News

The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, is to leave for Fujian Province tomorrow to attend the opening ceremony of the 13th China International Fair for Investment & Trade. Organised by the Ministry of Commerence, the trade fair will be opened on Tuesday in Xiamen, Fujian. The trade fair will not only showcase China’s investment environment, image, policies and business opportunities to promote foreign investment in China, but also promote Chinese enterprises to invest overseas. Members of Mr Ho’s delegation include the Chief-of-Office of the Office of the Chief Executive, Mr Ho Veng On, and the President of the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, Mr Lee Peng Hong. The Institute will organise nearly 100 Macao businesspeople to participate in the trade fair. The Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Florinda Chan, will be the Acting Chief Executive while Mr Ho is away.
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To stimulate the development of the tourism industry and support the travel trade in tackling the current adversity, Macau Government Tourist Office has launched the "Plan to Support Macau Tourism Industry" on May 18, followed by a revision in effect on August 1, committing more resources to boost the effect of the plan. Since the implementation of the plan, tourism industry stakeholders have shown positive responses to the plan, which is also yielding encouraging results. From the launch of the plan on May 18 till September 2, 10,348 Celebrate Macau Tours, which aim to drive inbound group traffic from target markets, were organized (9,366 groups staying one night and 982 groups staying two nights or more), involving 248,238 visitors and a budget of over MOP$16 million. 14,093 individual visitors enjoyed the World Heritage "Historic Centre of Macau" Free Guiding Service at the Ruins of St Paul's and Senado Square launched jointly by MGTO and the Macau Tourist Guide Association. MGTO’s Macau Business Tourism Center has introduced the "Strategic MICE Market Stimulation Program" to assist business tourism partners. The stimulation program, which includes three categories: Meetings and Conventions, Exhibitions and Incentives, has supported a total of 40 MICE events, including 21 meetings and conventions, 9 exhibitions and 10 incentive travel events, involving a budget of over MOP10 million. Director of MGTO João Manuel Costa Antunes expressed that with the global financial crisis and pandemic threat of H1N1 hitting the world, the tourism industry of Macau inevitably faced certain impact. “Since the plan came into effect, we are seeing positive results,” he pointed out. With the gradual narrowing in the rate of decline in visitor arrivals, the slight increase in average length of stay in June, the rise in the percentage of overnight stay visitors in June and July, as well as the increased visitor traffic observed in August, coupled with improvement on other economic indicators, we believe that we are seeing signs of a rebound situation, Mr. Antunes said. MGTO will closely monitor the situation of the tourism industry and make adjustments to the “Plan to Support Macau Tourism Industry” when necessary. MGTO will continue to work hand in hand with all the stakeholders to expand the source markets, to enhance the competitive edge of the tourism products and service quality, to turn adversity into advantage and risks into opportunities. With the gradual improvement of the economic environment and better control of the H1N1 threat, the tourism industry of Macau is on its way to emerge from the gloom.
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The "21st Macau International Fireworks Display Contest" kicks off today (September 5, 2009) as the fireworks teams from Spain and Korea light up the sky of Macau with splendid fireworks. Director of Macau Government Tourist Office João Manuel Costa Antunes officiate the opening ceremony at the Macau Tower Outdoor Plaza. Held on September 5, 12, 19, 26 and October 1 (9 & 10 p.m.) at the sea area across the Macau Tower, 21st Macau International Fireworks Display Contest has attracted ten teams from around the world to vie for the contest.
The contest this year features ten teams from Spain, Korea, Chinese Taiwan, France, Italy, the Philippines, Japan, Portugal, Austria and China; each will show off their pyrotechnic wizardry to spectators both from Macau and overseas. Fireworks team from Spain, Zamorano Caballer Pirotecnia S.A will unveil the Contest for this year. The company has a history of more than 130 years and has won over 100 prizes throughout the world in fireworks festivals and contests. The preservation of traditional techniques and craftsmanship accompanied by the pursuit of new technologies has kept the company on the leading edge of the fireworks industry. Representatives of the team said that the majority of fireworks they used are their own products. They will use traditional and contemporary Spanish music during their presentation, showing their passion to the audience through fireworks. The Hanwha Corporation, the leading company of the industry in Korea takes the second show of the night. Participating the Macau contest for the 10th time this year, Hanwha Corporation mainly uses multimedia fireworks display. The Korean team will show their fireworks in a fan-like style that represent the culture of Korea. With the dance music, they look forward to bring a joyful firework display to the audience. To enhance the effect and audience enjoyment, sound systems are installed at the waterfront of the Macau Tower Outdoor Plaza, at the Macau Tower Street seaside and at the square in front of Kun Iam Statue on Ave. Dr Sun Yat Sen so that the public can enjoy synchronized music to the spectacular displays. Spectators are able to listen to live music of the fireworks displays through Radio Macau's live broadcast at FM100.7. The organizer will attribute US$20,000 to each fireworks team as subsidy. The winner will receive US$8,000, trophy and certificate. First and second runners-up will receive US$4,000, US$2,500, trophies and certificates respectively. To further enhance the event, MGTO and the General Union of Neighbors Association of Macau join hands again to present the Fireworks Carnival 2009 on the shorefront beside the Macau Tower. The opening ceremony of the Fireworks Carnival 2009 will be held today (September 5) at 8:00pm. Citizens can enjoy an array of live entertainment, cultural activities and culinary delights at the carnival between 5:00 - 11:00 p.m. on each of the fireworks display nights. Over 20 stalls offering snacks and souvenirs will also add sparkle to the party. The press release is available on MGTO’s website: http://www.macautourism.gov.mo/en/index.php
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The Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) launched another innovative campaign on 3rd Sept, the ‘Experience Macau Bus Tour’, to celebrate the upcoming 10th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Macau Special Administrative Region (S.A.R.), in conjunction with the MATTA Travel Fair which is taking place over the weekend of 4-6 Sept 2009 in Kuala Lumpur. The launch event was officiated by Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) Representative in Malaysia, Tunku Dato’ Seri Iskandar Tunku Abdullah, accompanied by lion dance and Portuguese folk dance performances – representing the blend of eastern and western cultures in Macau. The event was witnessed by more than 50 partners from the travel industry, airlines and media representatives. The eye-catching colorful double-decker bus was decked with the ‘Experience Macau’ branding showcasing the five experiences - See, Taste, Feel, Hear and Touch the difference. The Experience Macau Bus will be embarking on a tour around major cities and towns throughout Malaysia for a period of one month starting on 3 Sept 2009. The Experience Macau bus is a mobile Macau Gallery to showcase the uniqueness and difference of Macau - a city that is literally and uniquely sensational! “As a result of a centuries-old crossroads between the East and West, Macau today is an intoxicating blend of both. Macau lets you experience its multicultural environment and world heritage sites that make Macau so unique”, said Tunku Iskandar. “Even though Macau is compact, there’s so much to do, and so much to see, that a holiday in Macau will be one that you’ll never forget”. In conjunction with the Experience Macau Bus Tour around Malaysia, there will be activities and many attractive offers on sale and giveaways. For those who purchase a Macau holiday package, they will be able to join the Double Celebration Draw and stands a chance to win daily prizes and also the Grand Draw, which includes a luxurious holiday package for 2 to Macau, with accommodation at the intimate Four Seasons Hotel Macao, stylish MGM Grand Macau or the Venice-theme Venetian Macao Resort-Hotel plus show tickets to “Zaia”, a dazzling Cirque du Soleil performance which is the first permanent show in Asia. In February 2009, MGTO Malaysia launched the “Celebrate Macau Packages” – a collection of 5 fabulous thematic tour packages to attract Malaysians and other visitors with varied interests, to explore and experience Macau. In May, MGTO also launched the “Plan To Support Macau Tourism Industry” to attract more visitors to Macau as well as to maintain the momentum and competitive edge Macau has been building as an international destination. At present, AirAsia provides 21 times weekly direct services between Kuala Lumpur and Macau, and also 3 times weekly services direct from Penang and Kuching to Macau and 4 times weekly services direct from Kota Kinabalu to Macau. The press release is available on MGTO’s website: http://www.macautourism.gov.mo/en/index.php
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Macao today reported its first fatality from Influenza A (H1N1), a 40-year-old female patient who passed away after admitted to hospital two weeks ago. The patient, suffering from breathing difficulties and double pneumonia, had been in a critical condition since she was transferred to Hospital Conde S. Januário from Kiang Wu Hospital on 18 August. Her health condition showed no improvement and deteriorated in the morning. She passed away at 12:05 pm. Today 44 new cases were reported, taking the total number of Influenza A (H1N1) cases to 1,045 so far. Five patients had recovered and were discharged from hospital today, with six still in hospital, most of them in a stable and fair condition. Macao’s pandemic alert remained at Level VI, Blue, which indicated that the spread of the virus was moderate.
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Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) organized a Lunch Briefing for the Hong Kong M.I.C.E. (Meetings, Incentive, Convention, Exhibition) Industry today at The Mira Hotel Hong Kong. About 200 guests from Hong Kong including event and destination management companies, corporate travel agents, corporate and association representatives participated in the luncheon and get an updated picture of Macau’s potential for M.I.C.E. events as well as MGTO’s revised “Strategic MICE Market Stimulation Program”. The luncheon started with a presentation on Macau’s M.I.C.E. development and why Macau is attractive as a M.I.C.E. destination, then followed by a briefing on the “Strategic MICE Market Stimulation Program” launched in May and revised in August this year. Corporate travel agents, event planners and corporate representatives from Hong Kong showed high interest in this program which, after the recent revision, step up support to event organizers by expanding support scope, increasing amount of support and relaxing qualification. Since last year, MGTO has organized three seminars in Hong Kong for the M.I.C.E. industry, which has been a successful networking platform for event planners and Macau trade partners. The lunch briefing today focused on introducing the “Strategic MICE Market Stimulation Program” to the Hong Kong business travel market and is anticipated to attract more M.I.C.E. groups from Hong Kong and the region to create more business for the Macau industry.
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The office of the Chief Executive-designate is to begin operation tomorrow to prepare for the Policy Address for the Fiscal Year 2010. The operation of the Office of the Third-term Chief Executive is supported by the Macao SAR Government as the incumbent Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, had signed an executive order requesting support from all Government bureaux. Staff of the Office will hold meetings with Government bureaux to prepare the policy outline, which will incorporate the manifesto of the Third-term Chief Executive, Mr Fernando Chui Sai On, and public opinion gathered from all walks of life during the campaign. The Office will also study into the structure of the Government for the future needs of Macao.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the number of MICE (Meeting, Incentives, Conventions & Exhibitions) events held in various venues in Macao totalled 347, down by 9% from the first quarter of 2009, with 328 meetings/conferences (95% of total) and 19 exhibitions; total number of participants/attendees decreased by 63% quarter-to-quarter to 57,423; average duration of the MICE events fell from 2.2 days in the previous quarter to 1.8 days. The average duration of exhibitions was 3.4 days, attracting 25,376 attendees (44% of total); average duration of meetings/conferences was 1.8 days, with 32,047 participants. As regards subject of MICE events, the majority focused on Commerce, Trade & Management (105), Tourism & Culture (60) and Education & Training (52). Analyzed by type, most of the events were Corporate Meetings (131), Association Meetings (94) and Government Meetings (47). There were 204 MICE events held in hotels, of which 194 were meetings/conferences and 10 exhibitions, drawing a total of 28,546 participants/attendees. Participants to 194 meetings /conferences totalled 16,900 (59% of total) and attendees of the 10 exhibitions were 11,646. Meanwhile, 143 MICE events were held in convention & exhibition centres, and other conference venues, bringing in 28,877 participants/attendees; the majority were Association Meetings (71), but the 9 exhibitions attracted 13,730 attendees (48% of total). In the first half year of 2009, a total of 730 MICE events were held in Macao, with an average duration of 2.0 days, attracting 211,287 participants/attendees.
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In order to provide better quality, efficient and convenient service to the investors, the "One-Stop Service"of the Investor Service Department (DAI) of Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute at 4th Floor, 918, World Trade Centre Building, Av. da Amizade, will move to 19-20th Floor, Edif. China Civil Plaza, 263 Alameda Dr. Carlos d’Assumpção, Macao, on 1 September 2009. DAI provides personal One-Stop Service for investors, including information enquiries, project assessment, company registration assistance by our notary, guidance on administrative procedures for licence application, business matching, project follow-ups and other types of support for project implementation. DAI will continue to provide quality services at the new office. The new contact information is as follows:
Phone: +853 2872 8328 Fax: +853 2872 7506
Email: onestopservice@ipim.gov.mo
Website: www.ipim.gov.mo
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the value of total exports of goods amounted to MOP631 million in July 2009, down by 60.8% year-on-year, with the value of domestic exports falling sharply by 74.8% to MOP256 million and that of re-exports dropping by 36.6% to MOP375 million. The value of total imports of goods amounted to MOP3.20 billion, down by 23.1% year-on-year. A trade deficit of MOP2.57 billion was recorded for July 2009. From January to July 2009, total value of merchandise exports fell substantially by 55.3% year-on-year to MOP4.53 billion, of which the value of domestic exports and re-exports declined by 69.5% and 31.4% respectively; meanwhile, total value of merchandise imports slid by 21.8% to MOP20.01 billion. The trade deficit for the first seven months of 2009 was similar to that of last year, at MOP15.48 billion; the exports/imports ratio went down by 17.0 percentage points year-on-year to 22.6%. Analyzed by destination of Macao’s exports, in the first seven months of 2009, the value of merchandise exports to the USA, the EU and Mainland China decreased by 79.0%, 59.6% and 44.8% respectively year-on-year. The value of Textile & garment exports declined by 72.0% year-on-year to account for 37.6% of the total exports of goods; meanwhile, the value of Non-textile exports dropped by 30.0%. Regarding the country of origin of imported goods, value of merchandise imports from Mainland China dropped by 41.9% year-on-year, but that from the EU rose by 4.2%. The value of imports by Broad Economic Category registered year-on-year decrease, of which Raw materials & semi-manufactures and Fuels & lubricants fell by 43.0% and 29.5% respectively; meanwhile, the value of imports of Consumer goods recorded a mild decrease of 8.4%, with that of Food & beverages rising by 15.6%.
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