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Officials of Guangdong Provincial Tourism Administration, Hong Kong Tourism Board and Macau Government Tourist Office attended the “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Tourism Cooperation Meeting” in Macau today (June 9). Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Cheong U hosted a luncheon to welcome the delegations from Guangdong and Hong Kong. Deputy Director of Guangdong Provincial Tourism Administration Wang Zhi Hong and Executive Director of Hong Kong Tourism Board Anthony Lau led their respective delegations to meet with Director of MGTO João Manuel Costa Antunes and heads of relevant departments to review the promotional activities carried out in 2009, to exchange the latest tourism developments of the three places and to discuss the joint working plan for the current year. During the meeting, the three tourism authorities agreed to continue their efforts and strengthen cooperation in several major aspects. In addition to the working plan for 2010, which included topics such as the Asian Games in Guangzhou, World Tourism Day, tourism products (themed itineraries), joint promotional activities and promotion tools, the discussion also focused on the implementation of the tourism cooperation protocols signed earlier between Guangdong and Hong Kong as well as Guangdong and Macau. The tourism authorities of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau have a longstanding and well-established cooperation mechanism and chairmanship rotation system, which are effective instruments for the three places to advance their working plans, to strengthen communication and cooperation, to complement each other and to brand the Pearl River Delta region as a quality international tourism destination. The announcement of “The Outline of the Plan for the Reform and Development of the Pearl River Delta” and “The Hengqin Overall Development Plan” have elevated the regional cooperation to a higher and broader dimension that brings new opportunities to the development of the Pearl River Delta region, from which the tourism sector stands to benefit. Under the new strategic direction, the three tourism authorities are confident that the tourism industry of the Pearl River Delta could achieve greater development.
In recent years, the joint promotional effort of the three places is bearing fruits. Last year, joint pavilions of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau were set up in travel fairs and tourism expositions held in Hong Kong, Japan, Guangzhou and Macau to promote multi-destination itineraries. The tourism authorities of the three places have also reached consensus to extend their joint promotions beyond East Asia and Southeast Asia to other potential as well as long-haul markets. This year, joint promotional activities such as roadshows will be held in Taiwan, the United Kingdom and France to further promote the international brand of Pearl River Delta regional tourism. Wang Zhi Hong expressed that through close communication and cooperation of the tourism authorities of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau in joint campaigns, brand promotions, resources sharing, and intelligence exchange all these years, the profile and exposure of the international brand of Pearl River Delta regional tourism has been elevated. She hoped that the meeting will bring further consensus among the three places on relevant issues to foster a more effective and pragmatic cooperation for the next phase. Anthony Lau said that with the joint effort and co-operation of the three tourism authorities, significant progress was achieved in the development and promotion of multi-destination itineraries featuring Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau over the past year. Mr Lau believed that the three tourism authorities would continue their close collaboration to devise more creative promotions and communication platforms, which would help further promote the quality brand image of multi-destination travel in the region and attract more visitors to the three destinations. Antunes expressed that Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau have a longstanding and solid foundation for tourism cooperation, which dated back to 1993, when a cooperation mechanism was set up to promote the international brand of regional tourism encompassing Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau. In 2007, the three tourism authorities agreed to set up a chairmanship rotation system to further enhance mutual communication and exchange. MGTO assumed chairmanship of the cooperation mechanism for the current year. He stressed that the Macau SAR government is striving for moderate diversification of the economy and in turn the tourism industry of Macau is moving towards diversification of tourism products and source markets. It is necessary to continue to explore and consolidate potential source markets. Macau is always open and enthusiastic to cooperate with nearby regions to promote regional tourism, in the belief that, through delivering multi-destination itineraries, the goal of complementing resources and building up of an international brand of regional tourism could be achieved.
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O Chefe do Executivo, Chui Sai On, presidiu hoje (dia 8), à reunião do Conselho para o Desenvolvimento Económico para o ano de 2010, na qual foi discutido o ponto da situação sobre o desenvolvimento económico e os problemas a enfrentar neste sector. A reunião obteve consenso quanto à criação de dois grupos de estudo no organigrama do Conselho, um dedicado às políticas económicas e outro às políticas de recursos humanos. O secretário para a Economia e Finanças, Francis Tam, afirmou depois da reunião, que irão ser envidados esforços, o mais breve possível, na criação dos grupos acima referidos para que os membros do Conselho possam escolher qual a área de trabalho a que pretendem pertencer. Este frisou ainda que, o Governo da RAEM dá muita atenção às opiniões dos membros do Conselho, relativamente aos problemas de recursos humanos, servindo de referência para definir políticas sobre a matéria tendo em consideração as opiniões dos diferentes sectores sociais. O mesmo responsável indicou que apesar dos sectores sociais terem tido sempre opiniões diferentes sobre o desenvolvimento da economia local, tanto do sector laboral como patronal, as autoridades procuram constantemente manter um equilíbrio social. Em relação à política de recursos humanos o alvo do governo é claro e inequívoco dar prioridade e garantir o direito de emprego dos trabalhadores locais. Francis Tam indicou entretanto que para além de assegurar os direitos dos trabalhadores locais, o Governo também se preocupa em corresponder ao desenvolvimento económico local e aos respectivos recursos humanos, para assim criar na economia um desenvolvimento sustentável através de aplicação de politicas mais eficazes. O secretário referiu ainda que a criação de grupos de estudo, teve como objectivo fornecer mais dados e orientação na área dos recursos humanos, e disse esperar que, através da comunicação entre os membros do Conselho, possam observar e estudar a situação real em Macau, do ponto de vista do governo, contribuindo assim na definição de políticas mais operacionais e de acordo com a realidade local.
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Objective︰
The objective is to allow all Macao residents to share the joy of “The Central Government gift of a pair of giant pandas to the Macao SAR” through the organization of the “Giant Panda Naming and Voting Contest”. The contest will allow Macao residents to have the opportunity to personally name the pair of giant pandas conferred by the Central Government. By allowing Macao residents to vote on the most suitable name for the pair of giant pandas, it is hoped that the whole city will get involved.
The two stages of this activity:
Naming Stage: Upon receiving the names, the Judging Committee of Giant Panda Naming Contest of Macao will select 5 outstanding names for the female giant panda and 5 for the male giant panda. The Judging Committee will match up the selected names into 5 pairs of outstanding giant panda names.
Voting Stage: Macao residents will vote to select one pair of names from the five pairs matched up by the Judging Committee. This pair of names will then become the names of the giant pandas conferred by the Central Government to the Macao SAR.
Eligibility and requirements︰ 1. All residents of Macao SAR (permanent or non-permanent identity card holders) are eligible to participate. If the winners are under 12 years old, they must be accompanied by their guardians in order to accept the awards.
2. If any of the proposed names are identical to the names of giant pandas which have already been donated or leased out by the Central Government, they will not be considered. (The name list of giant pandas overseas can be referred to the annex of the application form or through the Macao Panda Website www.macaupanda.org.mo.)
3. The proposed name must be meaningful, creative and highlight the appearance or personality traits of the two pandas.
4. Participants must explain the significance of the name as well as any figurative meaning in about 100 words (including punctuation marks).
Admission: 1. Participants may obtain or summit the application forms at any of the following IACM’s external service units: Division of Public Relations and the Press- Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro, No. 163, IACM Building Central District Service Centre -Avenida da Praia Grande, No. 762-804 China Plaza Building, 2/F S. Lourenço Service Centre- Rua de João Lecaros , Complexo Municipal do Mercado de S.Lourenço, 4°andar, Macau Toi San Service Centre- Avenida de Artur Tamagnini Barbosa, No. 127,D. Julieta Nobre da Carvalho Building, BL B,G/F Northern District Public Services Centre- Rua Nova de Areia Preta, No. 52 Islands District Public Services Centre- Rua da Ponte Negra, Bairro Social da Taipa, Nº 75K, Taipa Civic Education Resources Centre- Floor 1, Municipal Market Complex of Iao Hon, Iao Hon Activity Centre Wong Ieng Kuan Library in Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Municipal Park- Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Municipal Park Wong Ieng Kuan Library in Luis de Camões Garden- Luís de Camões Garden Wong Ieng Kuan Library in Areia Preta Urban Park- Areia Preta Urban Park Wong Ieng Kuan Library in Taipa- Rua do Regedor, Hei Loi Tang Plaza Library in Ho Yin Garden- Ho Yin Garden Mong Ha Eco-Centre- Mong Ha Hill hiking trail Flora Eco-Centre- Flora Garden
2. Participants may also directly log into the Macao Panda Website to fill in and submit an electronic form. www.macaupanda.org.mo
3. Application forms can also be mailed to the Division of Public Relations and Press of the IACM, 163 Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro, Macao. (Please write “Participation in the Giant Panda Naming Contest” on the envelope) Other information:
1. The organizer shall not be liable for any loss, delay or transmission errors regarding the entry forms.
2. The result of the naming contest will be based on the final decision of the Judging Committee.
3. Once the pair of names is selected, the Macao SAR government will hold all the rights pertaining to that pair of names. The relevant authority shall have the right to use the selected names in any way without paying any royalties to the person who proposed them.
4. The organizer reserves the right to final interpretation and amendment of the rules.
5. The organizer reserves the right to suspend, amend or modify the terms and conditions of any part of the rules and regulations as well as the lot-drawing procedures without prior notice and liability.
6. Winners who fail to collect their prizes within the specified time limit shall automatically forfeit their award eligibility without notice.
7. All personal information used and collected in this form will be treated in accordance with the "Personal Data Protection Law" and used only for the purposes of this event.
(The Giant Panda Naming Contest will be carried out in two stages. Stage one refers to the collection of names for the pandas. Participating residents are required to fill in the application forms, “Giant Panda Naming Contest”, and submit them to the specified locations. Upon completion of this stage, the organizer will match up the majority of the proposed names by the public, and select five pairs of names for public voting in Stage Two.)
Date of Reception:
Naming Stage: The contest period starts from 8 June, 2010 to 5:45 p.m. of 5 July, 2010. (For entries sent in by mail, the deadline will be based on the postal cut-off time, whereas for direct deliveries, the deadline will be based on the office hours for direct deliveries in the respective area. Entries received after the specified period will not be accepted.)
Prize details:
Naming Stage:
Merit Awards: The judging panel shall choose 5 outstanding names for the female giant panda and 5 for the male giant panda and a maximum of 10 awards will be given to the proposers of each selected name. (If the awarding names are proposed by fewer than ten winners, the awards shall be given in accordance with the corresponding number; if there are more than ten, lots will be drawn to determine the winners.) Prizes shall be MOP500 and a souvenir for each award.
Voting Stage:
Naming Contest Grand Prize:
A total of two prizes will be given respectively for the final selected male and the female names. Each winner will receive MOP8, 000, a souvenir and will be paid to visit Sichuan together with up to two companions to experience the Chengdu Giant Panda Tour. (If there is more than one winner in the naming contest, then a ballot will be drawn to determine the prize winner.)
(Details regarding the public votes for the pandas’ names in the second stage will be announced after completion of the first stage)
Enquiries︰
Macao Panda Website: www.macaupanda.org.mo
Tel︰8988 8433 / 8988 8422
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, said today Macao would act as a service platform for Shantou, Chaozhou and Jieyang by promoting their products to the Portuguese-speaking countries. Mr Chui said that based on the good foundation already in place, co-operation could be stepped up, and one way would be to encourage more scheduled or chartered flights between the cities and Macao. He said scheduled flights would definitely increase the flow of people and goods, as well as the exchange of business and cultural co-operation. The three-day visit to the city with a high level delegation also gave him a better understanding of the further development of the cities, he said. In the coming months, trade conferences, exhibitions and promotional events on special products of the three cities would be held in Macao. He believed Macao and the three cities would enhance their bilateral business, tourism and cultural co-operations, he said. Mr Chui and the delegation were in Chaozhou and Jieyang on June 4 and 5 respectively, where they met with the cities’ leaders. The Secretary of CPC Chaozhou Municipal Committee, Mr Luo Wenzhi made a presentation on the latest development of the city. He said a profound co-operation between Macao and Chaozhou have been achieved in the past and based on this privilege, both sides could speed up co-operation. Mr Chui said he agreed and said that the two places could join hands in cultural and tourism development. The Secretary of CPC Jieyang Municipal Committee, Mr Chen Hongping and Mr Chui have exchanged view on areas to further co-operate when they met. Mr Chui said he saw much room to expand the co-operation on business, tourism and culture with Jieyang city. The Macao delegation also visited the site of the Jieyang airport, which was under construction, jade markets and a school sponsored by Macao residents, before returning to Macao in the evening.
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The Monetary Authority of Macao released today the credit card statistics for the first quarter of 2010. The total number of personal credit cards in circulation was 368,124 at the end of March 2010, up 2.47% from the previous quarter. The numbers of Pataca (MOP) cards, Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) cards and Renminbi (RMB) cards were 294,462, 56,149 and 17,513 respectively. MOP cards, HKD cards and RMB cards witnessed respective increases of 2.56%, 0.15% and 8.99% quarter-to-quarter. Compared with a year earlier, RMB cards surged 99.97% while MOP cards and HKD cards grew 10.30% and 2.07% respectively. The introduction of MOP/RMB dual currency credit cards by local banks in the second half of 2009 largely accounted for the marked increase of RMB cards.
As at the end of March 2010, credit card credit limit granted by banks in Macao amounted to MOP6.66 billion, up 2.52% from end-December 2009. Credit card receivables reached MOP1.03 billion while the rollover amount totalled MOP0.42 billion, accounting for 41.01% of credit card receivables. The delinquency ratio, i.e. the ratio of delinquent amount overdue for more than three months to credit card receivables, was 1.22%.
In the first quarter of 2010, the credit card turnover decreased by 1.61% quarter-to-quarter to MOP1.81 billion. The cash advance turnover amounted to MOP0.12 billion, accounting for 6.37% of total credit card turnover. Credit card repayments, in which payments for interest and fees are included, grew 11.79% from last quarter to MOP1.98 billion.
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The themed seminar series on the exhibition Traveller’s Home: Masterworks by George Chinnery opened to the public last Saturday in the Macao Museum Auditorium. The forthcoming second and third seminars are not to be missed if you failed to catch last week’s first installment! The first seminar, ‘George Chinnery and Macao’, was hosted by respected Macao scholar Dr. Chan Kai Chon, and focused on Chinnery’s background, his family life and his travels from London to India, via Dublin. In 1825, Chinnery travelled from India to Macao by ship and he thereafter resided in Macao until his death in 1852. He is now buried in the Macao Protestant Cemetery. In order to enable the public to gain a deeper understanding of George Chinnery’s life, Dr. Chan made use of a variety of historical data and pictures to analyse and explain the value and significance of his work in the history of Macao. In addition to vividly capturing Macao’s landscape, Chinnery’s works also bear witness to a number of historical figures at the time. More than 50 people, including art enthusiasts, local residents, teachers and students, attended the first seminar. The seminar was well-spirited and enjoyable, and all participants were keen to ask questions about the experiences of this foreign painter who spent much of his life in Macao and the influence that his work had on China and Macao, which Dr. Chan answered one by one. The second seminar, ‘George Chinnery - A European Artist in the East’ (in English, with Cantonese interpretation), will be hosted by English scholar Dr. Patrick Conner at 3:00 pm - 5:00pm on Saturday 5th June 2010. The third seminar, ‘Macao, Guangzhou and Hong Kong in the Era of Chinnery (1825-1852)’ (in Cantonese), will be hosted by Hong Kong scholar Dr. Joseph Ting Sun Pao at 3:00pm - 5:00pm on Saturday 19th June 2010. In order to reserve a seat, interested parties may contact Ms. Wu on 83941210 or Mr. Ho on 83941217 during office hours. Seats are limited and registered on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more information about the exhibition and the seminar series, please visit the Macao Museum website: www.macaumuseum.gov.mo.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, said in Shantou today he noticed that the city has huge growth potentials and he hoped it could co-operate further with Macao so both cities could benefit. Mr Chui said this when he exchanged views on the latest developments in the two cities, at a meeting with the Secretary of CPC Shantou Municipal Committee, Mr Li Feng. Mr Li praised for Mr Chui., who was in Shantou leading a big delegation of officials and businessmen on a visit to enhance co-operation. He said similar with Macao, Shantou was one of the special economic zones in China, and Macao’s success in logistic, tourism, educational and cultural development would be valuable for Shantou. And Shantou would actively join hands with Macao to implement the Reform of the Pearl River Delta Development Plan (2008-2020), Mr Li said. Mr Chui said Shantou had great potentials and Macao would step up co-operation based on past experience. He also affirmed Shantou’s contribution to Macao’s economic growth. Mr Chui and Mr Li attended a business promotional conference and presided over a contract-signing ceremony between the Macao and Shantou entrepreneurs. Mr Chui also visited the East Shantou City Economic Belt, the University of Shantou, and an urban planning showroom. Mr Chui and the delegation will travel on to Chaozhou tomorrow.
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The Chief Executive Mr Chui Sai On said today Macao would strengthen trading, tourism, cultural and educational co-operation with Shantou, Chaozhou and Jieyang. He said this in the morning as left with an official delegation to visit the three places. Before his departure, Mr Chui was asked by the media if Macao would increase air links to the three places. He said transportation was an important factor in the development of tourism and was sure that if there were adequate and sustainable demand, carriers would increase flights. When asked about the property market, Mr Chui said the government was closely monitoring the situation. It was in the process of reviewing the relevant laws and regulations and appropriate measures would be introduced if and when necessary. Members of the delegation included Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the MSAR Mr Li Benjun, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Mr Cheong U, members of the Executive Council, Mr Leong Heng Teng, Cheang Chi Keong, Leong Vai Tac and Chan Meng Kam, the Chief of the Office of the Chief Executive, Mr Tam Chon Weng, the Secretary-General of the Executive Council and the Advisor of the Office of Chief Executive, Ms O Lam, Director of the Government Information Bureau Mr Chan Chi Ping, President of the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute Mr Cheong Chou Weng, advisors of the Office of Chief Executive Mr Fung Sio Weng and Kou Chin Hung. Meanwhile, a business delegation comprising more than 100 members, organised by the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, are taking part in the same visit. 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, is to leave for Shanghai tomorrow, leading the highest ranking officials and representatives of associations in Macao, to visit Shanghai 2010 World Expo. The delegation is scheduled to visit the China pavilion, the Macao pavilion and the Hong Kong pavilion during its two days in the city. Included in the delegation are the President of the Legislative Assembly, Mr Lau Cheok Va; President of the Court of Final Appeal, Mr Sam Hou Fai; Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Tam Pak Yuen; Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Cheong U; Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Mr Lau Si Io; Prosecutor General, Mr Ho Chio Meng; the Commissioner Against Corruption, Mr Fong Man Chong; Commissioner of Audit, Mr Ho Veng On; Commissioner General of the Unitary Police Service, Mr José Proença Branco; Director-General of the Macao Customs Services, Mr Choi Lai Hang; President of the Court of First Instance and the Administrative Court, Mr Ho Wai Neng; Chief of the Office of the Chief Executive, Mr Tam Chon Weng; members of the Executive Council, the Legislative Assembly, representatives of the National People Congress, the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consulative Conference, leaders of Macao’s associations. The delegation will return Macao on 26 May. Ms Florinda Chan will be Acting Chief Executive while Mr Chui is away.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On is scheduled to visit Shantou, Chaozhou and Jieyang from 3-5 June. Mr Chui is scheduled to meet leaders of the three places and visit the large-scale infrastructure, educational facilities, heritage places, and business organisations. The Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute has organised more then 100 entrepreneurs to participate in this tour. Members of the delegation would include Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the MSAR Mr Li Benjun, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Mr Cheong U, members of the Executive Council, Mr Leong Heng Teng, Cheang Chi Keong, Leong Vai Tac and Chan Meng Kam, the Chief of the Office of the Chief Executive, Mr Tam Chon Weng, the Secretary-General of the Executive Council and the Advisor of the Office of Chief Executive, Ms O Lam, Director of the Government Information Bureau Mr Chan Chi Ping, President of the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute Mr Cheong Chou Weng, advisors of the Office of Chief Executive Mr Fung Sio Weng and 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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