News

As a consequence of another explosion that occurred Today (15March) at the nuclear power plant at Fukushima, Japan. The Tourism Crisis Management Office (GGCT) would like to once again to advise Macao residents to avoid travelling to Fukushima and Sendai. Regarding those whit issues related to travel arrangements to Japan after the catastrophe, the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) continues to follow the developments through contacts and coordination with the tourism sector and airlines. GGCT continues to monitor the situation and the effects of the severe earthquake that occurred in northeast Japan, while maintaining contact with the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRC in Macao, the travel industry ,the Health Bureau (SS), the Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG), the Macao Government's Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM), the Macao Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) and the representatives of the Macao Government Tourist Office (MGTO) in Japan. GGCT would like to appeal to those who are currently in that country to be aware of indications given out by Japanese authorities and take precautions regarding their personal safety as well as remind that Macao residents and tourists in Japan, may contact in case of need the appropriate entities through the tourism hotline: 28333000. The Office reminds that Japan is currently facing a catastrophic situation after last Friday's earthquake followed by multiple replicas. As such, the situation's standpoint is still unclear despite the attempts of society to continue with everyday routine. Meanwhile, GGCT and MGTO will maintain coordination and contacts with the tourism sector and airlines in order to answer inquiries received. According to information from the Macao Travel Industry Council (TICM), all group tours organized by travel agencies under TICM to Japan until the 20th of March via Macao are cancelled. The tour participants that have paid for their reservations may reschedule their tour dates for the period of the next six months or negotiate with their travel agencies in order to exchange for different tourism travel destinations. Air Macau has also informed their passengers holding tickets to Tokyo and Osaka until the 18th and return tickets until the 19th, that they may reschedule or cancel their reservations in this case refund. For additional information the interested parties may access the airline's webpage: www.airmacau.com.mo. The Tourism Crisis Management Office will keep in contact with different parties, coordinating according to the situation's developments in order to direct its efforts to further reduce the impact the earthquake caused to tourists from Macao travelling to Japan. In addition, the office calls for residents and tourists from Macao to assess the country's crisis, and when arriving in Japan to take into account the information and safety guidelines handed out by Japanese authorities. According to information from the Tourism sector the 20 people belonging to a tour from Macau in Osaka will return tomorrow according to plan. Up till today (14 March) 12:00, GGCT received an accumulated total of 173 calls for inquiries and continues to follow-up the requests and give out necessary support. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRC issued emergency announcements for all Chinese tourists to reconsider travelling to Japan and avoid the cities which were most affected by the catastrophe, Fukushima and Sendai.
Meanwhile, due to last Friday's earthquake, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has established a 24 hours contact service for Chinese citizens that are currently in Japan: 03-3403-3388, extensions 8881, 8882, 8712. For further information related to the situation in Japan, interest parties may also gather further information from the following web-portals: SMG: http://www.smg.gov.mo
SS: http://www.ssm.gov.mo
IAS: http://www.ias.gov.mo
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The Monetary Authority of Macao announced today that the preliminary estimate of Macao SAR's foreign exchange reserves amounted to MOP196.2 billion (USD24.44 billion) at the end of February 2011. The reserves rose by 2.2% from the revised value of MOP192.0 billion (USD23.92 billion) for the previous month. When compared with a year earlier, the reserves increased by MOP46.4 billion or 31.0%. Macao SAR's foreign exchange reserves at end-February 2011 represented 30 times the currency in circulation or 276.2% of Pataca M2 at end-January 2011. The trade-weighted effective exchange rate index for the pataca, a gauge of the domestic currency's exchange rates against the currencies of Macao's major trading partners, fell by 0.62 points month-to-month and 2.07 points year-on-year to 88.21 in February 2011. For enquiry, please contact:
Research and Statistics Department, Monetary Authority of Macao (Tel: 83952532; Fax: 28353042)
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As a consequence of another explosion that occurred Today (14 March) at the nuclear power plant at Fukushima, Japan. The Tourism Crisis Management Office (GGCT) would like to once again advise Macao residents to avoid travelling to the most affected areas, and those who are currently there to be attentive to safety instructions of the Japanese government, and to take necessary measures to ensure personal safety. GGCT continues to monitor the situation and the effects of the severe earthquake that occurred in northeast Japan, while maintaining contact with the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRC in Macao, the travel industry ,the Health Bureau (SS), The Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG), the Macao Government's Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, the Macao Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) and the representatives of the Macao Government Tourist Office (MGTO) in Japan. GGCT would like to remind that Macao residents and tourists in Japan that in case of need, they may contact the appropriate entities through the tourism hotline: 28333000. According to information from the Macao Travel Industry Council (TICM), all group tours organized by travel agencies under TICM to Japan until the 20th of March via Macao are cancelled. The tour participants that have paid for their reservations may reschedule their tour dates for the period of the next six months or negotiate with their travel agencies in order to exchange for different tourism travel destinations. Air Macau has also informed their passengers holding tickets to Tokyo and Osaka until the 18th and return tickets until the 19th, that they may reschedule or cancel their reservations in this case refund. For additional information the interested parties may access the airline's webpage: www.airmacau.com.mo. Due to the last Friday's earthquake, replicas can still be felt. Transportation and Telecommunications in Japan are still not totally functional. GGCT is closely monitoring the situation and appeals to Macao residents and tourists to be attentive to their personal safety and instructions of the Japanese government. Up till today (14 March) 17:00, GGCT received an accumulated total of 165 calls for inquiries and continues to follow-up the requests and give out necessary support. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRC issued emergency announcements for all Chinese tourists to reconsider travelling to Japan and avoid the cities which were most affected by the catastrophe, Fukushima and Sendai. Meanwhile, due to last Friday's earthquake, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has established a 24 hours contact service for Chinese citizens that are currently in Japan: 03-3403-3388, extensions 8881, 8882, 8712. For further information related to the situation in Japan, interest parties may also gather further information from the following web-portals: SMG: http://www.smg.gov.mo
SS: http://www.ssm.gov.mo
IAS: http://www.ias.gov.mo
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Upon the series of Nuclear Power incidents occurred at Fukushima Prefecture Nuclear Power Plant No. 1 in Japan, the Macao Meteorological Bureau has been monitoring closely for any changes of the radiation level in Macao and so far no abnormalities has been recorded. At the same time, the World Meteorological Organization has already activated its Environmental Emergency Response operation and conduct forecasts upon this nuclear leakage incident. Since for the next two days, Japan will still be affected by mainly westerly winds, contamination is expected to affect only the eastern part of Japan and the Northern Pacific to the east of Japan. Macao locates more than 3000km from the site of the incident with an opposite direction to the affected areas and thus this nuclear incident is not expected to affect us directly. According to the monitoring data of Gamma Radiation located on the Taipa Grande Station of the Macao Meteorological Bureau, the Gamma-ray absorbed dose rate per minute ranges between 0.1178 and 0.1466μGy/h (micro Gray / hour) from the 11th of March till 11am today (14th) which lies within the normal level with no abnormalities found. The Macao Meteorological Bureau will continue to pay close attention to this nuclear incident and monitor for any possible impact on Macao. If any abnormalities being discovered, we will release related message to the public immediately and inform relevant government departments to adopt contingency measures.
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IFT strives to offer students various practical experiences in the bachelor degree programmes, enabling students to master the requirements of the industry and be prepared for the challenges in the job market. All bachelor degree programme students are required to complete a 6-month internship programme at tourism organisations in Macao or overseas in their 3rd year of study. Since the establishment of internship programme, performances of the students are excellent and feedbacks from the industry are very positive. In the previous academic year, over 40 organisations and corporations offer internship opportunities to IFT students, including the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Macau Government Tourist Office, Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, Public Administration and Civil Services Bureau, Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, Macao Cultural Centre, Grand Hyatt Macau, L'Arc Hotel Macau, MGM GRAND, City of Dreams, Grand Lapa Hotel, Wynn Resorts (Macau) S.A., StarWorld Hotel, The Venetian Resort and Hotel, EGL Tours (Macau) Company Limited, Wing On Travel, Hong Tai Travel, Menzies Macau Airport Services Ltd., Air Macau Company Limited and other tourism organisations. To broaden the horizons of the students, IFT aggressively explore more opportunities of overseas internship. Students can choose to join the internship programme in large corporations in the USA, Europe, South East Asia, Hong Kong SAR and mainland China to experience the local cultures. In the past, students have worked for UNESCO Bangkok in Thailand, National Trust in UK, South Canterbury Museum in New Zealand, Grand Hyatt Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and other international well-known organisations. Currently, IFT and Walt Disney World offer different internship programmes to students, including, · 6-month Cultural Representative Programme of Food & Beverage Service at Disney World China Pavilion for year 3 students
· 1-year Cultural Representative Programme of Merchandise and Food & Beverage Services for graduates
· “International College Programme” offered by the Florida State University and Disney World - Participating students will attend an extensive hospitality course at the Florida State University before they perform internships at the Walt Disney World On 9 and 10 March, Disney World International Recruitment Team was invited to IFT for a talk on the internship programme, as well as a preliminary interview to the students. The recruitment team consists of Ms. Sue Sharpe, International Recruitment Recruiter, Ms. Anne Thiese, College Recruitment Team Leader and Ms. Helen Fan, China Pavilion Merchandise Department Buyer of China Pavilion. Successful candidates will go to the Walt Disney World in Florida, USA to learn the theme park operation knowledge and customer service skill. They can also experience different cultures through the interactions with students around the world.
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To celebrate tomorrow (15th March)'s 'World Consumer Rights Day', a photo exhibition on 'Smart Consumption' is held by Consumer Council today and tomorrow. A talk on tips for buying real estate property given by Deputy Council President, Leong Hong Sai, of The Macau Institution of Engineers will be held this afternoon. Series of events and activities will be held this year in response to the annual themes advocated by Consumers International and China Consumers' Association. The first event – a photo exhibition on 'Smart Consumption' - is held (15th & 16th March), at Park of Iao Hon Market. Photos of different kinds of products and services related to consumers' daily lives, such as product safety, consumers' rights when using electronic money, credit card, etc. will be displayed. A talk on tips for buying real estate property given by Deputy Council President, Leong Hong Sai, of The Macau Institution of Engineers will also be held will be held at 4.30pm today. The public is welcome to join the event which opens at noon today (15th March). The latest Consumer Report issue no. 211 is also published, covering 2010 annual statistics of cases by Consumer Council. Last year, the Council received a total of 7,797 cases, which consisted of 2,566 cases, 5,116 inquiries, and 115 suggestions. Complaint cases mainly included telecommunications services, as well as prices and after-sales services of telecommunications products. The Council indicated that significant increase in the number of inquiry cases may be caused by its strengthened work in educating consumers of their own rights to prevent consumer dispute. The Council will continue to emphasize on its education work to consumers. Consumer Report is now available free of charge at the two offices of Consumer Council, bookstores and libraries. Consumers may also access the resources online at the Council's official website (http://www.consumer.gov.mo). For enquiries, please call 8988 9315.
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Owing to the earthquake in Northeastern regions of Japan, Macao Post announced that mail delivery services (including Correspondence, Printed Matters, Small Packet, Parcel and EMS) from Macao to that country are subject to delay until further notice. Thank you for your kind attention.
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An explosion occurred Saturday (12 March) at the nuclear power plant at Fukushima, Japan. GGCT advises Macau residents not to travel to Fukushima prefecture, and those who are there to be attentive to safety instructions of the government, and to take necessary measures to ensure personal safety. GGCT continues to monitor the situation and the effects of the severe earthquake occurred in Japan, while maintaining contact with the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRC in Macau, the travel industry, the representatives of the Macao Government Tourist Office (MGTO) in Japan, in order to follow up the developments, as well as to inform the residents in need to call the tourism hotline: 28333000. After the earthquake occurred in Japan, the Macau and Hong Kong airline companies resumed successively the flights between Macau and Tokyo, although the public transport and communication systems haven't recovered completely. GGCT is monitoring closely the local situation after the earthquake and urges Macau residents and tourists in Japan to be aware of personal safety and pay attention to local safety instructions. According to information provided by the travel industry, at this moment there are 2 Macau tour groups with around 50 people in Osaka which will continue with their itinerary. In addition, there are around 40 Macau residents travelling individually in Japan, for which GGCT will continue to maintain contact with them in order to follow up the situation and provide assistance. Up till today (13 March) 17:00, GGCT received accumulated total of 146 inquiries: mainly regarding the local transports not being recovered, not being able to go to the airport in Tokyo, or wishing to return earlier to Macau, finding out different information and contacts for assistance, as well as enquiries due to not being able to contact their family or friends. There are a total of 12 cases, involving 13 people, GGCT is assisting to follow the related cases, in which 10 cases have already been solved and GGCT is following the remaining 2 cases. Since there are some cases with insufficient information, GGCT urges the needed citizens to call the tourism hotline to provide the necessary information. On the other hand, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRC issued an emergency announcement regarding the severe earthquake in the North-Eastern region of Japan on March 11th, stating that every possible effort will be deployed to assist Chinese citizens, and should there be casualties or any other injuries, they can contact the Embassy through the following numbers: 1. Mobile phone: 090-7835-2685; 090-4830-5150; 080-1138-973 2. Telephone: 03-3403-3388, extension 8712 3. Fax: 03-3403-5447; 03-3403-3380; 03-3403-3345
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The Tourism Crisis Management Office (GGCT) continues to monitor the situation and the effects of the severe earthquake occurred in Japan, while maintaining contact with the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRC in Macau, the travel industry, the representatives of the Macao Government Tourist Office (MGTO) in Japan and Taiwan, in order to follow up the developments, as well as to inform the residents in need to call the tourism hotline. After the earthquake occurred on the eastern coast of Sendai, Japan, the Macau and Hong Kong airline companies resumed successively the flights between Macau and Tokyo, although the public transport and communication systems haven't recovered completely. GGCT is monitoring closely the local situation after the earthquake and urges Macau residents and tourists in Japan to be aware of personal safety and pay attention to local safety instructions. Macau residents requiring assistance can call the Tourism Hotline (853) 28333000. According to information provided by the travel industry, at this moment there are 2 Macau tour groups with around 50 people in Osaka which itinerary is not affected. On the other hand, the 2 Macao residents who joined a HK tour have already been transferred from Tokyo to Osaka to continue with their itinerary. In addition, there are around 40 Macau residents travelling individually in Japan, for which GGCT will continue to maintain contact with them in order to follow up the situation and provide assistance Up till 17:00 today, GGCT received accumulated total of 111 inquiries: mainly regarding the local transports not being recovered, not being able to go to the airport in Tokyo, or wishing to return earlier to Macau, finding out different information and contacts for assistance, as well as enquiries due to not being able to contact their family or friends. There are a total of 24 cases, involving 43 people, GGCT is assisting to follow the related cases, in which 14 cases have already been solved and GGCT is following the remaining 10 cases. Since there are some cases with insufficient information, GGCT urges the needed citizens to call the tourism hotline to provide the necessary information. On the other hand, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRC issued an emergency announcement regarding the severe earthquake in the North-Eastern region of Japan on March 11th, stating that every possible effort will be deployed to assist Chinese citizens, and should there be casualties or any other injuries, they can contact the Embassy through the following numbers: 1. Mobile phone: 090-7835-2685; 090-4830-5150; 080-1138-973
2. Telephone: 03-3403-3388, extension 8712
3. Fax: 03-3403-5447; 03-3403-3380; 03-3403-3345 Air Macau also informed passengers that are departing to Tokyo in the next two days to call the following numbers before departure: 83965555 or 66626776; or visit Air Macau's website www.airmacau.com.mo, in order to find out the newest flight schedules. Tourism Crisis Management Office, 12th of March, 2011.
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The Tourism Crisis Management Office (GGCT) has been monitoring the situation and the effects of the earthquake that occurred in Sendai, Northeastern Japan, and will continue to maintain contact with the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRC in Macau, the travel industry, the representatives of the Macao Government Tourist Office (MGTO) in Japan and Taiwan, to follow up on the latest developments. Earlier today, a strong earthquake occurred off the eastern coast of Sendai, Japan. The two airports in Tokyo were partly shut, while public transport and communication systems were heavily affected. GGCT will continue to closely monitor the calamity, and urges Macau residents and tourists in Japan to be aware of personal safety and pay attention to local safety instructions. Macau residents requiring assistance can call the Tourism Hotline (853) 28333000. According to information provided by the travel industry, there are 2 Macao residents who joined a HK tour in Tokyo, and have been arranged to go to a safe place; on the other hand, through airlines and other sources, GGCT understands that there are around 20 Macau residents travelling individually in Japan, and have successfully contacted some of them and was assured of their safety. GGCT will continue to maintain contact with them and find ways to get in touch with other Macau residents that are in Japan. Until now, GGCT received one request for assistance and 25 inquiries: 1 Macao resident on business trip stranded in Narita airport, Japan called for assistance, but already departed Japan after the airport reopened; the enquiries revolve around difficulties in contacting relatives in Japan and one concerns the issue of Tsunami warning in Taiwan. On the other hand, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRC issued an emergency announcement regarding the severe earthquake in the North-Eastern region of Japan on March 11th, stating that every possible effort will be deployed to assist Chinese citizens, and should there be casualties or any other injuries, they can contact the Embassy through the following numbers: 1. Mobile phone: 090-7835-2685; 090-4830-5150; 080-1138-973
2. Telephone: 03-3403-3388, extension 8712
3. Fax: 03-3403-5447; 03-3403-3380; 03-3403-3345 Air Macau also informed passengers that are departing to Tokyo in the next two days to call the following numbers before departure: 83965555 or 66626776; or visit Air Macau's website www.airmacau.com.mo, in order to find out the newest flight schedules. The flights that might be affected are NX9828 departing tomorrow to Tokyo and NX828 departing to Tokyo the day after tomorrow; NX9827 returning tomorrow from Tokyo to Macau and NX827 the day after tomorrow. Tourism Crisis Management Office, 11 of March, 2011.
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