News

The Chief Executive Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah and the Macao business delegation continued their visit in Heilongjiang today and attended a trade and investment seminar. Speaking at the seminar, the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen, said he saw a surge in business exchanges between the two places after the establishment of the SAR a decade ago, thanks to the contribution of the business and industrial sectors. Macao would continue to bolster trade between the two places using the favourable terms offered in the Mainland and Macao Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA), Mr Tam said. The SAR would make use of its advantages as a service platform to boost the trade of Heilongjiang, especially with the Portuguese-speaking countries, and continue to support the co-operation and trade between Macao and Heilongjiang. Mr Tam said the Government would continue to adopt proactive measures to gradually turn Macao into an international leisure and tourist hub and regional trade and services platform. Prior to the trade seminar, Chief Executive Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah and his delegation visited an aircraft company and a food company. The Chief Executive and his delegation hosted a banquet for the Heilongjiang officials to thank them for their hospitality, before leaving for Changchun, Jilin Province, to continue his five-day visit in northeast China.
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Medical teams at terminals checked body temperatures of more than 134,000 people entering Macao today, with two people sent to hospital for treatment. They also dealt with 287 enquiries, with most of them at Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal. The Hospital Conde S. Januário treated 82 children and 30 adults with respiratory illness symptoms today. To date there is no probable or confirmed human case of Influenza A (H1N1) reported in Macao.
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The Hospital Conde S. Januário treated 73 children and 29 adults with respiratory illness symptoms today and medical teams at terminals checked body temperatures of more than 134,000 people entering Macao. Two people were sent to hospital for treatment. The medical teams also dealt with 141 enquiries, most of them at the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal. To date there is no probable or confirmed human case of Influenza A (H1N1) reported in Macao. To promote public awareness enhance precautions, the Health Bureau has scheduled two talks in English and Portuguese next week. The first session is to be held at Taipa Health Centre on 21 May from 12:00 to 13:00 and the second at Areia Preta Health Centre on 22 May from 12:00 to 13:00. For reservation, please call 85041437.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, arrived in Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang, today at the start of his five-day visit to three Northeast provinces. Upon arrival, Mr Ho and his delegation, including the Secretary for Economy and Finance Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen, were welcomed by the Vice Governor of Heilongjiang, Mr Sun Yao. They then met the Secretary of Heilongjiang CPC Committee, Mr Ji Bingxuan, and the Governor of Heilongjiang, Mr Li Zhanshu. More than 100 Macao business people were in the delegation with Mr Ho, who told the Heilongjiang officials that he was looking forward to an even brighter future for the co-operation between the two places by their private sectors and government bodies. The advantages of the province included its enormous resources, special location and the size of its market, Mr Ho said. He also introduced Macao’s latest development to the Heilongjiang officials, and said that with the backing of the Central Government and the concerted efforts of all the residents, the overall economic and social situation of Macao remained stable despite the impacts of the global financial turmoil. He said he looked forward to the Governor’s scheduled visit to Macao, which would certainly enhance bilateral co-operation. The Secretary of Heilongjiang CPC Committee, Mr Ji Bingxuan, praised the achievement of Mr Ho and his team for the economic performance and social stability in Macao. Mr Ji said he also looked forward to enhancing trade and investment between the two places. The Heilongjiang leaders hosted a reception for Mr Ho and his delegation. Tomorrow Mr Ho is scheduled to visit an aircraft company and a food company and attend a Heilongjiang-Macao trade and investment promotion session, before leaving for Changchun, Jilin Province, in the evening.
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Two visitors from Korea and Taiwan who arrived in Macao with fever were tested negative for Influenza A (H1N1) today. The Korean female visitor, aged 29, had visited Canada and the 35-year-old man from Taiwan had visited the United States of America. They arrived by air today and body temperature checks showed they had fever. But tests ruled out the virus. Meanwhile, the Hospital Conde S. Januário treated 78 children and 37 adults with respiratory illness symptoms today and medical teams at terminals checked body temperatures of more than 127,000 people entering Macao. The medical teams also dealt with three enquiries. To date there is no probable or confirmed human case of Influenza A (H1N1) reported in Macao. To promote awareness of the virus among the public and enhance precautions, the Health Bureau has scheduled two talks in English and Portuguese next week. The first session is to be held at Taipa Health Centre on 21 May from 12:00 to 13:00 and the second at Areia Preta Health Centre on 22 May from 12:00 to 13:00. For reservation, please call 85041437.
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The Government would adhere to the Chief Executive Election Law and strive for a fair, just, open and clean third-term Chief Executive election, the Chief Executive Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah said today. Speaking to the press before leaving on a visit to Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces, Mr Ho said the Government would maintain a neutral stance towards all candidates of the election and would not comment on any candidates or potential candidates. Yesterday the State Council approved the resignation of Mr Chui Sai On from his post as the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, who said he would run in the election. Mr Ho said the Macao SAR Government appreciated Mr Chui’s contributions during his term of office. Mr Ho told the press that he would not share his experience with any candidate to avoid intervening in the election and making room for speculation. It was announced that bureau-level officials and department heads under the supervision of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture should report directly to the Chief Executive. Mr Ho said even this would increase his workload, with the concerted efforts of the civil service, there would not be difficulties.
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The Macau Business Tourism Centre (MBTC) of the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) led a delegation of 9 Macau Trade representatives from the hotels, convention and exhibition venues, travel agencies, event and destination management to participate in the “Meet in Macau” business session in Kuala Lumpur of Malaysia and Singapore on 13th and 14th May. A mini mart followed by a luncheon was organized on the first day (13th May) in Kuala Lumpur, which attracted more than 70 representatives from the Malaysian travel agencies. According to Tunku Iskandar, MGTO Representative in Malaysia, the main objective of the event is to gather the tourism industry representatives from Macau to meet, discuss, and to further strengthen the business ties and to exchange ideas with travel agents, tour operators and MICE planners in Malaysia. “I feel confident that Macau is a viable destination to offer clients who are selecting venues for conferences and incentives. While Macau is still very new in terms of the MICE industry, its impressive array of diverse and multi-dimensional tourism products, state-of-the-art MICE facilities, and with the themed hotels, entertainment and great cuisine has made it become a truly unique world-class MICE destination,” added Tunku Iskandar in his opening speech. In Singapore, around 60 representatives from the travel agencies and corporate had participated in the mini mart and the Corporate Rapport Night (14th May). Charles Leong, MGTO Representative in Singapore, remarked in the corporate reception, “Macau’s tourism industry has witnessed tremendous development in the last few years. With extensive developments of luxury hotels, resorts and MICE facilities, we are now well suited to host various kinds of MICE activities.” The “Meet in Macau” business session is the third consecutive year MGTO is organizing the annual event for MICE planners and corporate travel agencies in Malaysia and Singapore. The purpose of the event is to provide a platform for our industry partners to update potential customers the new development of Macau and its upcoming projects, as well as to help foster better communication and business relationships between Macau, Malaysia and Singapore.
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Macao’s pandemic alert remained at level IV despite reports of confirmed Influenza A (H1N1) cases in Shandong Province and Hong Kong. The Health Bureau was notified of the Shandong case by the Ministry of Health in the morning and the Hong Kong case in the afternoon. The Hong Kong patient, who had taken a flight from the United States of America to Hong Kong on Monday, sought medical attention upon arrival and was later tested positive for the virus. Reports from the Department of Health in Hong Kong indicated there was no Macao resident on the same plane. The Bureau reported the latest developments to the Influenza Pandemic Prevention Coordination Group, which decided to maintain the current pandemic alert at level IV. The Group urged the residents to keep good personal and environmental hygiene despite Macao’s adequate precautions and preparation for the outbreak. People entering Macao from Mexico, the USA, Canada, and regions with confirmed cases should pay attention to their health. Anyone with respiratory illness symptoms such as cough, sore throat or fever should wear a facemask and go to the Hospital Conde S. Januário or Kiang Wu Hospital for diagnosis. Meanwhile, the Hospital Conde S. Januário treated 74 children and 46 adults with respiratory illness symptoms today and medical teams at terminals checked body temperatures of more than 130,000 people entering Macao. The medical teams also dealt with five enquiries. To date there is no probable or confirmed human case of Influenza A (H1N1) reported in Macao.
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In accordance with the provisions of the Basic Law and Article 36 of the Chief Executive Election Law, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Mr Chui Sai On tendered his resignation to the Chief Executive on 12 May 2009, with a view to running for the third-term Chief Executive. On the same day the Chief Executive reported to the State Council in accordance with Article 50 (6) of the Basic Law to recommend removing Mr Chui from his post as the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture. The State Council approved Mr Chui’s resignation this morning and relieved him of his duties with immediate effect. The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, said Mr Chui had held the post of Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture since the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region. Bearing the interests of the nation and Macao residents in mind, he had made significant achievement in his work. Leading his team, he propelled the enhancement of the healthcare system to fight against diseases, allocated more resources in the areas of education and culture, and facilitated the healthy development of young people. He was also dedicated in developing sport that helped improve the public’s health and physique and promoted Macao’s sport to international level. The successful inscription of Macao to the World Heritage list turned Macao into an all-round tourist hub, and his policies enhanced people’s livelihood and provided timely assistance to the less privileged. The Chief Executive affirmed Mr Chui’s contributions to the Macao Special Administrative Region and expressed his warmest gratitude to Mr Chui. Since the term for the second-term administration would end on 19 December 2009, the Chief Executive said he would not nominate another Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture. In the interim bureau-level officials and related department heads would be responsible and report directly to the Chief Executive.
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Macau Government spares no effort to promote the development of the tourism industry. To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Macau SAR, Macau Government Tourist Office will launch “Plan to Support Macau Tourism Industry” on May 18 to attract more visitors to Macau as well as to maintain the momentum and competitive edge Macau has been building as an international destination. The plan will also include measures to support tourism development in Sichuan. The total budget of the plan is MOP172,400,000. Support to leisure tourism
MGTO will join hands with Macau Tourist Guide Association to launch the World Heritage “Historic Centre of Macau” Free Guiding Service at two major world heritage sites in Macau. Professional tour guides will be stationed at the Ruins of St Paul’s and Senado Square to offer free guiding services to individual visitors. Two English speaking and two Mandarin speaking guides from the Macau Tourist Guide Association will give free on-site explanation at each of the two world heritage sites every half an hour from 10 am to 5pm daily. Each guided tour lasts for about 15 minutes. Interested individual visitors can enroll at Macau Tourism & Cultural Activities Centre (at the Company of Jesus Square down the Ruins of St. Paul’s) and Macau Business Tourism Centre at Senado Square on a first come first served basis. Maximum quota for each tour is 30 visitors. MGTO will distribute leaflets and set up banner stands at the Ruins of St Paul’s and Senado Square to promote this service. To support Macau land operators, MGTO will also initiate “Celebrate Macau Tours” campaign in major source markets. To be qualified for the campaign, tour groups to Macau must be organised by travel agencies outside Macau with a minimum number of 9 members for each group. The groups must be assigned with tour buses; accompanied by local tour guides who require to provide introduction of the must see Macau World Heritage Tour designed by MGTO. The groups must stay in 2 to 5-star hotels in Macau for one or two consecutive nights. Name of local land operators and the itineraries of the groups must be registered with MGTO through the on-line system before the tour group’s arrival in Macau. The budget for supporting “Leisure Tourism” campaign is MOP51,900,000. Support to business tourism
MGTO will introduce the “Strategic MICE Market Stimulation Program” to assist business tourism partners. The stimulation program includes three categories: Meetings and Conventions, Exhibitions and Incentives. The budget for the program is approximately MOP65 million. To qualify and entitle for this stimulation program, the organizers or meeting planners should only use services provided by local entity registered in Macau that has at least 50 percent shareholding or controlling interest owned by Macau residents. The program is applicable to events with confirmed reservations by 31 December 2009. Meetings and Conventions – a) All meetings and conventions organizers will receive the following basic package: promotional assistance, facilitation in liaison with other government authorities and bid support. b) Privileges for qualified meeting planners and convention organizers: support on accommodation, support for food and beverage, support on site inspections and bid support. Exhibitions – a) All exhibition organizers will receive the following basic package: promotional assistance and facilitation in liaison with other government authorities. b) Privileges for qualified exhibition organizers: support on accommodation, support on venue rental charges, support on hardware, support for opening ceremony and support on site inspections. Incentives – a) All incentives will receive the following basic package: promotional assistance and facilitation in liaison with other government authorities. b) For support to incentive groups: the incentive group should have a minimum of 100 overseas participants and spend two consecutive nights in Macau. A fixed amount of MOP300 will be granted per overseas participant for their incentive activities in Macau. Plan to Support of Aviation Industry
MGTO will focus on supporting the marketing activities of the airlines in the following three aspects: support to local carriers, support to new routes to Macau and promotion budget support to 14 airlines now flying to Macau via Board of Airlines Representatives. The total budget for the plan will be MOP35 million. Support to revive Sichuan’s tourism MGTO will work with international and local media to promote the tourism resources of Sichuan Through the co-ordination of MGTO overseas representation offices, will invite travel trades and media to visit Sichuan via Macau to promote joint destination itineraries. When participating in overseas travel fairs and roadshows, especially for the target markets of Sichuan, MGTO will also showcase her promotion materials. MGTO will also assist Sichuan Province to take part in the World Heritage Travel Expo in Macau as well as the Sichuan Tourism Forum during the same period, MGTO will give full support to the proposed photo exhibition on Sichuan in Macau,. In addition to its continuous support to flights from Macau to Chengdu, which stimulates more Macau residents to travel to Sichuan, MGTO will work with travel agencies to create additional tour packages to target the teachers and students segment markets during summer holiday. The budget for the support plan to Sichuan tourism is MOP20 million.
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