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Up to 6:00 p.m. on the second day (30 March) of the 2012 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Exhibition and Forum (2012 MIECF), the Organisers have arranged 332 business matching and negotiation sessions, which resulted in the signing of 14 co-operation projects. Agreements signed involved co-operation in eco-tourism, air purification, sewage treatment and gas saving technology, sales of solar photoelectricity, and greeen construction projects. Most of the protocols were signed by Macao, Hong Kong and Mainland China companies or institutions. The exhibition will be opened to the public tomorrow from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total spending (excluding gaming expenses) of visitors reached MOP 45.3 billion in 2011, up notably by 20% from MOP 37.9 billion in 2010. Total non-shopping spending amounted to MOP 22.9 billion, a surge of 23% in comparison with MOP 18.6 billion over 2010, while total shopping spending increased by 16% to MOP 22.4 billion. The total spending and per-capita spending of visitors were extrapolated from 191,500 effective questionnaires collected in 2011. In 2011, per-capita spending of visitors amounted to MOP 1,619, up by 7% over 2010. Analyzed by place of residence, per-capita spending of Mainland visitors stood at MOP 2,048 and that of visitors from Japan at MOP 1,360; Oceania at MOP 1,348; and Southeast Asia at MOP 1,288. Per-capita spending of overnight visitors and same-day visitors increased by 10% and 6% year-on-year to MOP 2,777 and MOP 626 respectively. Per-capita non-shopping spending of visitors amounted to MOP 817, up by 10% year-on-year, with expenses on Accommodation and Food & Beverage accounting for the largest share of 47% and 36% respectively. Per-capita non-shopping spending of Japanese visitors took the lead at MOP 1,213, and that of overnight visitors from Taiwan, China was MOP 2,078. Per-capita shopping spending of visitors was MOP 801, an increase of 4% year-on-year over 2010, with Local Food Products (24%), Jewellery & Watches (19%) and Clothing (19%) being the more popular shopping items. Per-capita shopping spending of overnight and same-day Mainland visitors topped at MOP 1,923 and MOP 670 respectively. In 2011, total number of visitor arrivals reached 28,002,279, up by 12% year-on-year, with 7,307,438 (26% of the total) travelling in package tours, up by 27%. The majority of visitors were from Mainland China (16,162,747); Hong Kong (7,582,923); Taiwan, China (1,215,162); the Republic of Korea (398,807); and Japan (396,023), while visitors from Americas and Europe totalled 310,608 and 251,748 respectively. At the end of 2011, there were 95 hotels and guest-houses operating in the hotel sector; total number of available guest rooms increased by 11% year-on-year to 22,356. The average occupancy rate of hotels and guest-houses stood at 84.1%, up by 4.3 percentage points from 2010; the average occupancy rate of hotels was 84.8%. Meanwhile, hotels and guest-houses received 8,612,127 guests, up by 11% year-on-year; the average length of stay of guests edged down by 0.01 night to 1.5 nights.
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Tourism Authorities of Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macau held a work meeting in Zhuhai, on March 27, to set the plans for 2012 joint promotional activities and the tourism contingency mechanism for the three regions. Zhuhai Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sports and Tourism, assumed chairmanship this year of the cooperation mechanism between the tourism authorities of the three cities, presented the plan of joint promotional activities for 2012, which includes, in April, a promotional seminar in Mainland China about the tourism of the three regions; and in August, a joint marketing activity in India. It is also planned for this year the production of marketing materials to promote the three destinations, enabling visitors to easily identify the regional attractions and better prepare its travel itinerary. Due to the increase of multi-destination tourism demand and number of visitors in the three regions, the tourism authorities agree that it is necessary to strengthen cooperation and improve industry management, to ensure the quality of the tourist services in Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macau, as well as to set a joint tourism contingency mechanism. The meeting started with a Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) presentation about the joint promotion activities' achievements in 2011, namely in the Zhongshan, Zhuhai, Macau, Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Jiangmen joint marketing activities, held last March, in Southeast Asia. Also last May, during a tourist marketing event of Hubei Province in Macau, it was held a meeting between the tourism authorities of Zhongshan, Zhuhai, Macau and Hubei to increase the number of visitors to the region by taking advantage of high-speed train Wuhan -Guangzhou and Guangzhou-Zhuhai, and to enhance tourism cooperation in the Pearl River Delta and Mainland China. A promotional event in Nanjing under the tourism theme of Sun Yat-Sen and the hundredth anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution was also conducted to promote the three regions. In February this year, it was organized a joint marketing event at Lisbon Travel Market to promote a multi-destination product of the three cities. The meeting was attended by the Director of MGTO João Manuel Costa Antunes, the Director of Zhuhai Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Liu Fuxiang, and Deputy Director Wang Chunjiang, and also by the Director and Deputy Director of Zhongshan Municipal Tourism Bureau, Che Wei and Dong Zuwen respectively. Under the Cooperation Memorandum, signed in 2006, the three regions increased the tourism cooperation, under the promotional theme of the Fragrant Hill region and historical links to Sun Yat-sen, in Mainland China and overseas to create a regional tourism hallmark. In the last six years, the three destinations had carried joint tourist promotions in Wuhan, Nanjing, Taipei, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Portugal, Spain and other countries to attract new visitors from overseas and Mainland China to visit Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macau.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total merchandise export for February 2012 amounted to MOP653 million, up notably by 82.4% year-on-year compared with the Lunar New Year holidays in February 2011; value of re-exports (MOP481 million) and domestic exports (MOP172 million) surged by 97.3% and 50.5% respectively. Total merchandise import amounted to MOP5.71 billion, up by 64.4% year-on-year. Merchandise trade deficit amounted to MOP5.06 billion in February 2012. In the first two months of 2012, total value of merchandise export increased by 25.9% year-on-year to MOP1.27 billion, of which value of re-exports and domestic exports rose by 38.7% and 3.1% respectively; meanwhile, total value of merchandise import increased by 35.9% to MOP11.35 billion. Merchandise trade deficit for the first two months of 2012 widened by 37.2% year-on-year to MOP10.08 billion. Merchandise export to Hong Kong (MOP661 million) and Mainland China (MOP162 million) in the first two months of 2012 increased by 42.1% and 26.0% respectively year-on-year. Export of Non-textile (MOP1.09 billion) expanded by 36.1%, of which exports of Machines & apparatus, parts & accessories thereof (MOP161 million) and Articles for casino (MOP59 million) surged by 212.4% and 266.9% respectively; however, exports of Textile & garment declined by 13.2% to MOP180 million. In the first two months of 2012, merchandise import from Mainland China (MOP3.47 billion) and the EU (MOP2.76 billion) expanded by 43.9% and 25.4% respectively year-on-year. Imports of Consumer goods rose by 35.6% to MOP6.96 billion, with imports of Watches (MOP797 million), Handbags & wallets (MOP697 million) and Motor cars & motorcycles (MOP422 million) increasing by 58.4%, 57.8% and 61.5% respectively. Moreover, imports of Capital goods (MOP2.12 billion) registered year-on-year increase of 43.2%. In the first two months of 2012, total value of external merchandise trade amounted to MOP12.62 billion, up by 34.8% compared with MOP9.36 billion a year earlier.
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Green Business Co-operation Day was held in the afternoon of the first day of the 2012 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum and Exhibition (2012MIECF) to explore Energy Efficiency and E-Mobility, two issues that are drawing special attention in recent years. Government officials, experts and academics from various regions explored market developments in environmental industry, in particular, Energy Efficiency and E-Mobility. With regards to energy efficiency, Mr. Liu Xueshan, Deputy Director of Bureau of Environmental Protection, Guangzhou Nansha Economic and Technological Development Zone shared with the audience the experience of the said development zone in improving energy efficiency spanning over a decade. He pointed out that the relevant authorities, in order to prevent damage to the ecological environment in the vicinity of Nansha Development Zone, since the very beginning of the development works, has committed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of energy use. He said that the specific works include several aspects, as follows: firstly, promote the use of clean energy so as to reduce pollutant emissions; secondly, by gathering the industries and providing centralized heating sources, help to reduce pollutant emissions from the SMEs´ boilers; thirdly, make full use of renewable energy, such as the use of wind and solar power for lighting in the rural areas; fourthly, development of new low-carbon energy technologies and respective promotion to different industries; fifthly, use environment-friendly traffic management and planning and construction of green facilities, to lead the use of clean energy in public transport, playing in this regard a role model. Lastly, establish a policy where public buildings should use energy-saving technologies. Mr. Wilfred Chan, Asia Pacific Sustainability Portfolio Manager of British Standards Institution (BSI) made a presentation on how companies can save cost and improve energy efficiency by using energy management standards. During the panel discussion on E-Mobility, Mr. Paul Lin, Senior Manager of Overseas Marketing Dept of BYD said that China is the world´s largest car market and that taxis in Mainland China has already reached 1.2 million units, pointing out that the large public system offers a huge potential for electric vehicles. He believes that, under the guidance of the Chinese government, the car market has the potential to enter into an all-electric era, the reason being that, apart from reducing carbon dioxide emissions, it also involves the country´s energy security issues, given that China´s oil reserves will only be sufficient to maintain the entire oil system in operation for two days and that in the event of the Middle East temporarily suspending oil supply, China will face serious problems. In this case, electric vehicles could reduce the pressure on energy supply. Mr. Lin believes that, as the government gradually promotes the electric buses and taxis, acceptance of electric vehicles by the public will increase and the surge of the popularity of private electric vehicles will soon occur. The use of electric cars is also a direction towards environmental protection in Macao. Mr. Antonio Peres Diniz, Senior Manager of Special Projects of Companhia de Electricidade de Macau – CEM, S.A. revealed that CEM has started preparations for the installation of electric car charging stations so as to prepare for the charging of electric vehicles in the future. In addition to hardware configuration, software support is also an important aspect that should be considered, he added. Dr. Stefan Ferber, Director for Communities & Partner Networks at Bosch Software Innovations GmbH pointed out that, unlike conventional cars, electric car must be linked to the grid to operate and rely on the internet and an automated management system to protect traffic safety. The Green Business Co-operation Day is jointly organized by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), AICEP Portugal Global, the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, Macao Chamber of Commerce, European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, the American Chamber of Commerce in Macau, and the European Union Business Information Programme (EUBIP). The Green Business Co-operation Day is one of the most important activities in 2012MIECF, which also includes a networking reception and signing ceremony for co-operation agreements in investment projects. The launching ceremony was presided over by Mr. Tam Pak Yuen, Secretary for Economy and Finance of Macao SAR, Mr. Gao Shangde, Senior Assistant Director-General of Economic Affairs Department of Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macau SAR, Mr. Liu Fenghua, Deputy Secretary General of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Mr. Jackson Chang, President of Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, Mr. Ma Iao Lai, President of Macao Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Stefan Amarasinha, First Secretary of the European Union Office to Hong Kong and Macao, Ms. Mariana Oom, Trade & Investment Commissioner for Hong Kong & Macau, AICEP Portugal Global , Mr. Paul Tse, Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Macau, Mr. Jean-Baptiste Wallaert, Chair of PRD Environment Working Group, European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, and Mr. Jens-Erick Olsen, Vice Chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.
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The 2012 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum & Exhibition (2012) is currently taking place at the Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel. During the 3-day event, exhibitors will make use of the green trade and commercial platform in tapping local, Mainland and international markets, and also grab the opportunity to promote their innovative environment-friendly products. In view of the current trend of energy conservation and low emission, MIECF exhibitors seize the business opportunities and are therefore showcasing their latest environmentally-friendly vehicles with related technologies and accessories. ResoPark, a Portuguese company participating in the MIECF for the first time, has been operating in Macao for two years, its main line of business is a smart car parking system, using sensor and lighting signage to help locate available parking spaces, thus reducing energy waste and pollution for drivers in search of their cars. According to Mr. Ricardo Vieira, ResoPark´s Business Manager, the said system will facilitate drivers and believes that it has considerable market potential. He also hopes that the smart system will help Macao to reduce air pollution and improve energy efficiency. On the other hand, NEC Hong Kong Limited is participating in the Green Showcase for the first time. The company's Business Manager said that the environmental products on display by NEC include a high power charging system for electric vehicle, where a 10-minute charge-time will be sufficient for a car to travel 50 kilometres. He said that the system has been in operation in Hong Kong, and hopes that MIECF will assist his company to open Macao and international markets, especially for green products. European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong is participating in the MIECF for the fourth time. The Vice Chairman, Mr. Jens-Erik Olsen, said that Macao has the potential of becoming the most environmentally-friendly city in China, but it is important to adjust the habit of the general public in their mode of transport, and reduce the use of private cars and switch to mass transit rail system. He believes that an appropriate policy should be in place to reduce the number of vehicles on our roads. After the authorities have imposed heavy traffic tax, London's traffic conditions have improved, he said. OOU Trade Co., Ltd., from Guangzhou, is exhibiting their newly developed product – green lunch box. According to the agent of the said product, Mr. Ho, traditional PVC and recyclable lunch boxes increase the pollution problem and that the degradation of such boxes takes a hundred years, while burning will produce carcinogenic Dioxin. He said that his company uses corn as the raw material in the production of lunch boxes, and the degradation period is greatly reduced to 20 to 30 years. However, the technology and capital costs are high and therefore they are having a trial on lunch boxes and that if the reaction from the exhibition is positive, they will consider developing other products. There are over 390 exhibitors from 28 countries and regions participating in this year's MIECF. The Green Showcase includes the Pan-PRD Region Exhibition Zone, European Pavilion, USA Zone, International Exhibition Zone, Macao Exhibition Zone and Distinguished Exhibitors Zone, to promote the latest environmental technology.
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Hosted by the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region, the 2012 Macao International Environmental Protection and Exhibition Forum 2012 (2012MIECF) officially opened today (March 29). The Chief Executive of the Macao SAR, together with other officiating guests, presided over the respective lighting ceremony. Several keynote speakers delivered their speeches on the current direction and strategy for the development of the environmental protection in China, and, in line with the current world trend, to increase the dialogue and contact with other countries, to jointly promote a green economy. In his keynote speech, Mr. Wan Gang, Vice Chairman of the 11th National Committee of the People´s Political Consultative Conference and Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People´s Republic of China said that the industrial revolution was a great step forward for mankind, but was now facing unprecedented challenges. China, a developing country, is encountering a series of environmental problems, while pursuing the development path. He said that the Central Government of the People´s Republic of China has stressed the need to get an in-depth knowledge on the current development situation, in China as well as abroad, in order to achieve a scientific development, through restructuring in the development model, while promoting a development that covers all areas and is at the same time coordinated and sustainable, so as to develop a green economy through technology innovation. He stressed that the environmental industry, being one of the principal components of the green economy, has been designated by the Chinese government as one of the seven strategic emerging industries, and therefore priorities will be given for its development. Regarding the development of the economy and technology by the Macao SAR Government, Mr. Wan Gang said that, under the framework of the Agreement on Establishing a Technological Co-operation Committee by Mainland China and Macao signed between the Ministry of Science and Technology of the PRC and the Macao SAR, the two territories will co-operate in four sectors, namely, traditional Chinese medicine, information technology, energy conservation and environmental protection as well as popular science. He said that, at the end of 2010, the Ministry of Science and Technology has officially approved the setting up of two partner laboratories of State Key Laboratories in Macao. That the two territories also co-operate in the training of talents from the Portuguese-speaking countries in technology management, to avail of the advantages offered by Macao, this being also an important measure for the training of talents in the scientific and technological field for the country. Dr. Wan said that in July 2010, in Beijing, the Scientific and Technologic Division of the Ministry of Science and Technology of the PRC has signed with the Macao Environmental Protection Bureau of a Letter of Intent on the Study of Mainland and Macao Energy Efficiency and Environmental Protection Technological Co-operation, to reinforce the co-operation between the two territories, especially in the environmental field. At the same time, Minister Wan Gang hope that Mainland China and Macao will continue to co-operate in environmental protection, so that, under the 12th 5-Year Plan of the PRC, the co-operation scope could be widened, thus contributing to the green development of Macao. In his keynote speech, Mr. Zhao Penggao, Deputy Director General, Department of Resources Conservation and Environment Protection, National development and Reform Commission of the PRC, representing Mr. Xie Zhenhua, Vice Chairman of National Development and Reform Commission of the PRC said that the development of low carbon environment has already become a common idea of the international community and that strengthened international communications, and co-operation and technology exchange will benefit all countries, as this will lead for the stable growth of the economy, through energy saving and environmental protection. In Mr. Zhao´s opinion,as MIECF has an important and far-reaching significance by inviting different countries to explore issues concerning environmental protection and showcase latest advanced technologies in the environmental field . He said that China, while undergoing industrialization, urbanization and agricultural development, is facing challenges brought by its economic development, in particular in the improvement of the quality of life for the general public, environmental protection and climate changes. China is at present accelerating the restructuring of its economic development mode. He added that such restructuring would be innovative and comprehensive, and will be realized through improvement to the economic structure, higher efficiency and promotion of the well-being of the community. He added that experience in China and abroad has shown that energy conservation and environmental protection will lead to advancement in the economic restructuring, given that development will create market demand and provide a new impetus. Mr.. Zhao added that, in such case, companies could elevate the level of technology, improve operation efficiency and, for the people, it may bring improvement to the environment and improve the quality of the life. This is also a way for China to crack the resources and environment bottleneck, in the pursuit of sustainable development. The third speaker, Ms. Song Xiaozhi, Deputy Director General of Department of International Co-operation and deputy Director of Hong Kong and Macao Affairs, Office of Environmental Protection of the PRC, representing Mr. Zhou Shengxian, Minister of Environmental Protection of the PRC, said that the State Council of the PRC has convened two ordinary meetings last year, and four resolutions were passed, as follows: a) to ratify the environmental protection planning under the 12th 5-Year Plan of the PRC; b) promulgation of "Opinions Regarding the Reinforcement of Key Works in the Field of Environmental Protection"; c) approval for the revision of the air quality standard, to include PM2.5 in the monitoring list; and d) to convene the 7th National Environmental Conference. She said that, in accordance with the above important speech made by Vice Premier Li Keqiang, during the period covering the 12th 5-Year Plan, it is necessary to complete four missions and three major tasks as follows: 1) based on the active exploration of new environmental protection system, to enrich and improve the theories of environmental protection; 2) modify the Environmental Protection Law, to build a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework with regards to environmental protection; 3) rationalize and improve the environmental protection functions and organization systems; and 4) endeavour to substantially improve the quality of the environment. How to improve the environment is an eternal theme, this being the starting point and also the final goal. At present, we should focus on improving air, water, soil and other environmental quality standards, and gradually ensure the consistency of the monitoring system with the general public. The three main tasks are: 1. to improve the level of environment protection supervision and management, 2. to solve the outstanding environmental issues that affects a scientific development and causes damages to the health of the masses and 3. to reform the institutional mechanisms and introduce innovations to the environmental protection work. She said that over the last few years, China has launched a series of measures to develop a green, low-carbon and circular economy, through, principally, by making huge investments in the green industry, and the setting-up of emerging strategic industries for the production of new energies and biotechnology, and carry out pilot low carbon economy projects, in accordance with the principle "reduction, reutilization and transformation" of resources, by developing and applying appropriate advanced technologies.
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At the opening of Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum & Exhibition 2012 (2012MIECF), a Canadian environmental expert delivered keynote address to share with the audience his experience in green buildings. He believes that construction is closely related with climate change, and therefore innovative architectural design can improve energy efficiency and reduce pollution. Mr. Andrew Bowerbank, a GMF Council Member of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities delivered the keynote address. He pointed out that, currently 40% of the energy and another 40% from power generation. He said that the total population in 2008 was 6.5 billion and it is anticipated that by 2050, the global population will increase to 9 billion. Energy demand is therefore expected to be higher and will soon reach the critical point. Faced with growing energy demand and shortage of resources, he believes that every country will have the ability to reverse the current energy situation, by actively developing new energy and adopting the right technology strategy. He said that, since 2008, China has been investing heavily in renewable energy and energy efficiency, with an annual growth of 77%. In addition, Canada successfully implements low-carbon economic policy and is getting satisfactory results. Mr. Bowerbank said that construction and climate change is related to architectural design and we need to make changes in our generation, to make the best use of green buildings. He gave the example of the DCL Medical Centre in Canada, which selected low-carbon construction materials and a design featuring advantages such as low-density, fire and pest control and efficient insulation. He said that the construction is also sturdy and economical. Besides, the external appearance and components of the building also meet environmental protection goals, such as the use of perforated metal, solar panels and green roof. He also introduced several new environmental protection concepts, such as bionics, "vertical" farm and synthetic biology. Mr. Bowerbank is a respected authority on green buildings, smart-grid energy systems, industrial design, and low-carbon economics. He was the founding Executive Director of the World Green Building Council (2007-2010) as well as the founding Executive Director at the Canada Green Building Council - GTA Chapter. During his tenure with the WorldGBC, Mr. Bowerbank acted as Member Representative for the United Nations Environmental Programme with a specific goal to deliver a global framework for major carbon reductions in buildings and infrastructure.
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The Tourism Development Committee, an advisory body for making tourism development policies and strategies, held its inaugural plenary meeting today after the announcement of the appointment of its 47 members. The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, met with the members, affirmed their contribution and encouraged them to provide constructive suggestions to help make Macao a world leisure tourism centre to achieve substantial development of the society. The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Cheong U, who is chairman of the Committee, said in the meeting that the advisory body should endeavour to enhance the competitiveness of Macao's tourism industry. Four task force teams were set up in the meeting, to look at human resources, management on tourism marketing, transportation and infrastructure, and a study team on world leisure tourism centre. The appointed members are from related government departments and the tourism sector.
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Up to 6:00 p.m. on the first day (29 March) of the 2012 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Exhibition and Forum (2012 MIECF), the Organisers have arranged 285 business matching and negotiation sessions, which resulted in the signing of 15 co-operation projects. Agreements signed involved co-operation in green building technology, waster oil recycling, LED lights, green vehicles, and solar energy products. Most of the protocols were signed by Macao and mainland China companies or institutions, while the other signing parties were mostly from Hong Kong, the Netherlands and Brazil. Two forums are planned for tomorrow morning, namely " Why Green Buildings is the Key Player in Developing Sustainable Environments" and " Green Finance and Green Investment/Risk Management", and Mr Chris Zijdeveld, President of Dutch Passive Housing Foundation will give a keynote address themed "A Reachable Sustainable Future And Lessons Learned From Developed Countries", from 11:50 to 12:30. Three forums are schuduled to be held in the afternoon, namely "Environmental Policy and Low Carbon Economic Development", "Techniques and Equipments For Environmental Industry: Business Opportunities", and "Green Chemical Forum - Energy Conservation and Efficiency".
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