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Commissioned by the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao S.A.R. and conducted by the Institute For Tourism Studies (IFT), a study was completed which aimed at providing reference estimates on the optimal social carrying capacity of Macao’s tourism industry and suggest whether the existing tourism facilities and services are adequate to cope with the rapid growth in visitor arrivals. The survey was divided into 2 parts: The first part consisted of questionnaire interviews, on 44 selected days of 2007 which covered weekdays, weekends and days within the Golden Week periods. Both local residents and visitors were asked to express their perception on crowdedness and satisfaction with environmental quality, local transportation, food & beverage and retail services quality and waiting time, and border clearance performance. A total of 5158 residents and 5120 visitors were sampled. The interview locations included Leal Senado Square, Portas do Cerco, A-Ma Temple, Ruins of St.Paul, Cunha Street, Horta E Costa, Mesquita and New Yaohan. The second part was to collect data and information from government departments and stakeholders in several tourism-related sectors to estimate their full-load capacity. The study covered 8 main services and facilities, namely hotel accommodation, restaurants and dining, buses, taxis, ferries, border clearance, tourist attractions and inbound tour handling. Results from the first part revealed that local residents were generally dissatisfied with the environment and local transportation, and their perception of crowdedness became more intensive with increasing number of visitors. At the same time, visitors had similar perception of crowdedness. Nonetheless, they usually gave a more generous rating than residents to most of the indicators studied. It was found that both residents and visitors became less than satisfied with the crowded surroundings and gave generally lower ratings to the services and facilities when daily average incoming visitors reached a level of 75,537. With increasing number of daily average visitors, residents became more sensitive to crowdedness and issues with local transportation, while visitors became more sensitive to crowdedness, border clearance and environment quality. By using the technique of linear regression, it was estimated that the optimal social carrying capacity of Macao ranged from 69,000 to 79,000 daily visitors. By classifying the visitors according to their place of origin, it was found that visitors from the mainland generally had better evaluations of all services and facilities except border clearance, compared with those from Hong Kong, Taiwan Province and other places. Also, group travellers had better impression about crowdedness and local transportation than the Free Individual Travellers (FITs). Information gathered for the second part revealed that among the 8 facilities studied, namely hotel accommodation, restaurants and dining, buses, taxis, ferries, border clearance, tourist attractions and inbound tour handling, 6 of them could not meet the optimal social carrying capacity. Only restaurants and dining, and border clearance (when all 7 entry points were taken into consideration) stayed above the range. This may serve as a signal that certain sectors may need to enlarge their operation scale to meet the optimal level. However, they may face various challenges including geographical, capital and manpower limitations. As a conclusion, it was found that residents and visitors were sensitive to crowdedness and quality of tourism services and facilities as visitor arrival increased. Government departments and stakeholders may wish to focus on these issues. In view of Macao’s current limitations, one important way of sustaining tourism development is to provide better service to visitors, rather than continuously looking for new markets. Attention should also be given to better management of industry operations and facilities, manpower training, and professional transportation and town planning. For any comments and queries about this survey, please kindly contact the Institute For Tourism Studies.
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The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Chui Sai On, vowed today that the Government would spare no efforts in providing medical examination and treatment for students who might have consumed contaminated milk. This followed an earlier Government decision to suspend a milk programme for some kindergarten and primary students, and sent medical teams to these institutions to offer free medical checks for these students. The students would be given a detailed checkup if needed, and the Government would provide them the necessary treatment should any kidney stones be detected, Mr Chui said after attending a conference this morning. The milk programme was initiated by the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau several years ago to provide milk to some kindergarten and primary students every school day. So far one student was found to have kidney stones after consuming milk made from powder suspected to be contaminated with melamine. The Government had started an urgent communication mechanism with health authorities on the Mainland and in Hong Kong after the detection of melamine in some Mainland dairy products.
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In view of the financial crisis caused by the recent financial difficulties of individual American investment banks, this Authority has indicated in an announcement released earlier that the financial institutions in Macao including banks are in stable conditions and have not been affected at all. Banks in Macao have been adopting sound and prudent measures to manage their activities. Their asset quality is excellent. Capital and liquidity are adequate to ensure their normal operation. This Authority calls upon depositors to keep calm and rational, not to be misled by rumour-mongers. There are rumours circulating through internet and grapevine that some individual banks in Macao are in financial difficulty as affected by the financial crisis. Such rumours are groundless. In fact, all banks in Macao are operating normally under very strict supervision. They are financially sound. None of the banks in Macao encounters any problems of such nature. Inadvertently, this Authority has been informed by certain banks that due to typhoon Hagupit, some branch offices cannot open for business because of flood or power failure, but absolutely not caused by any international financial crisis. This Authority and all banks will stay vigilant, and will continue to enhance the on-going monitoring, management and supervision efforts in order to safeguard the stability and integrity of the Macao banking system.
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The Board of Directors of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) announced that Macau has been chosen as the host city for PATA Travel Mart 2010. One thousand and five hundred participants are expected to take part in the event. MGTO Director João Manuel Costa Antunes and Deputy Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes were present at PATA’s Board of Directors Meeting held in India. Following the announcement, Antunes expressed, “We are very happy to be the host for PATA Travel Mart 2010 and we are grateful for the support of the Board of Directors of PATA. We will make every effort to ensure this premier travel trade show for Asia Pacific will be a successful one.” “The Macau SAR Government is committed to develop an integrated tourism model to gradually achieve diversification of the tourism industry that would appeal to visitors of different interests from around the world. Macau successfully hosted the 54th PATA Annual Conference in 2005 and the wide accolades we received from the industry proved that Macau has the capability to organize large-scale international conferences. Winning the bid to host PATA Travel Mart for the first time will further showcase our strengths as a host city for international exhibitions and conventions.” PATA Travel Mart is one of the widely recognized travel trade shows for Asia Pacific with a long history. It serves as a travel contracting and networking platform that attracts many high-profile buyers and exhibitors every year. Founded in 1951, PATA is recognized as a leading tourism organization in the Asia Pacific Region. PATA’s membership boasts about 100 government, state and city tourism bodies, more than 70 airlines and cruise lines, and hundreds of travel industry companies. In addition, thousands of travel industry professionals belong to PATA Chapters worldwide. The mission of PATA is to enhance the growth, value and quality of Pacific Asia travel and tourism for the benefit of the membership of PATA. As a non-profit travel industry association, PATA provides a platform for its members to share information and insights for the tourism industry. MGTO has been a member of PATA since 1966 and the PATA Macau Chapter was set up in 1983. Held in Hyderabad of India last week, PATA Travel Mart 2008 attracted over 1,000 trade delegates, comprising 374 global buyers, 715 Asia Pacific sellers and a host of international media. Mainland China sent a strong delegation of 80 buyers and sellers to the Mart as she paves way for the next PATA Travel Mart to be held in Hangzhou in 2009. First-time participants at the Mart were impressed by the professionally fixed appointments and the personalized style of the Mart.
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Revenue from gaming so far this year is similar to that for the same period last year, the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Tam Pak Yuen, disclosed today. He said despite a slowdown in growth, the Government was still confident revenue would be maintained at its present level. On the recent lay-offs by a gaming operator, Mr Tam said this was not a common occurrence. He said that each gaming company would adjust its human resources accordingly to its business. However, the adjustment should be implemented legally and reasonably, he said, and the aggrieved could bring their complaints to the Labour Affairs Bureau. Mr Tam stressed the gaming industry was in a stable condition. He said he has not heard of any plans for mass lay-offs. If there was any, it would be communicated to the Labour Affairs Bureau, he said. The Bureau was now studying the promotional plans for local gaming staff submitted by the companies, he added.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that in light of the opening of large-scale hotels and gaming facilities, visitor arrivals in package tours continued to grow, together with the increasing number of outbound travels under individual arrangement using services provided by travel agencies, the overall business performance of travel agencies recorded satisfactory growth in 2007. Last year, there were 157 travel agencies in operation, up by 12 establishments compared with 2006. Sales & other receipts totalled MOP3.35 billion, corresponding to a year-on-year increase of 39.2%; gross fixed capital formation dropped by 39.8% to MOP58.48 million. In addition, gross value added, which measures the economic contribution of the sector, soared by 96.3% to MOP470 million. With an increase in the number of travel agencies in operation, the total workforce rose by 30.9% year-on-year to 2,281 at the end of 2007. Expenditure of the travel agencies amounted to MOP3.11 billion, an increase of 34.5% over 2006. In terms of expenditure items, payment for the purchase of tickets, package tours and room reservation (MOP2.63 billion) accounted for 84.7% of the total, up by 29.9% year-on-year; besides, operating expenses (MOP250 million) and compensation of employees (MOP220 million) surged by 77.4% and 57.0% respectively.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the Composite CPI for August 2008 rose by 8.70% year-on-year to 125.79, of which the price indices of Food & non-alcoholic beverages, Health and Clothing & footwear soared by 18.37%, 14.36% and 9.86% respectively. Among the subgroups of Food & non-alcoholic beverages, notable increase was observed in the prices of rice (+74.88%), canned meat (+66.97%), fresh beef (+59.22%), edible oil (+53.73%), fresh water fish (+38.63%), noodles (+35.09%), chilled or frozen pork (+30.37%), fresh pork (+27.63%), salt-water fish (+25.57%) and meals bought away from home (+15.04%). For the subgroups of Health and Clothing & footwear, charges for medical consultation service (+25.43%), clothing materials (+30.30%) and garments for women (+13.71%) registered marked increase. Despite significant increase in the price index of air passenger transport (+16.97%), the index of Transport registered a slow down in year-on-year growth from +12.70% in July to +8.88%, owing to the exemption of consumption tax on automotive fuels and lubricants, as well as lower gasoline prices following the price drop of petroleum in the international market. Notwithstanding the increase in the price indices of LP Gas (+24.00%), charges for maintenance & repair services of dwelling (+17.81%) and rentals for housing (+14.89%), the year-on-year increment of the index of Housing & fuels was similar to that of last month, at 6.8%, benefiting from the electricity subsidy provided by the Government. On the other hand, the price indices of Education and Communication decreased by 5.83% and 5.04% respectively year-on-year due to higher government subsidies to students studying in schools that did not join the free education network and lower charges of mobile phone service. The CPI-A and CPI-B for August 2008 were 127.95 and 125.10, up by 8.99% and 8.57% respectively year-on-year. The Composite CPI for August 2008 edged up by 0.02% month-to-month, with the price indices of Recreation & culture and Housing & fuels rising by 1.69% and 0.95% respectively, on account of higher charges for outbound package tours during Summer Holiday and rising rentals for housing. On the contrary, the index of Transport recorded a 3.73% decrease, as a result of the exemption of consumption tax on automotive fuels and lubricants. Meanwhile, the CPI-A increased by 0.04% whereas the CPI-B decreased by 0.02% over the preceding month. The average Composite CPI for January to August went up by 8.99% over the same period of 2007. For the 12 months ended August 2008, the Composite CPI rose by 8.17% over the preceding period. The Composite CPI reflects the impacts of price changes on the general population. The CPI-A relates to about 49% of households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP3,000 to MOP9,999. The CPI-B relates to about 31% of households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP10,000 to MOP19,999.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that visitor arrivals totalled 2,583,372 in August 2008, a year-on-year increase of 8.5%. Visitors from Mainland China (1,488,084) and Hong Kong (757,784) rose by 10.6% and 5.2% respectively, while those from Taiwan, China (112,454) decreased by 7.0%. Same-day visitors took up 52.6% of the total arrivals, at 1,357,855. The majority of the visitors came from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, China, which accounted for 57.6%, 29.3% and 4.4% of the total respectively. Among the Mainland visitors, 603,865 (40.6%) travelled to Macao under the Individual Visit Scheme, down by 6.9% year-on year. In the first eight months of 2008, visitor arrivals reached 20,172,569, up by 17.1% year-on-year. Visitors from Mainland China (11,797,357) and Hong Kong went up by 25.1% and 0.9% respectively, while those from Taiwan, China dropped by 5.0%. Furthermore, same-day visitors made up 52.9% of the total arrivals, at 10,662,177. Analyzed by mode of transport, visitor arrivals by sea increased by 12.4% over the first eight months of 2007 to 6,467,525. Among them, 5,513,046 arrived at the Outer Harbour (+1.4%), with 57.6% from Hong Kong and 22.7% from Mainland China. Visitor arrivals by land grew by 19.3% to 12,566,636. Visitors arriving through the Border Gate increased by 14.7% to 11,885,917 and the majority were visitors from Mainland China (79.9%) and Hong Kong (14.4%). In addition, visitor arrivals by air totalled 1,138,408, up by 20.9% over the first eight months of 2007. Visitors arriving at the Macao International Airport rose by 19.3% to 1,114,233, with those from Taiwan, China (35.3%), Southeast Asia (29.8%) and Mainland China (22.2%) as the major users.
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At the invitation of the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, 110 military attaches from 52 foreign countries visited Macao today and met with the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Florinda Chan. Ms Chan expressed a very warm welcome to the delegation on behalf of the Macao SAR Government when she met the delegates. She said that Macao SAR would mark its 10th Anniversary next year, riding on the support from the Central Government and efforts of the citizens in Macao. The economy had witnessed a vibrant growth, employment stayed at a high level and the population enjoyed a better quality of life. While social and cultural developments were notably promoted, Macao also fostered a closer relationship with the Mainland and gained a wider network with the rest of the world, she said. Since the establishment of the Macao SAR, Macao had abided by the “Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Garrisoning of the MSAR”. In the performance of its defence functions and responsibilities, the Macao Garrison of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army safeguards the security of Macao. Ms Chan stressed that the Macao Government would continue to maintain an effective liaison with the Macao Garrison and uphold the successful implementation of the “one country, two systems” principle. After the meeting, the delegation listened to the latest economic development of Macao. During this one-day visit, the delegation also visited the troops as well as some scenic places. The delegation left Macao in the afternoon and to continue their visit to Zhuhai. These foreign military attaches started their journey on 16 September. They had visited Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
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The Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Florinda Chan, today met the President of Guinea-Bissau, Mr João Bernardo Vieira, who arrived yesterday for a two-day visit. Mr Vieira, who was in Beijing to attend the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, made a courtesy call on Ms Chan this morning and they exchanged views on promoting co-operation between Macao and Guinea-Bissau, and Macao’s role as a business platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. Mr Vieira then attended a luncheon hosted by Ms Chan, before touring the Macau Tower and visiting the Macao Foundation. Later, he met the press at the Military Club and held a reception there for the Guinea-Bissau community in Macao, before attending a banquet hosted by the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen. In a speech, Mr Tam said that the Guinea-Bissau community in Macao worked hard in Macao and helped promote the economic links between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. Mr Tam said he believed the relationship between Guinea-Bissau and Macao would enjoy an even closer relationship in the future. After the dinner, Mr Vieira and members of his delegation left Macao for Hong Kong.
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