News

Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) participated in the 23rd International Travel Expo Hong Kong (ITE HK) and the 4th MICE, Business & Incentive Travel Expo on 11th to 14th June 2009, to promote Macau’s leisure and business tourism. Macau Government Tourist Office is one of the supporting organizations of the ITE HK this year. MGTO Director João Manuel Costa Antunes, who was invited to officiate the opening ceremony, led the largest-ever delegation of MGTO officials and 39 Macau travel trade representatives from hotels, travel agents, airlines, shipping companies and destination management companies to the fair. As this year marks the 10th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Macau SAR, the Macau booth was specially designed to showcase the theme “Experience Macau Celebrations”. Portuguese-style architecture decorated with traditional Chinese red lanterns to created an atmosphere of joy and happiness. By participating in the ITE HK 2009, Macau Government Tourist Office aims to reach Hong Kong and international exhibitors, travel trade buyers and public visitors to promote Macau as a leisure and business destination, as well as to facilitate Macau travel entities to present their products to the target audience. Apart from the information dissemination, MGTO also hosted an in-booth cocktail to on the first day of the fair to greet 200 Hong Kong travel trade partners, MICE organizers and media friends to celebrate the event. Two seminars will be held during the consumer days (13th & 14th June) to introduce the Macau World Heritage, events and festivals, new facilities, “Celebrate Macau” Photo Collection and “Sweet Memory” Campaigns to the public. In addition, MGTO has organized “Experience Macau!” familiarization tour on 13th to 14th June for ITE hosted buyers to visit Macau’s World Heritage, unique tourist spots and new hotels and MICE facilities, to showcase Macau’s potential in leisure and business tourism development. “The 23rd International Travel Expo Hong Kong (ITE HK) and the 4th MICE, Business & Incentive Travel Expo” is held from 11th to 14th June 2009 at the HK Convention and Exhibition Centre. It is a prime travel expo held annually in Hong Kong, and has attracted an international portfolio of exhibitors and visitors, providing a platform for mutual exchange among the travel industry. According to official release, there are over 600 international exhibitors from 50 countries and regions participating in the Expo.
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Macao would actively dedicate its advantageous condition to participate in the co-operation between the Pan Pearl River Delta (PPRD) region to tackle global financial crises, the Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, said today. Mr Ho was conveying this message in his keynote address to the Fifth PPRD Regional Co-operation and Development Forum and Economic and Trade Co-operation Fair held in Nanning, the capital of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. He quoted the Premier Wen Jiabao’s earlier saying that one country alone could not fight these severe financial crises solely. “We have to work together to propel collaboration inside the country and with foreign countries. “Firstly, the co-operation between the region may help to overcome one’s weakness. In this way we may minimize the impacts and to create friendly atmosphere to revitalize the economy,” said Mr Ho. He said Macao’s economy was basically optimistic and the society was relatively stable, yet the exports of services and goods were facing different challenges that caused a slight drop in economical figures. Mr Ho stressed that it was essential to discuss how to cope with global financial crises in this forum. The National Development and Reform Commission announced the Outline of the Plan for the Reform and Development of the Pearl River Delta (2008-2010) that included Macao. Mr Ho said the Outline was an important guideline for the future development of Macao. “The Outline stated that Macao’s role could be developed as a world-class tourism-leisure position to promote regional collaboration. Due to limited resources, Macao’s tourism should integrate with that of the PPRD region.” Mr Ho said that the Macao Government would continue to perfect legislation, to step up training, and to optimise market. Moreover, the 2009 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum and Exhibition had successfully established a platform for the PPRD region and European countries to exchange green views. Mr Ho also attended several investment contracts signing ceremonies.
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The unemployment rate has remained at 3.8 per cent, which showed that a string of measures to stabilise the economy and employment are working well, the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Tam Pak Yuen, said today. Mr Tam, who is leading a business delegation to Guangxi to attend the fifth Pan-Pearl River Delta (PPRD) Regional Co-operation and Development Forum and Economic and Trade Co-operation Fair, said Macao would step up communication and co-operation with the PPRD region. He said some concrete joint projects with the PPRD region had been been introduced and he hoped all parties might seek for a wider co-operation. When asked by reporters on the employment issue in Macao, Mr Tam said due to the impacts caused by the global financial crisis in the third and fourth quarters last year, the Government’s principle was to maintain a stable economy and employment. Over the past three months, figure have shown that the unemployment rate remained at 3.8 per cent. Mr Tam said he believed the percentage to remain like this in the next few months. He said the Government had speed up the launch of public constructions projects and introduced training courses that would certainly help to ease unemployment. On Macao’s economy, Mr Tam said that the last two quarters recorded two digits negative growth, and he expected the same in the second quarter of this year. The Government would strive to control the negative growth over the whole year to one digit, he said. Information Department
Government Information Bureau
Macao Special Administrative Region
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The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, said today the fifth PPRD Form would be looking at ways to further enhance the infrastructure development of the Pan Pearl River Delta region. Mr Ho told reporters this at Macao International Airport this morning as he led an official delegation to the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to attend the fifth Pan-Pearl River Delta (PPRD) Regional Co-operation and Development Forum and Economic and Trade Co-operation Fair, to be held from June 9-11. Mr Ho said the forum would mainly discuss ways to strengthen mutual co-operation, especially the development of the infranstructure of the region. Asked about a protest last Sunday by a group of civil servants, Mr Ho said civil servants were a part of society, that they enjoyed the right to protest and assembly, and the Government would fully consider their expressed views. He stressed the Government would take into account the benefit of the whole society and, at the same time, ensure that civil servents enjoy a fair treatment.
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The Pan Pearl River Delta region should strengthen co-operation and ride out the impacts of the financial crisis, Chief Executive Mr Edmund Ho Hau-wah said today. And with the string of supportive measures offered by the Central Government, the pace of the diversification of Macao’s economy would be faster, he said. Mr Ho is in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region with an official delegation to attend the fifth Pan-Pearl River Delta (PPRD) Regional Co-operation and Development Forum and Economic and Trade Co-operation Fair, being held on June 9-11. He said Macao and Guangxi would tie up co-operation in many areas including in trading, logistic and transportation, which were discussed when Mr Ho met with the Party Secretary of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Mr Guo Shengkun, and the Chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Mr Ma Biao. Mr Ho and the official delegation arrived in Guangxi in the afternoon and were received by the Vice-president of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Mr Chen Wu. During the meeting with the Guangxi officials, Mr Ho said faced with the impacts of the global financial crisis, the Pan Pearl River Delta (PPRD) region should strengthen co-operation. The Macao delegation attended a welcome dinner hosted by the Guangxi Government, and the opening ceremony of the PPRD forum. Mr Ho would deliver a keynote speech tomorrow and attended several investment contracts signing ceremonies.
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Three members of a family who arrived in Macao on a flight from Australia with a confirmed Influenza A (H1N1) case were placed under medical observation and were all tested negative for the virus, the Health Bureau announced. The three had taken QF029 from Melbourne, to Hong Kong on 1 June, and sat near an Australian child who showed influenza symptoms during the flight. The child was sent to hospital on entering Shenzhen via Hong Kong on 3 June and was confirmed as a H1N1 case the next day. The Guangdong health authorities notified Hong Kong of the confirmed case to help locate people who had close contacts with the patient. The Bureau received reports from Hong Kong yesterday evening about the case and located the three people soon afterwards. The three -- a couple and their daughter -- were all tested negative for the virus but were required to be placed under medical observation until Tuesday. Meanwhile, two Canadian women and a Portuguese man were tested negative for Influenza A (H1N1) virus today. Today the Hospital Conde S. Januário treated 86 children and 39 adults with respiratory illness symptoms: medical teams at terminals checked body temperatures of more than 142,000 people entering Macao. They also dealt with 128 enquiries. To date there is no probable or confirmed human case of Influenza A (H1N1) reported in Macao.
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A Portuguese woman was tested negative for Influenza A (H1N1) virus today, the Health Bureau announced. Today the Hospital Conde S. Januário treated 86 children and 39 adults with respiratory illness symptoms: medical teams at terminals checked body temperatures of more than 126,000 people entering Macao. They also dealt with 198 enquiries. To date there is no probable or confirmed human case of Influenza A (H1N1) reported in Macao.
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Three people were tested negative for Influenza A (H1N1) virus today, the Health Bureau announced. Today the Hospital Conde S. Januário treated 91 children and 37 adults with respiratory illness symptoms: medical teams at terminals checked body temperatures of more than 121,000 people entering Macao. They also dealt with 370 enquiries. To date there is no probable or confirmed human case of Influenza A (H1N1) reported in Macao.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, is scheduled to leave for the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region tomorrow with an official delegation to attend the fifth Pan-Pearl River Delta (PPRD) Regional Co-operation and Development Forum and Economic and Trade Co-operation Fair. The Forum will be held from 9 –11 June, during which Mr Ho will attend the opening ceremony on the evening of 9 June. The following day he will deliver a keynote speech and attend several investment contracts signing ceremonies. Mr Ho will be accompanied by the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen; the Chief of the Office of Chief Executive, Mr Ho Veng On; the Chief of the Office of the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Ms Lok Kit Sim; the President of the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, Mr Lee Peng Hon; and the Director of the Information Bureau, Mr Victor Chan Chi Pang. The PPRD Forum was established by Fuijian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions. The first PPRD Forum was co-organised by Hong Kong, Macao and Guangdong in 2004. The Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Florinda Chan, will be Acting Chief Executive while Mr Ho is away
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On 26 May 2009, at the Plenary Meeting of the Egmont Group in Qatar, Doha, Financial Intelligence Office of Macao SAR (“GIF”) was officially admitted as a member of The Egmont Group, reflecting the commitment and responsibility of Macao SAR in the fight against money laundering and financing of terrorism (“AML/CFT”).
The Egmont Group was established in Brussels, Belgium in June 1995, as an informal international gathering for financial intelligence units (“FIUs”) worldwide to foster better communication among FIUs. The Secretariat is located in Toronto, Canada. Up to 2008, there were a total of 108 FIUs from different jurisdictions joining the Egmont Group.
The objective of the Egmont Group is to provide a forum for FIUs around the world to improve co-operation in the fight against money laundering and financing of terrorism and to foster the implementation of domestic programs in this field. This support mainly includes expanding and systematizing international co-operation in the reciprocal exchange of information, as well as offering trainings to improve the expertise and capabilities of personnel employed by FIUs and promoting the establishment of FIUs with other jurisdictions.
As a member of the Egmont Group, GIF is not only fostering the co-operation with other jurisdictions, but also getting updated cross-border typologies information, which further strengthens the efforts to fight against money laundering and financing of terrorism.
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