News

A group of close to 400 people, including tourism officials, travel agencies chiefs, media and academics from all over Mainland China are in town for a four-day visit to “Experience Macau.” Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) and China Travel Service (CTS) jointly organize the visit. This is the forth initiative of its kind since 2000. The visit intends to allow the group from Mainland China - the main visitor-generating market to Macau – to experience the diverse characteristics of touring in Macau, through a variety of themed-tours and interactive programs. The group arrived in Macau on Tuesday and departs this Friday. Coming from 90 cities of the country's 31 provinces and autonomous regions in Mainland China the group includes official leaders of tourism departments, representatives of tourist sectors, primary newspapers and TV media along with well-known journalists, scholars and professors from higher education institutes, literary and artistic associations, among others. The program of the visit includes touring The Historic Center of Macau, new tourism infrastructures, as well as activities such as Go Karting. The participants will also have the chance to do a tour around sites were famous movies were shooted and participate in a game titled “Impossible Mission” held around the city center. This is the forth time that MGTO and CTS jointly organize a mega familiarization visit from the Mainland to Macau. The previous occasions took place in 2000, 2003 and 2007. The size of the group and the number of cities represented has increased by each edition.
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The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) released results of the Employment Survey for the first quarter of 2009, of which principal indicators such as the labour force participation rate (72.4%) and unemployment rate (3.8%) have been published in the beginning of May. Total labour force was 333,000 in the first quarter of 2009, with an employed population of 320,000 and an unemployed population of 13,000. Compared with the previous quarter, total labour force registered a decrease of 3,900, with the number of employed declining by 5,700 and the number of unemployed rising by 1,800. The majority of the employed population were engaging in Recreational, Cultural, Gaming & Other Services (24.1%) and Hotels, Restaurants & Similar Activities (13.1%). In terms of occupation, most of the employed were Clerks (including casino dealers, floorpersons, betting service operators, etc.) and Service & Sales Workers, accounting for 25.7% and 22.4% respectively. Median monthly employment earnings of the employed amounted to MOP 8,600 in the first quarter of 2009, up slightly by 1.2% quarter-to-quarter; meanwhile, median monthly employment earnings of the employed residents stayed the same as the previous quarter, at MOP 10,000. Within the unemployed, 89.5% had worked previously and were searching for a new job, while 10.5% were fresh labour force entrants searching for their first job. With regard to the educational attainment, 32.1% of the unemployed had primary education or lower, 34.0% had junior secondary education and 22.1% had senior secondary education. For the unemployed that were searching for a new job, analyzed by the industry previously engaged, 23.5% had worked in Recreational, Cultural, Gaming & Other Services and 21.2% in Construction. Analyzed by their previous occupation, 27.5% were Service & Sales Workers and 26.2% were Clerks.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the value of retail sales for the first quarter of 2009 amounted to MOP 4.97 billion. Retail sales of Watches, Clocks & Jewellery took the largest share of 21%, at MOP 1.06 billion, which was followed by sales of Goods in Department Stores (15%), Adults' Clothing (10%), Goods in Supermarkets (10%), Motor Vehicles (6%), Fuels for Household Use (3%), Cosmetics and Sanitary Articles (3%), Communication Equipment (3%), Automotive Fuels (3%) and Goods in Pharmacies (3%). Value of retail sales for the first quarter of 2009 rose by 9% from the MOP4.55 billion a year earlier, with marked increase in the sales of Goods in Department Stores (+49%), Watches, Clocks & Jewellery (+25%) and Adults' Clothing (+22%); however, decrease was recorded in the sales of Motor Vehicles (-35%), Automotive Fuels (-28%) and Fuels for Household Use (-26%). In comparison with the MOP5.07 billion sales in the fourth quarter of 2008, the value of retail sales in the first quarter dropped by 2%. In the first quarter of 2009, about 66% of the retailers reported decrease in the sales volume from the fourth quarter of 2008, up by 8 percentage points over the corresponding figure in the previous quarter; 34% reported that the sales volume remained stable or increased. In terms of retail prices, about 51% reported that the prices were stable, 7% stated that the prices increased whereas 42% reported the prices decreased. Compared with the first quarter of 2008, about 47% said that the stock level was normal in the first quarter of 2009, while 36% indicated that the stock level was low. Regarding the business outlook for the second quarter of 2009, about 46% expect the sales volume will increase or remain stable compared with the first quarter of 2009, whereas 54% expect a decrease. Meanwhile, about 72% expect the retail prices will remain stable or increase, while 28% expect a decrease.
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To celebrate the Lawyer Day 2009. Macao Post announced that a Temporary Post Counter will be set up at Senado Square, at 16H30 to 19H30 on 22nd May 2009 providing the commemorative postmark cancellation service for the “Lawyer Day 2009”. 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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China’s Ministry of Health today informed Macao’s Health Bureau of a confirmed case of Influenza A (H1N1). And two Japanese visitors on a package tour who had fever when they arrived at the Macao at Inner Harbour Ferry Terminal were tested negative for the virus. Meanwhile, 25 primary six students from four different classes of one school who developed respiratory illness symptoms recently, such as fever, sore throat and cough, were all tested negative for H1N1 virus. The Bureau had instructed the school to always keep its areas clean, sterilise its facilities, maintain good ventilation in all classrooms and strictly prohibit sick students from attending class. The Hospital Conde S. Januário treated 88 children and 67 adults with respiratory illness symptoms today and medical teams at terminals checked body temperatures of more than 158,000 people entering Macao. They also dealt with 108 enquiries To date there is no probable or confirmed human case of influenza A (H1N1) reported in Macao.
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Macao health authorities would continue to monitor the spread of Influenza A (H1N1) in Asia, Chief Executive Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah said today. Speaking to the press in Liaoning Province, a day after the Government raised the pandemic alert from level IV to level V, Mr Ho said the Government had announced a string of measures at schools, hospitals and terminals to try to prevent the virus from entering Macao. At the conclusion of his five-day visit to three northeast provinces, Mr Ho said the meetings with the leading officials of the three provinces had enhanced bilateral relationship and encouraged business co-operation between their enterprises. The three provinces had all along been the nation’s heavy industry bases and the development of the tertiary industry had accelerated in the past decade, which created enormous investment opportunities to Macao businesspeople, he said. The Government would introduce more policies and measures to encourage Macao business people to invest in Mainland, and would consider setting up a trade promotion office in one of the provinces, he said. Mr Ho met the Governor of Liaoning Province, Mr Chen Zhenggao, who said at their meeting today that the province looked forward to more co-operation with Macao. Mr Ho and his delegation, comprising more than 100 businesspeople and officials, also attended a trade seminar and visited some attractions and enterprises in the province. They are scheduled to return to Macao in the evening.
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Macao has raised its pandemic alert from level IV to level V today following reports of community outbreaks of Influenza A (H1N1) in Japan and more confirmed cases in neighbouring regions, said the Health Bureau. And five Filipinos who sat three rows behind Hong Kong’s third confirmed case on a flight from New York to Hong Kong went to Macao and were tested negative for the virus. Since they had close contact with patient, they will be quarantined until Saturday. The five Filipinos, a couple and their children aged 8 to 14, arrived in Macao yesterday and stayed overnight at Venetian Macau. They showed no symptoms of influenza and were in a healthy condition. As Macao raised the pandemic alert to level V, the Government would strengthen the preventive measures at terminals, schools and hospitals. The Health Bureau urged Macao residents travelling abroad to seek medical treatment there if they developed symptoms of influenza and not travel long haul or long distance.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, arrived in Liaoning today, the last stop on his five-day visit to northern China, and met Secretary of CPC Committee, Mr Zhang Wenyue, and Vice Governor, Teng Weiping. Praising Liaoning’s achievement in industrial reform and development, Mr Ho said Liaoning and Macao could further co-operate in the future. Macao could act as a business platform for entrepreneurs from Liaoning and expand their markets, said Mr Ho. Faced with the global financial turmoil, Macao is confident that it could surmount the difficulties, with the support of the Central Government and Liaoning Province, he said. The Secretary of Liaoning CPC Committee, Mr Zhang Wenyue, said the province would fully co-operate with Macao, especially in the areas of tourism and culture. Mr Zhang also praised the achievements of the Macao SAR since its establishment and the Government’s reaction to the global financial turmoil. Mr Ho and his delegation left Jilin for Liaoning Province this afternoon. In the morning, they visited a vehicle company and hosted a reception for the Jilin Provincial Government for its hospitality. Tomorrow they are scheduled to attend a trade seminar and visit some attractions and companies, before returning to Macao in the evening.
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Macau International Airport (MIA) will conduct an exercise of “Communicable Diseases Response 2009” from 04:30 to 07:30 on 20 May, which has been scheduled at the beginning of this year by the Facilitation and Security Committee. The exercise, coordinated by the Health Bureau of Macao Special Administrative Region, will involve the participation of all the entities responsible for the safety and the security of the Macao airport. The exercise is a form of joint training and will assess the effectiveness in implementing the emergency preparedness plan to cope with communicable diseases through air travel in case such an incident occurs in the airport. In view of the outbreaks of communicable diseases in the world, the objective of the exercise is to strengthen the skills of the airport personnel in handling suspected case as to reduce the transmission of communicable diseases through the aircraft to Macao, protecting the safety of aircraft crew and passengers and ensuring that Macau International Airport is a safe and secure airport in the world.. The exercise will simulate a suspected communicable diseases case found on the aircraft in order to test, evaluate and reinforce the capability of the participants in dealing with the emergency plans.
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The Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government will organize an Academic Research Lecture in the Cultural Affairs Bureau Auditorium (Edifício do Instituto Cultural, Tap Seac Square, Macao) at 6:30pm on Friday May 22. Tong Qiao Hui, an associate professor at the School of Urban Design, Wuhan University, will give a lecture on “Temples in Macao dedicated to the Earth God”. The history of Macao’s development and architecture consists not only of politically significant architecture. Non-mainstream and non-western local constructions also merit attention. Worshiping the Earth God is an integral part of Macao’s local culture and the local Earth God temples reflect residents’ beliefs and special interests. These Earth God temples have witnessed the city’s historical changes, and their influence on the formation and development of the city should not be neglected. There are numerous temples in Macao dedicated to the Earth God built in different architectural styles. Following a summary of the origin and development of Earth God temples in Macao there will be an exploration of the cultural aspects relating to this religious practice, and the distribution, location and settlement structure of Macao’s Chinese community. An analysis of Macao’s Earth God temples’ architecture, construction methods, components and decorative details, with case studies, will provide further detailed elaboration. Also, comparisons will be made between Earth God temples in Macao and in other regions, and with local temples of other Chinese religions. Born in 1976, Tong Qiao Hui is currently an associate professor and MA student supervisor at the School of Urban Design, Wuhan University, China. She is a member of the Wuhan Conservation Committee of Historic Cities and is engaged in the teaching and scientific research on architectural history and theory. Her research areas cover the protection and restoration of city cultural arteries and the comparison of East and West architectural cultures. Tong obtained a PhD in Architectural History and Theory from Southeast University, Nanjing, with her doctoral research focused on urban architectural heritage. In 2007 she was awarded a research grant to study temples in Macao dedicated to the Earth God. The lecture will be given in Mandarin with Cantonese, Portuguese and English simultaneous interpretation. Entrance is free. For further details, please contact Ms. Chu of the Macao Historical Archives of the Cultural Affairs Bureau at 8598 6537.
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