News

Macau Government Tourist Office is putting full effort to prepare for the arrival of visitors to Macau during May 1 Labor Day holiday and will advise the travelers to take appropriate precautions. In light of outbreaks of swine influenza A (H1N1) in a number of countries, MGTO urges the travel trade to be vigilant in guarding against the risk of swine flu and remind the employees to keep personal hygiene and take necessary precautions at workplace. MGTO will cooperate with other departments to take precautionary measures and alert visitors to maintain good personal hygiene and consult doctor for any flu symptoms. Local mobile telecommunications service providers has sent out SMS alert to Macau residents (with roaming service) traveling to countries/regions affected by swine flu since April 26 and visitors entering Macau since April 28 to be attentive to the latest news on swine flu, to take all necessary precautions and consult doctor for symptoms of respiratory infection. If necessary, please call the Health Department on +853-28561122 or Tourism Crisis Management Office/MGTO hotline 28333000. SMS alert and updates on swine flu will operate till May 5. MGTO will continue to maintain close contact with the travel trade to collect information on travelers for necessary precautions. To provide more information to the residents and visitors, the website of Crisis Management Office (http://www.ggct.gov.mo) will strengthen connections with related websites. MGTO has also requested its 17 representatives around the world to report the latest development in these source markets. As May 1 Labor Day holiday is drawing near, MGTO has sent out advices to hotels, restaurants, bar and similar establishments on food safety, service quality, fire safety, sanitation standard and code of practice on catering industry. The travel trade is also reminded to abide by regulations to secure the traveling rights of Macau residents. MGTO will strengthen inspection at tourist attractions and checkpoints during Labor Day holiday. Information counters and tourism hotline will operate as usual.
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The Macau Business Tourism Centre (MBTC) of Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) hosted an Association Executive Seminar in Hong Kong today (29th April), which was tailored for Hong Kong association leaders and decision makers to work hand in hand with Macau to draw more regional and international conventions and congresses to the cities. Highlighting Macau as an appealing partner in the meeting industry for the Hong Kong associations and in terms of regional development, the seminar featured speakers Mr Gary Grimmer, Consultant of MGTO in the area of business tourism and CEO of Gary Grimmer & Company, which is an international convention industry training and consulting firm, Mr Mike Williams, also Consultant of MGTO in the area of business tourism and Senior Consultant of Gary Grimmer & Company, as well as Mr Stanley Mok, General Manager of the Hong Kong representation office for MGTO. The Association Executive Seminar is a partnership program between the MGTO and professional associations in Macau and Hong Kong. During this program, participants learned about hosting international conventions as a tool for building local and regional associations, how to bid for international or regional association congress, how local members can easily manage their congress with professional help which can increase the turnover of the congress and improve the efficiency of the event, what free professional services are available to association executives who want to bid and bring their association congress to Macau, how MGTO makes it easy for association executives to have a successful bid, and what assistance or support is available for association executives once they have secured their association congress to Macau. Participants in the seminar included influential association leaders and decision makers coming from different areas of Hong Kong such as finance, commerce, insurance, medical, education and media. Since the commencement of the Macau Business Tourism Centre in 2006, MGTO has been reinforcing its role to help develop and position Macau as a premier MICE destination within Asia. Benefiting not only the local industry, professional training opportunities are also available for the region from time to time with emphasis on successful development through regional cooperation. An “IAPCO & Macau Regional Seminar on Professional Congress Organization” was organized in joint efforts with the International Association of Professional Congress Organizers earlier in Macau in March.
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Macao has raised its alert from Level II to Level III and stepped up its preventive measures following reports of swine influenza A (H1N1) cases in Mexico and the United States of America. The Influenza Pandemic Prevention Coordination Group, an inter-departmental task force, held an urgent meeting today. Its chairman, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Mr Chui Sai On, said Macao had adequate drugs and personal prevention equipment to combat the influenza. He urged the public to follow advice issued by the health departments and maintain good personal hygiene. Mr Chui said the Government would step up surveillance and strengthen monitoring at terminals and crossings. Moreover, hospitals had also stepped up prevention measures and the quarantine wards were already in place. Macao Health Bureau officials will take part in a video conference tomorrow with their counterparts in the Ministry of Health of the Central Government and the Department of Health of the HKSAR to see how they could work more closely together. The Government would also maintain close contact with the Western Pacific regional office of the World Health Organization, Ministry of Health of the Central Government, Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, and health departments of Hong Kong and Guangdong Province. The Government had issued tentative guidelines to medical institutions and medical staff to step up prevention and asked them to notify authorities of any suspected cases. The quarantine wards at Hospital Conde S. Januário and a Coloane quarantine centre have been prepared and ready for use. Schools, educational and social welfare institutions were asked to step up surveillance for suspected cases of respiratory tract infection. The Government would continue to issue travel advice and alerts to residents when needed. And subject to developments the Government could introduce measures to widen the areas and form of travel alerts, restrict visitors at hospitals, and take the special measures necessary as prescribed in the pandemic prevention law.
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Macao and Zhuhai have agreed to work closer together on urban planning and transportation, border crossing and the development of the trans-border industrial zone. The Zhuhai-Macao Co-operation Working Group held its first meeting in Zhuhai today, jointly chaired by Macao‘s Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Mr Lau Si Io, and the Vice Mayor of Zhuhai, Mr Chen Honghui. The meeting was attended by officials from the two places and representing departments of urban planning, transportation, infrastructure, economy, customs, public security, inspection and quarantine, health, culture, education and tourism. They have agreed to set up three sub-working groups under the Zhuhai-Macao Co-operation Working Group to work on the development of the Zhuhai-Macao Crossborder Industrial Zone, the co-ordination on urban planning and transportation network, and the optimisation of their border crossing facilities. The Zhuhai-Macao Co-operation Working Group was established last December after the signing of a memorandum during the Guangdong-Macao Co-operation Joint Conference 2008. The working group was established to enhance communication and co-operation between the two places.
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According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, on a monthly basis, money supply M2 noted a decrease. Deposits with banks declined slightly whereas domestic loans to the private sector saw an increase. As a result, the loan-to-deposit ratio edged up from a month ago. Money supply
Due to the decreases of currency in circulation and demand deposits, M1 shrank 4.9% month-to-month. Quasi-monetary liabilities also edged down by 0.2%. The sum of these two items, i.e. M2, thus slid 0.8% to MOP192.6 billion. On an annual basis, M1 and M2 rose 13.7% and 2.6% respectively. The share of Pataca (MOP) in M2 stood at 28.9%, down 0.2 percentage points over a month ago or up 0.9 percentage
points over a year earlier respectively. Concurrently, the share of Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) in M2 was 52.3%, up 0.4 percentage points month-to-month or down 2.6 percentage points year-on-year. Deposits
Resident deposits edged down by 0.6% from the previous month to MOP188.0 billion. Of which, MOP deposits, HKD deposits and other foreign currency deposits fell at respective rates of 0.6%, 0.1% and 2.1%. On the other hand, non-resident deposits and public sector deposits with the banking sector rose 0.4% (to MOP72.1 billion) and 2.3% (to MOP13.5 billion) respectively. As a result, total deposits in the banking sector slid 0.2% from the previous month to MOP273.6 billion. The shares of MOP and HKD in
total deposits were 22.7% and 44.8% respectively. Loans
Domestic loans to the private sector grew 0.9% month-to-month to MOP91.4 billion. Among which, MOP18.8 billion was MOP-denominated and MOP67.0 billion was denominated in HKD, representing 20.5% and 73.2% of the total respectively. External loans declined by 1.1% to MOP56.4 billion; of which, loans denominated in MOP and HKD accounted for 1.9% and 55.9% respectively of the total, at values of MOP1.1 billion and MOP31.5 billion. Loan-to-deposit ratios
Due to the decline in resident deposits and increase in domestic loans to the private sector, the loan-todeposit
ratio for the resident sector at end-February 2009 increased by 0.6 percentage points month-tomonth to 45.4%. The ratio for both the resident and non-resident sectors stood at 54.0%, up 0.2 percentage points. Annex Table
For enquiry, please contact:
Research and Statistics Department, Monetary Authority of Macao
(Tel: 83952532; Fax: 28353042)
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The Health Bureau will give a talk on swine influenza for all medical professionals on Thursday to enhance co-ordination between the authorities and health institutions in preventing an outbreak. The Director of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Tong Ka Io, and Dr Lam Chong, the co-ordinator of the Centre’s infectious disease control and surveillance department, will explain the epidemiology of the virus and preventive measures introduced by the Government. It will be held from 13:30 to 14:30 at the hall of administration building of Health Bureau. All medical professionals in Macao are welcome. For enquiries, please dial 28713734 or 28713735. According to the statistics of the Health Bureau, as of yesterday, there have been no probable nor a confirmed human case of swine influenza A (H1N1) in Macao. The Hospital Conde S. Januário treated 47 children and 119 adults with upper respiratory tract infections yesterday, which accounted for 14% and 58% of all outpatients. The figures showed no signs of an increase. A round-the-clock hotline of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, at 853-28561122, has been set up for enquiries about swine influenza.
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Macao health officials held a video conference with their counterparts in Mainland and Hong Kong this morning to discuss preventive measures against swine influenza, which had spread rapidly and claimed lives in several countries. They assessed the developments of the virus, shared their knowledge and discussed quarantine arrangements, drugs, vaccine, and speed test for the virus. They agreed to build a contact list to jointly facilitate information exchanges to help prevent the possible pandemic. The Director of the Health Bureau, Dr Lei Chin Ion, Director of Hospital Conde S. Januário, Dr Chan Wai Sin, and experts from Macao’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention took part in the meeting. The World Health Organization (WHO) raised the level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 3 to phase 4 today, which meant that the virus could transmit from human to human, and indicated that the likelihood of a pandemic had increased. The health authorities continued to urge the health, educational and social welfare institutions and the public to follow the guidelines issued by the Government. Individuals are also asked to maintain good personal hygiene. A round-the-clock hotline of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, at 853-28561122, has been set up for enquiries.
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After its proclamation on 18th May 1977, the International Council of Museums designated 18th May as the International Museum Day. This date has been celebrated by many museums around the world. Since 2000, the museums in Macao have taken the initiative to promote International Museum Day as proposed by the International Council of Museums and held celebrations according to the specific theme designated for each year. This year’s theme is “Museums and Tourism” and, indeed, the museums in Macao will work tirelessly together to contribute to the society, the culture and tourism. To celebrate the annual International Museum Day on 18 May, admission to all the museums in Macao will be free from 16th May (Saturday) to 18th May (Monday). Each museum will prepare a series of special features and promotional activities in May, including seminars, thematic exhibitions and workshop, etc. in order to let Macao citizens feel the unlimited power of the museums to the society. For details of free admission and special activities, please visit the portal of The Museums of Macao (http://www.museums.gov.mo). One of the most important celebrations this year is “The Museum Fair of Macao, Hong Kong and Guangdong Province 2009” at the Cultural Center Plaza from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on 3rd May. Museums from the Guangdong Province and Hong Kong were invited to participate and attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony that will be held at 15:00. In addition to several exhibitions and booth games, there will be many types of comprehensive performances arranged for the visitors to quickly experience the characteristics of the museums from the Guangdong Province, Hong Kong and Macao simultaneously. There will be dynamic shows with great variety, including music, dancing, and Cantonese pop singers for the whole afternoon. There will be also lucky draws with rich and attractive prizes, including cultural trips, net books, digital cameras, book coupons, USB thumb drives, Taiwan round-trip air tickets sponsored by TransAsia Airways. Macao Post will issue a commemorative envelope for free distribution to the public and provide commemorative cancellation service for stamp collectors at the Temporary Postal Counter from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Another activity jointly organized by all the museums in Macao and the Macao Digital Photography Association, the Exhibition of ‘Museums and Tourism’ Photography Competition, has received more than 100 entries. The 40 best entries selected by the judging panel will be awarded and showcased in the gallery on the Ground Floor of the Macao Museum of Art. Through this activity, the organizers hope to transmit the message of the International Museum Day and to reveal to visitors the city’s unbounded affection and respect for the museums through the lenses of the talented candidates. The organizers of the celebrations of International Museum Day 2009 are: Communications Museum of Macao, Dr. Sun Iat Sen’s Memorial House in Macau, Fire Services Museum, Grand Prix Museum, Handover Gifts Museum of Macao, Heritage Exhibition of a Traditional Pawnshop Business, Lin Zexu Memorial Museum of Macao, Macao Museum, Macao Museum of Art, Macao Science Center, Macao Tea Culture House, Maritime Museum, Museum of the Holy House of Mercy, Museum of the Macao Security Forces, Museum of Sacred Art and Crypt, Museum of Taipa and Coloane History, The Natural and Agrarian Museum, The Taipa Houses-Museum, Treasure of Sacred Art and Wine Museum.
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Ms. Echo Chan, Executive Director of IPIM participated in the 22nd Asian Trade Promotion Forum (ATPF) in Xiamen, China from 23 to 24 April. The Forum was organised by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and attended by representatives from trade promotion organisations from 15 economic regions in Asia including Australia, Bangladesh, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. Chaired by the Vice Chairman of CCPIT, Mr. Yu Ping, the theme of the 22nd ATPF was “TPO Synergy against Financial Crisis” and participating TPO members gave presentations on “TOP’s Role and Solution during Financial Crisis” and “Trade in Service”. Ms. Echo Chan gave a keynote presentation on “TOP’s Role and Solution during Financial Crisis – New Challenges, New Strategies” at the Forum. She said that being the trade promotion organization in Macao, there are several ways to assist enterprise during the Financial Crisis, these are: 1. Join promotion in emerging market; (2) Updated market information and broaden network; (3) Strengthen the effectiveness of exhibition through establishment of Partner fair/join exhibition; (4) Promote convention and exhibition, cultivate new industries benefit to SMEs; (5) Create markets and seize new opportunities. TPO members from different regions also engaged in discussions and experience-sharing on various topics. Australia, China, South Korea and Taipei shared their solutions during the financial crisis while Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand introduced their latest regulations on trade in services. To conclude, APTF members felt that dialogue and cooperation on the basis of mutual trust is a better way to recover from this financial crisis. Therefore, ATPF being a trade enabling body will play a more proactive role in regional economic recovery through promoting trade activities. The meeting ended on 24 Apr and the 23rd ATPF Annual Meeting will be held by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency next year. ATPF was founded by the Japan External Trade Organization in 1987. Its members come from different trade promotion organizations in Asian countries. It aims to enhance communications and regional cooperation between its trade promotion members. IPIM is the member of ATPF since 1999 and organized the 19th ATPF meeting in 2006. Aside the annual meeting, the Capacity Initiative Building Program and the ATPF Joint Exhibition are the activities aims to strengthen the cooperation and communication between all the TPO’s member. CCPIT and IPIM hold the Capacity Initiative Building Program last year together, provide training and experience-sharing with all TPO’s members. Besides, IPIM also participated the ATPF Joint Exhibition in the International Gift Fair in Tokyo last year. The upcoming ATPF Joint Exhibition will be held next year.
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To cope with the Open Day of the Military Camp in Commemoration of 10th Anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army Macau Garrison, Macao Post announced that a Temporary Post Counter will be set up at the Philately Shop located at Macao Post Headquarters at 13H00 to 18H00 on 1st May 2009 providing the commemorative postmark cancellation service for the “Open Day of the Military Camp in Commemoration of 10th Anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army Macau Garrison”. A commemorative envelope will be distributed to public, and various philatelic products will also be available for sale during the above activity. Welcome to visit and collect Macao Stamps.
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