SAR passport holders, while 9 countries have agreed to grant the visa-free access to the Macao SAR Travel Permit holders.
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