News

Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) Director João Manuel Costa Antunes led a delegation to take part in "The 25th International Travel Expo Hong Kong 2011" (ITE HK). This year, MGTO organized "Enjoy Macau in Style" Travel Seminar to promote quality tourism. The Macau delegation includes MGTO Director who officiate the opening ceremony, MGTO department and division heads, staffs and 39 Macau travel trade representatives. The Macau booth this year was specially designed to showcase the cultural exchange between East and West culture for over 400 years through lotus, the floral emblem of Macau and traditional Portuguese designs. On the other hand, an eye-catching installation, a crystal ball with Ruins of St. Paul's will highlight the promotional theme "Experience Macau". MGTO hosted an in-booth cocktail to greet approximately 200 Hong Kong travel trade partners, MICE organizers and media friends for networking and exchange. "Enjoy Macau in Style" Travel Seminar" will be held on June 11-12 (Public Days). The seminar will introduce diverse, most updated and stylish tourism products for visitors to enjoy Macau's unique difference through the five senses. Exclusive travel privileges will be launched for visitors to enjoy fun in Macau. Hong Kong has been the second largest tourist source market of Macau. Throughout the years, MGTO and its Hong Kong Representative pinpoint tourism characteristics of Hong Kong visitors and explore tourism resources to meet the demand. For the first 4 months of this year, Macau welcomed nearly 2.5 million Hong Kong visitors to Macau. ITE HK an annually held prime travel expo which attracts an international portfolio of exhibitors and visitors, providing a platform for mutual exchange among the travel industry. In order to position Macau as a leisure and business destination, MGTO actively participate in different programs of the expo to keep a direct contact with trade and public visitors. "The 25th International Travel Expo Hong Kong 2011" held from June 9-13 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre provides a platform for mutual exchange among the travel industry. This year, there are over 600 international exhibitors from 56 countries and regions taken part in the Expo.
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According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, on a monthly basis, broad money supply continued to grow in April. External loans contracted whereas deposits continued to grow. The total loan-to-deposit ratio therefore witnessed a decline. Money supply
Currency in circulation and demand deposits surged 0.2% and 7.8% respectively. M1 thus increased 6.6% when compared with the previous month. Meanwhile, quasi-monetary liabilities rose by 2.9%. M2 therefore increased by 3.4% to MOP267.8 billion. On an annual basis, M1 and M2 rose 13.4% and 23.5% respectively. The share of Pataca (MOP) in M2 stood at 26.9%, down 1.0 percentage point over a month ago and 0.9 percentage points from a year earlier. The share of Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) in M2 was 54.1%, up 0.9 percentage points month-to-month but down 0.6 percentage points year-on-year. Deposits
Resident deposits grew 3.5% from the previous month to MOP261.5 billion. Of which, MOP deposits dropped 0.2%, while HKD deposits and other foreign currency deposits increased at respective rates of 5.2% and 3.6%. Concurrently, non-resident deposits grew 3.0% to MOP88.9 billion and public sector deposits with the banking sector increased 1.7% to MOP22.0 billion. As a result, total deposits with the banking sector grew 3.3% from a month earlier to MOP372.4 billion. The shares of MOP and HKD in total deposits were 22.4% and 45.7% respectively. Loans
Domestic loans to the private sector increased 4.3% on a monthly basis to MOP145.9 billion. Among which, MOP38.8 billion was MOP-denominated and MOP94.8 billion was denominated in HKD, representing 26.6% and 65.0% of the total respectively. On the other hand, external loans contracted 1.2% to MOP146.3 billion; of which, loans denominated in MOP and HKD accounted for 0.3% (MOP0.4 billion) and 34.7% (MOP50.7 billion) respectively. Loan-to-deposit ratios
As domestic loans to the private sector grew faster than resident deposits, the loan-to-deposit ratio for the resident sector at end-April 2011 rebounded 0.5 percentage points month-to-month to 51.4%. The ratio for both the resident and non-resident sectors was 78.4%, down 1.4 percentage points from the previous month.
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The endorsement ceremony for Macao Hospitality and Tourism Industry Practitioners Fund was held today at Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT). Fifteen industry partners attended the event. The Fund is established by the University of Nevada Las Vegas Singapore Campus (UNLV) to provide additional scholarship to UNLV's Master of Hospitality Administration (MHA) Executive Program in Macao. The fifteen endorsers of the Fund include: ·Global Gaming Expo Asia (G2E Asia)
·Galaxy Entertainment Group
·Grand Emperor Hotel
·Grand Lisboa Macau
·Grand Hyatt Macau
·Holiday Inn Macau
·Hotel Lan Kwai Fong Macau
·Hotel Lisboa Macau ·L'Arc Macau
·Melco Crown Entertainment
·MGM MACAU
·Sands China Ltd.
·Shun Tak Holdings Limited
·Waldo Hotel Macao
·Wynn Macau Dr. Fanny Vong, President of IFT started the ceremony by delivering opening remarks, followed by Dean Donald D. Snyder, Dean of The William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Both expressed their gratitude to the industry partners for supporting the Fund which in turn helps to raise the level of tourism in Macao. UNLV's MHA programme is offered in partnership with the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) Macao. Both are committed to providing quality, comprehensive graduate education to industry professionals in Macao. The programme was launched in 2010 with an augural batch of 10 students among whom 6 are IFT alumni. IFT is proud of its graduates who are optimistic about the future of the tourism industry and are willing to invest time in further equipping themselves to get prepared for the upcoming opportunities and development in Macau. They will graduate at the end of this year and be invited to the graduation ceremony at UNLV Singapore Campus. This fund provides an opportunity for industry partners to show their support for members of the hospitality and tourism industry who wish to further their professional development through higher education. With this funding, students will receive additional scholarships to enroll in the UNLV Macao MHA programme at tuition of MOP121,000. Background on UNLV and IFT
UNLV has a 50-year history of academic excellence and its graduates can be found in key management positions in leading hotels throughout the world. The Singapore Campus, which opened in August 2006, is UNLV's first international campus and has a current student population of close to 500 students. UNLV's Singapore Campus is accredited in the United States and recognized by the Singapore Ministry of Education. IFT, established in 1995, is a public institution of higher education that offers degree and professional programs in a wide range of tourism-related disciplines such as hospitality, tourism business, heritage, events, retail and marketing, leisure and entertainment, sports and recreation, creative and cultural studies, and culinary arts. IFT has received various awards in recognition of its achievement in quality education. In 2008, IFT was awarded the "Medal of Merit for Tourism" by the Macao SAR Government for its contribution to the development of the tourism industry. Contact Information for media interview
For more information or to arrange for interviews with either Dr. Andy Nazarechuk, Dean of UNLV Singapore, or Dr. Fanny Vong, President of IFT Macao, please contact: For UNLV SingaporeMs. Jenny WeinmanManager of Graduate Programs(65) 6332-9538 ext. 610jennifer.weinman@unlv.edu.sg For IFT MacaoMs. Frida LawSenior Public Relations Officer (853) 8598-3182frida@ift.edu.mo
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The Historical Archives of Macao is the public repository of Macao's unique historical documentary heritage. It collects, processes, protects and makes available the enduring records of government supporting Macao's memory. In celebration of China Cultural Heritage Day and International Archives Day, the Historical Archives of Macao will hold an Open Day on 11 June to increase public awareness of the function and collection of the Archives, while an archives exhibition titled "How Many Are We?", which will also open on the same day, remains on display until 14 August. Census enumeration –creating a snapshot of the population based on a single moment in time- has been a part of administrative activity for centuries, providing benchmark information on the changes in the demographic structure and socio-economic characteristics of the population. The "How Many are We?" exhibition focuses on the development of census enumeration in Macao as reflected in information gathered by the Administration over the centuries. Records, plans, photographs and other historic materials from the Historical Archive's collection and items from the Macao Statistics and Census Service are on display. These records reflect the interaction between the Chinese and Portuguese communities in Macao, contributing to the rich fabric of social harmony that we see today. Members of the public are welcome to visit the exhibition at the Historical Archives of Macao (open Mon-Fri, 09:30-18.30, Sat & Sun, 10:00-18.00).Website of the Historical Archives of Macao: http://www.archives.gov.mo/en. For enquiries, please call 2859 2919.
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Since the law on "Prohibition of Providing Illegal Accommodation" took effect on August 13 2010, Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) sealed a total of 139 premises suspected to provide accommodation illegally. Six more operators are fined 200,000 patacas each.
Inspections involved investigations to a total of 641 occupants of premises suspected to provide accommodation illegally, including 34 overstayers and 28 illegal immigrants, whose cases are being follow up by police authorities. Macau Government Tourist Office has waged a total of 139 sanctions and 29 operators who provided accommodation illegally were fined 200 000 patacas each according to the law on "Prohibition of Providing Illegal Accommodation". To date, two operators have voluntarily paid the fine of 200 000 patacas within the statutory period. At the same time, 17 occupants who failed to fulfill their duty of cooperation were fined 3,000 patacas each, among which eight have already paid the fine.
For those who failed to pay the fine within the statutory period, MGTO has notified the Financial Services Bureau to enforce the collection of fine and informed PSP to deny reentry of the involved persons into Macau if they are non-residents.
MGTO together with PSP will carry on its operation to crack down illegal accommodation. Staff of Macau Government Tourist Office continues to check the premises to ensure they remain sealed and supply of water and electricity suspended. MGTO stressed that damaging the seal and resuming supply of water and electricity is a criminal offence which will be submitted to judicial entity for follow up.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the 3 hospitals had 564 doctors and 1,200 nurses in 2010. Number of in-patient beds totalled 1,172 and the occupancy rate of in-patient beds decreased slightly by 0.6 percentage point year-on-year to 73.2%. Besides, a total of 15,000 surgical operations and 294,000 emergency treatments were carried out in 2010. Meanwhile, there were 496 establishments providing primary health care services, with 376 being private clinics, engaging 758 doctors and 471 nurses. A total of 2,324,000 medical consultations were provided in 2010, up by 10.7% year-on-year. Attributable to the Influenza and Enterovirus Infection pandemic, as well as extension of the Healthcare Subsidy Scheme, medical consultations in private clinics soared by 21.0%. In 2010, the ratios of health professionals to the population held stable as 2009, with number of doctors and nurses per 1,000 population staying at 2.4 and 2.8 respectively. Number of in-patient beds per 1,000 population, increased from 2.0 beds in 2009 to 2.1 beds in 2010. Number of blood donors increased by 6.6% year-on-year to 9,919 in 2010 and the median age was 26.7. Moreover, the Blood Donation Centre provided 20,000 units of blood and blood components to the hospitals. In 2010, there were 238 establishments providing Chinese medicine and therapy services, engaging 194 doctors of Chinese medicine and 153 Chinese herbalists, providing 1,142,000 consultations in Chinese medicine and therapy services.
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According to the monitoring data of Gamma Radiation recorded for the past 24 hours (2nd June 16:01 till 3rd June 16:00) by the Taipa Grande Station of the Macao Meteorological Bureau, the Gamma-ray absorbed dose rate per minute ranges between 0.1160 and 0.1283μGy/h (micro Gray / hour) which is far more below the warning level of 0.35μGy/h. In viewing that the nuclear leakage occurred at Fukushima Prefecture Nuclear Power Plant is now in relatively stable situation and no immediate impact is expected on Macao, the Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau will cease to release the press release for the ambient gamma radiation starting from 3rd June 2011. However, the latest gamma radiation data will continue to be updated on our website every six hours. The Macao Meteorological Bureau will continue to pay close attention to the radiation level in Macao. If any abnormalities being discovered, we will release related message to the public immediately and inform relevant government departments to adopt relative contingency measures.
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The Legal and Judicial Training Centre is going to organise the Seminar on "Mutual Legal Assistance: Party Autonomy in Cross-Border Civil and Commercial Matters" on 7th June, from 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. in the Multi-function Room of the Law Reform and International Law Bureau located on Alameda Dr. Carlos D' Assumpção, n. ° 398, CNAC building, 6th floor. The Seminar, integrated as part of the 2nd EU-Macao Co-operation Programme in the Legal Field, will feature as its keynote speaker Dr. Tang Zheng, Lecturer of the School of Law, University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom. The Seminar will be conducted in English, with simultaneous translation to Cantonese and Portuguese. During the four daily sessions, which will take place until June 10th, the following topics will be discussed: 1. Choice of Forum Agreements;
2. Choice of Forum Agreements in Europe – The Brussels I Regulation;
3. Judicial Support of Arbitration Agreements;
4. Choice of Law. The 2nd Co-operation Programme in the Legal Field between the European Union and Macao, which incorporates this seminar, has as its main objective the "Consolidation of the Macao Legal System" and is going to take place until December 2012. The execution of the Co-operation Programme is coordinated by the Law Reform and International Law Bureau, together with many entities and public departments of the Macao SAR, namely the Legal and Judicial Training Centre, the Legal Affairs Bureau, the Economic Services, the Financial Services Bureau and the Institute of European Studies of Macao.
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Consumer Council's latest specific price survey report on tissue and toilet papers was conducted on 30th May. The current report showed an average price decrease of around 2% to 24% for most brands. Out of the 13 surveyed samples of tissue and toilet papers from 25 local retail outlets, the retail prices for most of them remain steady. A price drop of around 2% to 24 % was observed for 4 surveyed brands sold at different retail outlets. Yet, there was a slight increase of around 1% to 2% for some of the surveyed samples when compared with last month's report. As the current report has shown a decrease in price for most of the surveyed samples, it results in a great discrepancy in price of the same brand sold at different retail outlets. The discrepancy in price observed this time is 53% as compared to 40% recorded at last month's survey. Consumer Council has set up a "Specific Product Price Information Platform" on its website (http://www.consumer.gov.mo) to allow consumers to use its online search function to check the prices of items that are of their interest and also the price discrepancies of the surveyed items at different retail spots. Besides, the "Supermarket Price Information Platform" can also be found on the website. Both platforms allow consumers to check the prices of the surveyed products and review the previous surveys that Consumer Council has conducted over the past months. The specific price survey report on tissue and toilet papers is now available online on the Council's official website. For enquiries, please call 8988 9315. The latest Consumer Report issue no. 213 is also published, covering the recent activities performed by Consumer Council and the detailed report on the test on accuracy of fuel meters at gas stations in Macau that was publicized lately. Consumer Report is now available free of charge at the two offices of Consumer Council, Public Information Center located at Vicky Plaza (Rua do Campo), bookstores and libraries. Consumers may also access the resources online at the Council's official website (http://www.consumer.gov.mo).
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According to the monitoring data of Gamma Radiation recorded for the past 24 hours (2nd June 10:01 till 3rd June 10:00) by the Taipa Grande Station of the Macao Meteorological Bureau, the Gamma-ray absorbed dose rate per minute ranges between 0.1160 and 0.1283μGy/h (micro Gray / hour) which is far more below the warning level of 0.35μGy/h. The Macao Meteorological Bureau will continue to pay close attention to the radiation level in Macao. If any abnormalities being discovered, we will release related message to the public immediately and inform relevant government departments to adopt relative contingency measures.
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