News

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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The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, is scheduled to leave on Friday for a five-day visit to Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces, to strengthen ties and boost co-operation with the three northeast provinces. He would be visiting the three provinces together with a delegation of officials and more than 100 Macao businesspeople. During his visit, Mr Ho is scheduled to meet the Secretaries of the three CPC provincial committees and the three Governors, and exchange ideas on boosting bilateral co-operation with them, especially in the areas of trade and tourism. He would also attend trade promotion activities and visit the enterprises there. Members of Mr Ho’s delegation would include the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen; Members of the Executive Council, Mr Tong Chi Kin, Mr Leong Heng Teng, Mr Liu Chak Wan, Mr Ma Iao Lai, Mr Ho Iat Seng, Mr Leonel Alberto Alves, Mr Cheang Chi Keong, Mr Leong Vai Tac; the President of the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, Mr Lee Peng Hong; the Director of the Government Information Bureau, Mr Chan Chi Ping, and the President of the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, Mr Tam Vai Man. The Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Florinda Chan, will be Acting Chief Executive until Mr Ho returns on 19 May.
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The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Chui Sai On, today submitted his resignation to the Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, and said he would run for the third-term Chief Executive. Mr Chui said Mr Ho told him he would inform the State Council of his resignation as soon as possible. In accordance with the Basic Law, the Chief Executive has the power to recommend to the Central Government the removal of principal officials. Mr Chui met the press this afternoon to announce his decision. He said he had decided to run in the third-term Chief Executive election after prudent consideration. He said he was honoured to have served the Macao SAR Government and the people in the past decade and the Chief Executive would take over his duties in the interim. Speaking on the prevention of Influenza A (H1N1), he said the Government had stepped up its efforts in surveillance and information gathering and had been following the guidelines issued by the World Health Organization. In accordance with the Chief Executive Election Law, principal officials cannot be nominated as candidate unless they have resigned or retired before the commencement of the term for the submission of nomination as a candidate.
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A 58-year-old female resident who had visited the United States of America was tested negative for Influenza A (H1N1) today. Suffering from cough and a sore throat, she sought medical attention at the Hospital Conde S. Januário but was tested negative for the virus. Health Bureau’s medical teams at terminals checked body temperatures of more than 162,000 people entering Macao, with one person sent to hospital for treatment. The medical teams also dealt with nine enquiries. Meanwhile, the Hospital Conde S. Januário treated 82 children and 56 adults with respiratory illness symptoms today. 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 more talks this week. The first session is to be held at Taipa Health Centre on Thursday from 11:00 to 12:00 and the second at Areia Preta Health Centre on Friday from 11:00 to 12:00. For reservation, please call 85041496 or 85041466.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that Macao registered 551,010 visitor arrivals in package tours in March 2009, up by 30.9% from a year earlier. Visitors from Mainland China (437,565) and Taiwan, China (26,650) increased substantially by 43.5% and 39.4% year-on-year, and those from Japan (17,687), Thailand (12,248) and Malaysia (11,772) also rose by 17.7%, 19.1% and 16.7% respectively; however, visitors from Hong Kong (19,945) decreased by 16.3%. In the first quarter of 2009, visitor arrivals in package tours grew by 14.3% over the same period of 2008 to 1,368,556. In March 2009, the number of Macao residents travelling outbound in package tours dropped by 17.7% year-on-year to 17,004. Mainland China (75.9%); Taiwan, China (6.6%) and Japan (5.5%) were the most popular tour itineraries. In the first quarter of 2009, residents travelling in package tours decreased by 10.8 % over the same period of 2008 to 47,499. Meanwhile, residents travelling outbound under own arrangements with services of travel agencies totalled 31,956, up by 10.6% over March 2008. Hong Kong (35.1%), Mainland China (32.6%) and Taiwan, China (14.8%) were the major destinations. In the first quarter of 2009, outbound residents travelling under such arrangements dropped by 2.6% year-on-year to 89,250. At the end of March 2009, the number of guest rooms available in the hotel sector increased by 1,345 (+8.3%) from a year earlier to 17,534 rooms. In March 2009, a total of 596,206 guests checked into hotels and similar establishments, up by 5.9% year-on-year, with the majority of guests coming from Mainland China (55.7%) and Hong Kong (18.7%). The average hotel occupancy rate decreased by 3.1 percentage points year-on-year to 72.6%, with 4-star hotels leading at 86.4%. The average length of stay of hotel guests decreased slightly by 0.01 night to 1.3 nights. Total number of hotel guests reached 1,636,504 in the first quarter of 2009, up by 1.7% over the same period of 2008. In the first quarter of 2009, visitor-guests of hotels accounted for 61.9% of the total number of tourists, up from 55.2% in the corresponding period of 2008.
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China’s Ministry of Health today notified Macao about a confirmed case of Influenza A (H1N1) in Sichuan Province. The patient travelled from Tokyo to Beijing on flight NW029 on 8 May and arrived at Beijing International Airport at 01:30, May 9. At 10:50, he took another flight, 3U8882, for Chengdu and arrived in the Sichuan capital at 13:17. He went to hospital and was later tested positive for the virus. The Ministry of Health is trying to locate passengers of the two flights and the Health Bureau believed that there were no Macao residents on the flights. But the Bureau urged the public to contact them at 28561122 immediately if they have any information of Macao residents on the flight. Meanwhile, another resident who returned from the United States of America with fever was tested negative. And three Filipino visitors from Canada who had fever when they arrived at Taipa Temporary Ferry Terminal were also tested negative. Meanwhile, the Hospital Conde S. Januário treated 141 children and 55 adults with respiratory illness symptoms today and medical teams at terminals checked body temperatures of more than 146,000 people entering Macao, with two people sent to hospital for treatment. The medical teams also dealt with eight enquiries. To date there is no probable or confirmed human case of influenza A (H1N1) reported in Macao.
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Macao and the Mainland today signed Supplement VI to the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA), giving yet more favourable terms to Macao’s businesses on the Mainland. The supplement is comprised of 31 measures, including relaxing the market access conditions in 18 sectors of trade in services, facilitating trade and investment and pushing the recognition of professional qualifications. The signing ceremony was held at Government Headquarters today and was witnessed by the Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah. Macao’s Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam, and Mainland’s Vice Minister of Commerce, Mr Jiang Zengwei, signed the agreement. Speaking to the press after the ceremony, Mr Tam said the supplement would benefit the diversification of Macao’s industrial portfolio and sustainable development. In terms of trade in services, the Mainland would further relax restrictions for Macao companies to conduct business in 41 sectors, with the companies in research and development sector the new beneficiaries. The supplement stipulated that Macao MICE companies would be able to organise exhibitions in more cities and provinces. For the tourism sector, Mainland tourists visiting Taiwan could stop over in Macao. Moreover, eligible Macao tour guides could work on the Mainland. Medical professionals could start health care services businesses as individuals and practise on the Mainland after passing the required examination. In regards trade and investment facilitation, Macao and Mainland would further co-operate in protecting intellectual property rights and trademarks. Before the signing ceremony, Mr Tam and Mr Jiang held the meeting of the Joint Steering Committee of CEPA.
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Another resident who returned from the United States of America with fever today was tested negative for the influenza A (H1N1) virus. The 63-year-old man, who returned to Macao via Taipei, arrived at Macau International Airport about 11am and Health Bureau staff stationed at the airport detected he had fever. He was sent to Hospital Conde S. Januário for diagnosis and was tested negative for influenza A (H1N1) virus. He was discharged in the afternoon. Yesterday another man who had fever was also diagnosed and discharged. Meanwhile, the Hospital Conde S. Januário treated 116 children and 47 adults with respiratory illness symptoms today and medical teams at terminals checked body temperatures of more than 143,000 people entering Macao. They also dealt with eight enquiries, and two people were sent to hospital for further treatment. To date there is no probable or confirmed human case of influenza A (H1N1) reported in Macao.
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