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Hosted by the Government of the Macao Special Administration Region, the 2012 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum and Exhibition (2012MIECF) will open on March 29. In addition to the Green Showcase and Green Matching, the Organiser will organise a number of forums, where senior government officials, experts, academics and entrepreneurs from the environmental field will gather for in-depth discussion on issues relating to the low-carbon city of the future, including green building, clean energy and low-carbon economy. The Organiser hopes that the series of forums dealing with different issues will promote technological exchange and co-operation between Macao, Pan-Pearl River Region, and the worldwide markets, especially those in Europe, Portuguese-speaking countries and other emerging ones. Speakers include experts, academics, high-ranking government officials, business leaders and representatives from world-renowned enterprises in China, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Chile, United Kingdom Australia, Brazil and Hong Kong. Over 50 speakers will give thematic talks to share their valuable insights and ideas. Among them, two experts with extensive practical experience in the environmental industry will be the keynote speakers of the event. Mr. Andrew Bowerbank, GMF Council Member of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and Mr. Chris Zijdeveld, President of the Dutch Passive Housing Foundation, will give their keynote speeches at the opening ceremony and the forum respectively. A total of six forums will be held this year. The Green Business Forum will take place in the afternoon of the first day of MIECF (29 March). Panellists will focus on two major topics, namely energy efficiency and e-mobility and talk about market trends and business opportunities. The Green Forum, another highlight of this year's MIECF, will be held on the second day (30 March) in two sessions. In the morning session, the focus of discussion is Why Green Buildings is the Key Player in Developing Sustainable Environments and the title for the afternoon session is Green Finance and Green Investment/ Risk Management. The first session will be based on Macao's current urban development and the reclamation planning of the future new city area. Discussion will focus on innovative green building concepts, management of water and construction waste, green building materials and a case study of eco city, with the objective of promoting better living environment while achieving higher economic effectiveness. The second session will identify ways of financing energy efficiency, renewable energy and other environmental projects using technologies and innovative financial instruments. Two more forums will be held in the afternoon on 30 March. The speakers on Environmental Policy and Low Carbon Economic Development will share their views on a number of environmental policies in support of the development of low-carbon economy, include those to promote energy-saving and environmental protection, clean production, low-carbon transportation and green construction. In the forum entitled Techniques and Equipment for Environmental Industry: Business Opportunities, representatives from the Pan-PRD Region, as well as Hong Kong and Macao, will explore the strengthening of traditional environmental industries and to speed up the strategic development of diversified industrial technologies, as well as the effective means of promoting industrial transformation/upgrade and sustainable economic development. Furthermore, a Green Chemical Forum on Energy Conservation and Efficiency will be held in the afternoon to promote the technological exchange among petrochemical enterprises and enhance their knowledge in energy saving, emission reduction and technological innovation, to promote their development in sustainable development. For enquiries, please contact the 2012MIECF Secretariat, tel.: (853) 8798-9675, fax: (853) 2872-3332, e-mail: miecf@koelnmesse.com.hk or visit the official 2012MIECF website: ww.macaomiecf.com
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The 2012 Macao International Environmental Protection Forum and Exhibition (2012MIECF) will be held from 29 to 31 March (Thursday to Saturday) at the Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel. A series of activities including Green Showcase, Green Forum and Green Matching will be held to showcase the latest products, technologies and related services in the environmental industry, to promote the development of local green industry, and further strengthen Macao´s role of business platform. MIECF is hosted by the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region, with the National Development and Reform Commission of the PRC, Ministry of Science and Technology of the PRC and the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the PRC as Special Supporting Organisations, the provincial governments of the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region as the co-organisers, as well as Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and the Macao Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA) as the Host Co-ordinators of the event. MIECF which has been held for the fifth consecutive year, is a major environmental event held annually in Macao. At the end of last year, MIECF has been awarded the UFI Approved Event Status, demonstrating that MIECF has received wide recognition by the industry since its inception in 2008. This theme this year is Green Economy – New Engine for Growth, complementing with the spirit of Thinking Green, Going Clean, Living Green which is in line with the development direction of worldwide environmental industry as well as Macao´s role as a World Tourism and Leisure Centre and low-carbon city. MIECF´s objective is to make use this unique platform to promote the development of green business, technologies and economy. As in the previous years, a series of activities including Green Showcase and Green Matching will be held during the 3-day event. Green Business Co-operation Day will take place in the afternoon of the first day of MIECF. Various themed discussions will be held on the second day under the Green Business Forum. The third day will be the Green Public Day which is open to the general public for free admission. Seminars and professional business negotiation sessions will also be held concurrently. Furthermore, in order to showcase the new developments of Macao, technical visits to the Macao New Zones Overall Planning exhibition and the Institute of Tourism Studies will be arranged for forum participants. The Green Showcase will feature products and solutions that are economically and environmentally-sustainable and provides business visitors networking opportunities in the fields energy efficiency, renewable energy, green mobility, waste and water management and other related services. There will be an Exhibition Zone for the Provinces of the Pan-PRD Region, European Pavilion, USA Exhibition Zone, Macao Exhibition Zone, as well as a "Distinguished Exhibitors´ Zone", featuring leading brands. Furthermore, a Green Hotel Sourcing Zone has been set-up to enable representatives of renowned environmentally-friendly hotels in Macao to conduct business negotiations on product and service procurement. On the first day of MIECF (29 March), there will be a series of activities to mark the Green Business Co-operation Day, namely the Green Business Forum, networking cocktail and signing ceremony. This year´s Green Business Forum will focus on two topics - energy efficiency and e-mobility, as the focus of business networking and exchanges. Forum participants include guests from Mainland China, especially from the Pan-PRD Region, Macao, Europe and the Portuguese-Speaking countries. In addition, high-ranking government officials, entrepreneurs and experts were also invited to discuss on the market trends of the environmental industry. The Secretary for Economy and Finance of Macao SAR, Mr. Tam Pak Yuen will attend the Green Business Co-operation Day and deliver the opening speech. The opening ceremony will be held on 29 March (Thursday). The Chief Executive of Macao SAR, Mr. Chui Sai On will officiate over the ceremony and deliver a welcome speech. Thematic speeches will be made by guests including Mr. Wan Gang, Vice-Chairman of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People´s Political Consultative Conference and Minister of Science and Technology of the PRC, Mr. Zhang Penggao, Deputy Director General of Resources Conservation and Environment Protection, National Development and Reform Commission of the PRC, representing Mr. Xie Shghua, Vice Chairman of National Development and Reform Commission of the PRC and Ms. Song Xiaozhi, Deputy Director General of Department of International Co-operation and Deputy Director of Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, Ministry of Environmental Protection of the PRC, representing Mr. Zhou Shengxian, Minister of Environmental Protection of the PRC. Speeches will also be made by keynote speaker Mr. Andrew Bowerbank, GMF Council Member of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. This year marks the fifth anniversary of MIECF. During the past four years, its scale and reputation have been growing steadily to become an important co-operation and development platform for the green industry, especially in Southern China and the Pan-PRD Region. Number of participants has increased from 2,495 in its inception in 2008 to 9,146 in the 4th MIECF in 2011. Participation from local environmental industry is also increasing every year. The Green Showcase, Green Business Forum and other activities held concurrently help to reinforce the liaison and exchanges between local environmental industry operators and foreign enterprises. On the other hand, there are also an increasing number of co-operation agreements signed between local enterprises and companies from abroad. Last year´s MIECF has attracted the participation of 333 organisations and companies from 48 countries and regions. During the 3-day event, a total of 574 green business matching sessions were held, resulting in the signing of 31 agreements. Over 390 exhibitors from 28 countries and regions are participating this year. In view of this, the area of the exhibition venue has increased to a total of 16,911 square metres. For enquiries, please contact the MIECF Secretariat, tel.: (853) 8798-9675, fax: 8853) 28722-3332, e-mail: miecf@koelnmesse.com.hk or visit the official website: www.macaomiecf.com
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To help staff and students gain a better understanding of its innovative new General Education Programme the University of Macau (UM) yesterday (26 March) launched a 5-day General Education Fair, the first of its kind in Macao. The general education programme has been designed to create a common core curriculum for all students to ensure that they all have an equal chance to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes they will need to pursue more satisfying careers and live happier, healthier and more balanced lives. Director of the Tertiary Education Services Office of Macao SAR Sou Chio Fai, UM's University Council Chair Dr. Tse Chi Wai, UM Rector Wei Zhao, Director of UM's Centre for Teaching and Learning Enhancement (CTLE) Prof. Rik Carl D'Amato, Coordinator of Mentoring and Professional Development of CTLE Prof. Gertina Johanna Van Schalkwyk, along with other guests, officiated at the opening ceremony, and visited the newly-launched smart classrooms afterwards. The General Education Fair includes a general education competition, demonstrations on how to use the smart classrooms, exhibitions, booth games, workshops and lectures. UM Rector Wei Zhao said that in order to produce outstanding graduates with integrity, cross-disciplinary knowledge, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and creativity, UM implements a "4-in-1" pedagogical model that consists of discipline-specific education, general education, research and internship education, and community and peer education (through residential colleges). He said UM hopes that through general education, students can enhance problem-solving ability and better deal with competition and various challenges in the future. Director of the Tertiary Education Services Office Sou Chio Fai said: "In the current fast-changing world, education does not and cannot mean the passing on of knowledge alone. What is relevant or useful today may not meet future demands. Students need the ability to keep pace with the changing environment and respond to trends in learning. Young people need to know multiple disciplines instead of one discipline. Thus, I'm really delighted to see that the University of Macau has been providing students with general education programme. They perfectly meet the current education concepts and trends for whole person development. It also meets the demand of the society which requires human capital with broad knowledge in different aspects." The smart classrooms are state-of-the-art teaching facilities and contain the latest technology for teaching and learning. All rooms are equipped with smart boards, which combine the power of a computer with the simplicity of a white board, as well as multiple projection screens which can display the same or different computer screens. Professors will be able to deliver interactive lessons to students using computer technology projected on large screens. The arrangement of the rooms and furniture further facilitate collaborative work by student groups. Tables and chairs are moveable and can be arranged in a variety of ways for groups of different sizes and interactive activities. The three rooms differ in arrangement and can be used for multiple purposes, including presentations, meetings, interactive teaching, and teaching demonstrations. UM's innovative new general education (GE) programme is modelled on the practice of some of the best universities in the world, such as Harvard University. UM is one of the first universities in East Asia to roll out such a comprehensive GE programme, which covers four areas, namely language and communication, science and information technology, society and culture, and self-development. The programme requires all students, whatever their major, to follow a common core curriculum. UM's GE programme attaches importance to developing students' ability to communicate in English and Portuguese, in response to society's demand for people with foreign language proficiency and cultural awareness. Courses in sports and arts are available to impart knowledge about histories and cultural inheritance in the East and the West, in order to facilitate students' self-development. Courses in natural sciences, health and social sciences not only impart logical reasoning skills as well as knowledge about information technology and society, but also, more importantly, train students' holistic thinking and help them to contemplate values, morality and the meaning of life.
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The 3rd E-Conference was held the other day by IFT Tourism Research Centre (ITRC) and Bournemouth University, UK (BU). Like Macao, the UK is facing a sudden burst of tourism growth, propelled by the coming 2012 summer Olympic games. But this and other factors have been contributing to several challenges that were appreciably similar to both destinations. Among these was an increasing polarization in the graduate workforce. The Hospitality, Leisure, Travel and Tourism sector in the UK is the third largest sector for workforce size. The introduction of tuition fee leads to increased expectations of professionalism of service delivery and standards and increased expectation of benefits of education. This was the idea behind Mr. Andrew Boer's presentation "The Polarization of the Graduate Workforce: Issues for the UK Hospitality Industry". His research reviewed some of the ways in which the higher education sector must change in order to accommodate these influences and which could result in a distinctly different style of hospitality higher education output within the next decade. Labor migration issues were also compared and discussed. Dr. Hania Janta from BU presented her research that migrant workers choose the tourism sector of employment more frequently than other low-paid sectors and this trend is likely to continue in the future. The majority of such workers are in lower paid and casual employment comprising of daily commuters and seasonal employees. Migrants' presence in this sector of employment contributes to the destination as it provides new skills, knowledge and innovation as well as a competitive advantage to many companies. On the other hand, segmentation of the labour market, perceptions and stereotyping, discrimination and underemployment makes the foreign-born workforce more vulnerable than the local one. Also, the need for migrant labours by tourism economies have many implications for destination branding, one of the examples is that people visiting Scotland are surprised to see non-Scottish people in the service industries. Speakers from IFT also highlighted similar challenges. Dr. Clara Lei of IFT focused labour shortage in Macao in which she discussed how the problem of staff turnover could be improved by employing strategic training and development programmes. She spoke on the differences between training and development programmes given by a multinational hotel and a local hotel in Macao, revealing that the multinational hotel, which had an intensive and strategic training and development programme, was able to control the turnover rate (38%) particularly within their middle-management level when compared with its local counterpart (60%). Drs. Frances Kong and Connie Loi from IFT presented a comprehensive portrait of the impact and effectiveness of supervised work experience (SWE) on the tourism and hospitality undergraduates, comparing and contrasting two different formats of SWE adopted at the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) in Macao. This is the third IFT-BU E-Conference, one of a series of collaborative activities between the two institutes. This year's theme was on the "Labour Issues in Tourism Economics". Previous themes were on Motorsports Research (2011) and on the Challenges of Rapid Tourism Growth (2010). Delegates and participants to the conference were welcomed by Dr. Fanny Vong, President of IFT and Richard Shipway, senior lecturer of School of Tourism, BU. The e-conference was moderated by Prof. Leonardo Dioko, the Director of ITRC on the IFT side and Mr. Andrew Boer from BU, who also gave the concluding remarks. There were about 30 staffs from IFT and BU, and 40 UK graduate students participated. The annual e-conference is jointly organized by IFT's ITRC and BU School of tourism. ITRC is a research and development unit of the IFT which serves as a management and public policy think-tank for the general public and as a knowledge provider for tourism and hospitality related research in Macao and the region. The School of Tourism at BU is a world-leader in tourism research and a leading provider of tourism management courses.
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The Communications Museum is going to hold Easter Special Activities from March 31 to April 8, 2012. Daily workshops that will be held at specified times during the promotion period. Family visitors are welcomed to join. Participants can make a bunny greeting card at the "Easter Funny Bunny" workshop (free of charge) which will be held at 11:30am and 3:30pm at the Postal/Philately Gallery on the 1st floor. On the Telecommunications Gallery on the 2nd floor, the "LED's Changing Looks" workshop, which charges MOP10.00 for a material pack, will be held at 11:00am and 4:00pm. Participants can make an LED light with a ping-pong ball and decorative materials. Please refer to the promotion leaflets for time and details of the workshops. Inquiry
Tel: +853 28718063; 28718570
Fax: +853 28718018 Email: info@macao.communications.museum
Website: http://macao.communications.museum
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, is to lead a delegation to Hainan Province on Sunday (1 April) for the opening ceremony of Boao Forum for Asia 2012, a statement by the Government Spokesperson Office said today. The annual conference of Boao Forum for Asia will be held on 1 to 3 April in Boao, Hainan, under the theme of "Asia in the Changing World: Moving toward Sound and Sustainable Development". During his visit, Mr Chui is scheduled to meet with leading officials of the Hainan administration. Mr Chui's delegation will include the Chief-of-Cabinet of the Office of the Chief Executive, Mr Tam Chon Weng, the Secretary-General of the Executive Council, Ms O Lam; and Advisors of the Office of the Chief Executive, Mr Fung Sio Weng and Mr Kou Chin Hung. The Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Florinda Chan, will be Acting Chief Executive, while Mr Chui is away.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, had cordially congratulated Mr Leung Chun-ying for his successful election in the 2012 Chief Executive Election of the Hong Kong SAR of the People's Republic of China. A statement by the Government Spokesperson Office today quoted Mr Chui as having said that Hong Kong and Macao had maintained successful co-operations for a long time, in particular in projects such as building the Greater Pearl River Delta metropolis circle and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. He said he believed that the two administrations would continue to work together and move forward with their co-operation based on the current favourable foundation and build a better future for the people of Macao and Hong Kong.
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The Institute for Tourism Studies' Bachelor Degree Programme emphasises on the balance between theory and practice. Students are required to complete certain hours of practical tasks related to their majors every year. One of the tasks given to the Tourism Business Management students is to provide free guided tour to tourists and local residents. The activity, with the theme of "Tour around Macao with IFT Students", is organised by year two students of Tourism Business Management Degree Programme. With the assistance from the instructors, five different itineraries have been designed and each lasts about one hour and thirty minutes. This free guided tour service will be provided to all tourists and local residents on Saturday and Sunday, from 24 March – 21 April. The main objectives of the activity: I. It allows the students to put what they have learnt about tourism into practice. The whole project, from itinerary design to time control to the actual tour guiding, is planned by the students themselves with assistance from instructors. By coordinating the activity, their communication skills can also be enhanced. II. To promote Macao to the tourists by offering the free guiding service at the city centre and tourist attractions. Residents will also be made aware of the importance of tourism to Macao. The Institute for Tourism Studies is the only public higher education institution in Macao that cultivate talents for tourism and service industry. It endeavours to promote Macao through various activities and to leave a good impressionto everyone who visits the place.
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Consumer Council conducted its specific price survey on canned foods on 20th March, surveying retail prices of 11 canned food brand samples from 21 retail outlets .Obvious differences were observed this time in both price increase and decrease in canned foods, 8 surveyed samples recorded very different price changes with both significant price rise and drop: the highest price increase of 'Ma Ling Premium Ham Luncheon Meat (340g)' was 18.5% while the greatest price drop was 14.6%. 'Porthos Sardines in Olive Oil (125g)', which was stable in price in previous surveys, recorded a price increase of 3.3% to 17.3% in some retail outlets; 'Gu Long Spiced Pork Cubes (142g)' which had a price drop in last survey, recorded an obvious price rise this time. Consumers are advised to check with the data available on the Council's website as well as the "Supermarket Price Information Platform" iPhone app as prices of canned foods varied distinctly. Further, Consumer Council's newly published issue no.223 of Consumer Report features a detailed report of a test on extruded foods, pastries, and snacks co-tested by Guangdong Consumer Council and Macao Consumer Council. Other articles featured in this issue include how to choose cooking oil and an introduction of washing labels, etc., information of Consumers International's 2012 annual theme 'Our Money, Our Rights' is also included in this issue of Consumer Report. Consumer Report is now available free of charge at the office of Consumer Council (Rua Inácio Baptista, Nº 6-6A Edficio Seaview Garden R/C), and the service counter of Consumer Council at Macao SAR Government Service Centre (Rua Nova da Areia Preta, Nº52), Public Information Centre at Vicky Plaza and libraries. Consumers may also access the resources online at the Council's official website (http://www.consumer.gov.mo). For enquiries, please call 8988 9315.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total visitor arrivals recorded a 1.5% year-on-year decrease to 2,130,977 in February 2012; same-day visitors (1,136,136) accounted for 53.3% of the total. The average length of stay of visitors decreased by 0.1 day year-on-year to 0.9 day, with that of overnight visitors and same-day visitors being 1.8 days and 0.2 day respectively. Analyzed by place of residence, visitors from Mainland China increased by 6.7% year-on-year to 1,285,266 (60.3% of the total), mostly from Guangdong Province (635,835), Fujian Province (67,880) and Shanghai (40,111). Mainland visitors travelling to Macao under the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) totalled 514,095, down by 11.4% year-on-year. The average length of stay of Mainland visitors was 1.0 day, with that of overnight visitors at 2.0 days. Visitors from Hong Kong (520,144); and Taiwan, China (83,357) decreased by 20.9% and 3.4% respectively year-on-year. However, those from the Republic of Korea (45,441) and Japan (40,129) increased by 15.5% and 25.1% respectively; long haul visitors from the Americas (20,853), Europe (18,926) and Oceania (9,386) also recorded increase of 4.4%, 8.6% and 14.7% year-on-year. In the first two months of 2012, visitor arrivals increased by 8.3% year-on-year to 4,592,617. Visitors from Mainland China (2,780,143), the Republic of Korea (91,617) and Japan (71,798) increased by 14.7%, 12.5% and 5.2% respectively; in addition, visitors from Russia (+97.9%), the Philippines (+20.0%), India (+15.7%) and Australia (+13.2%) also registered noticeable increase year-on-year. Meanwhile, those from Hong Kong (1,158,176) and Taiwan, China (168,903) decreased by 2.4% and 5.3% respectively. Same-day visitors accounted for 54.6% of the total visitor arrivals, at 2,507,226.
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