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Wynn Macau – 20th Macau International Fireworks Displays Contest will be held on September 13, 14, 20, 27 and October 1 at the sea area in front of the Macau Tower. The Macau International Fireworks Display Contest, organized by Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), has always been an important event. This year Wynn Macau continues to be the title sponsor for the Macau International Fireworks Display Contest. MGTO Director João Manuel Costa Antunes and Wynn Macau President Ian Coughlan attended the press conference today. Antunes expressed that diversification is the key direction for the tourism development of Macau. While continuing to employ the promotional theme “Experience Macau” under the slogan “A World of Difference, the Difference is Macau”, this year MGTO has introduced a series of promotions for visitors to experience Macau with the five senses “See, Taste, Touch, Feel and Hear”. “I believe the annual Fireworks Display Contest would satisfy the audience’s senses of “See” and “Hear” while bringing wonderful memories to visitors and citizens,” he added. Wynn Macau – 20th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest will be held on September 13, 14, 20, 27 and October 1 at the sea area in front of the Macau Tower. As two dates of the contest, September 14 and October 1 fall on Mid Autumn Festival and China’s National Day, teams from Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia and China will deploy their skills to add extra sparkle to the celebrations. This year again, each participating team is requested to complement their display with music to enthrall the audience with a light and sound spectacular. To enhance the enjoyment, the organizer will install sound systems at the waterfront of the Macau Tower Outdoor Plaza, at the Macau Tower Street seaside and at the square in front of Kun Iam Statue on Ave. Dr Sun Yat Sen so that the public can enjoy synchronized music to the spectacular displays. In past years, world renowned pyrotechnic companies have participated in the Macau International Fireworks Display Contest. Likewise, 10 teams from various countries and regions were invited to take part this year again. To celebrate this 20th edition, MGTO has purposely invited teams with distinguished performances in international contests. A number of teams joining the contest this year have won championships before in Macau, including a two-time champion from Japan and winning teams from Portugal and France. The team from Australia, the company of which was restructured and renamed last year, has also won here before. The teams from Germany, the United Kingdom and China were also 1st runners up while the other teams all have excellent skills in fireworks production and displays. The Macau International Fireworks Display Contest has gained worldwide recognition for the quality of the participating teams, the scale and the performance standard of the contest. The contest this year features ten teams from Germany, Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Chinese Taiwan, the Philippines, France, Australia and China. Tamaya Art Pyro Technics from Japan won the championship in the Macau International Fireworks Display Contest in 2004 and 2005. They employ the latest techniques in producing fireworks and perform more than 150 fireworks shows a year in China, the United States and Europe. Brezac-Artifices from France is no stranger to the fireworks display contest and won the championship in 2006. Established in 1965, the company has been very active in France since the 80’s and in recent years has added multimedia elements to their fireworks shows. Macedo & Companhia Pirotecnia, Lda. of Portugal, who won the contest in 2000, was listed on the Guinness Book of World Records for launching the largest fireworks display consisting of 66,326 fireworks shells on December 31, 2006. To enhance the quality and attractiveness of the contest, MGTO have increased the production subsidy and cash prizes to the fireworks teams. The production subsidy has been raised from US$17,500 to US$20,000. Cash prize to the winner has increased from US$6,000 to US$8,000, while prizes to the first and second runners-up have increased from US$3,200 to US$4,000, and from US$1,800 to US$2,500 respectively. Macau’s tourism industry has entered a new phase and is moving towards diversification. During the first five months of this year, visitor arrivals reached almost 12.6 million, a growth of 17.4%. As of 2007, the market share of international visitors among total arrivals was 9.3%, and for the first five months of this year, the figure has increased to 10.5%, showing healthy progress towards diversification of source markets. It is expected more and more visitors from various markets will come for the fireworks display in Macau. MGTO will spare no effort to bring about the world’s most prominent international fireworks display to visitors and at the same time, will promote the fireworks display contest through various international, regional and local media channels, major media and travel magazines in Guangdong, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Macau, as well as distribute posters and leaflets. MGTO and the General Union of Neighbors Association of Macau will again jointly present the Fireworks Carnival to offer an array of live entertainment, cultural activities and culinary delights on the fireworks display nights. In order to capture the spectacular moments of the fireworks display contest, photo and drawing competitions will be held again this year. Wynn Macau – 20th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest Photo Competition and Wynn Macau – 20th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest Drawing Competition will invite entries soon. The winners of the two competitions will be entitled to premiums and trophies.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that Macao registered 337,927 visitor arrivals in package tours in June 2008, up by 30.9% from a year earlier. Visitors from Mainland China (222,027) and Southeast Asia (34,775) grew notably by 49.7% and 131.0% year-on-year, while those from Hong Kong (22,579) decreased by 28.2%. In the first half year of 2008, visitors arrived in package tours rose by 23.2% over the same period of 2007 to 2,411,290. The number of Macao residents travelling outbound in package tours in June 2008 decreased slightly by 1.5% year-on-year to 20,179. Mainland China (54.1%), Japan (13.0%) and Thailand (10.5%) were the three most popular tour itineraries. In the first half year of 2008, Macao residents travelling in package tours rose by 8.8% over the same period of 2007 to 106,595. Meanwhile, 32,941 residents travelled outbound under individual arrangements using services provided by travel agencies, up slightly by 1.1% over June 2007. Hong Kong (44.7%), Mainland China (22.1%) and Taiwan, China (10.0%) were the major destinations. In the first half year of 2008, Macao residents travelled under such arrangements rose by 16.1% year-on-year to 182,925. At the end of June 2008, the total number of guest rooms available in the hotel sector grew by 3,013 (+22.8%) from a year earlier to 16,235 rooms. In June 2008, a total of 510,018 guests checked into hotels and similar establishments, representing a year-on-year increase of 25.1%; the majority of the guests came from Mainland China (43.7%) and Hong Kong (25.8%). The average hotel occupancy rate rose by 4.4 percentage points to 73.3%, with 5-star hotels leading at 76.4%; in addition, the average length of stay of hotel guests extended by 0.2 night to 1.4 nights. Total number of hotel guests reached 3,207,588 in the first half year of 2008, up by 19.0% over the same period of 2007. In the first half year of 2008, visitor-guests staying in hotels accounted for 43.2% of the total number of tourists, up from 42.7% in the corresponding period of 2007.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, left today for Beijing to attend tomorrow’s opening ceremony of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
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Speaking to the press on his departure, Mr Ho said he wished the games every success, to display unique characteristics and to make every Chinese proud. In addition to tomorrow’s opening ceremony, today Mr Ho will also attend the inauguration of the new office of Office of the Macao Special Administrative Region in Beijing and visit an art exhibition. The President of the Legislative Assembly, a number of principal officials and some 20 dignitaries left for Beijing together with the Chief Executive. The Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Mr Lau Si Io, will be Acting Chief Executive while Mr Ho is away.
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Financial arrangement for the bridge linking Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao had been decided – and construction would start no later than 2010, it was announced today. The project will be financed by the Central Government, together with the governments of Guangdong, Macao and Hong Kong. Macao will be responsible for RMB 1.98 billion, Hong Kong for RMB 6.75 billion, with the Central and Guangdong governments for RMB 7 billion, making a total of RMB15.73 billion, comprising 42 per cent of the total cost for the main bridge construction. The balance will be financed by loans, details of which will be further discussed. Each respective government will be responsible and pay for infrastructure and ancillary works for the project within their own area. Announcing this today, Macao’s task force to co-ordinate the work on the bridge said government financing would ensure that the project would get off to a timely start, and decision such as the toll rate will be decided by the governments. Macao completed its studies on the concept of an artificial island off Macao and will continue to study on the design of the related terminals. The bridge will help integrate the economies of the Pearl River Delta and boost industries in the region, the task force said.
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The Government is reviewing the gaming industry to boost its competitiveness in the face of regional competition. This was revealed by the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen, when he spoke to reporters while attending a public event. Based on figures for the first seven months of this year he said he believed the annual gross gaming revenue would reach 100 billion patacas. Every business has to adjust its business model and operation according to the changes of the environment and he believed that the adjustment made by the gaming operators would benefit the industry and the economy as a whole. Mr Tam said basically the gaming operators are optimistic about the future of the industry. Speaking about the gross gaming revenue and Macao’s economic growth in the first six months, he said he expected that the two figures would grow at a ‘desirable two-digit rate’. In the first eight months last year, the average monthly gross gaming revenue was about 6 billion patacas. After some large-scale gaming projects opened for business in the fourth quarter, the average monthly gross gaming revenue increased to about 9 billion patacas. Therefore, Mr Tam said he expected the increase of gaming revenue in the first six months would reach 50 per cent, though the figure of the second half of the year would not be comparable to that of the first half.
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The ad hoc committee responsible for reconstruction works sponsored by Macao Government, will visit Chengdu, Sichuan in the mid August. The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Chui Sai On, disclosed this to the media today when he received the third medical team who returned after helping victims of May’s deadly earthquakes. Mr Chui said members of the ad hoc committee would hold the first meeting with Sichuan Provincial Government to discuss the reconstruction projects in detail. Meanwhile, the Sichuan Government had proposed a string of items, and the committee was studying their feasibility, said Mr Chui. He said projects to be sponsored by the Macao Government included schools, hospitals and homes for agricultural people, adding that the total amount of donation would be disclosed soon.
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A meat processing and transport worker was found to be infected with the Streptococcus suis bacteria, in the first of such case found in Macao, the Health Bureau announced today. The patient, who was sent to the hospital for treatment on 29 July, is in a critical condition . He worked in a local wet market. His family members have been examined and had no clinical features of the disease so far. The Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau had stepped up quarantine in the slaughterhouse. The Bureau also held meetings with workers to alert them to the care required in handling uncooked meat. Any Streptococcus suis bacteria will be killed when meat is thoroughly cooked. People should seek medical advise at once if they suspect they have Streptococcus suis infection the Bureau said. In order to prevent the spread of Streptococcus suis infection, the people should:
· Observe good personal, food and environmental hygiene. · Avoid contact with pigs. · Do not bring meat into Macao without a permit.
· When handling pigs or raw pork, wear protective gloves and avoid injury. · Wash hands after handling pigs or raw pork. · Clean and cover all wounds properly. · Raw pork and cooked food should be dealt with and kept separately. · Pork should be cooked thoroughly before consumption.
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The "Macao Science Center Logo Design Competition" organised by the Macao Science Center Limited has reached a successful conclusion. Under the recommendation of the adjudication panel and the decision of the organiser, the design by "Yanjun Design - Unique Ants Exhibition and Exposition Studio" from Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province was selected for the "Adoption Award". Since the announcement of the competition, designers from different places along with local students submitted many exciting creations. A total of 635 designs were received. The adjudication panel, comprising the following members: Mr. Pei Li-chung, Partner, Pei Partnership Architects; Mr. Kan Tai-keung, famous graphic designer from Hong Kong; Mr. Wang Yue-fei, Member of Academic Committee, Shenzhen Graphic Design Association; Mr. Chan Hon-choi, Associate Professor, School of Arts of Macao Polytechnic Institute and Mr. Fung Man-wai, President, Macao Designers Association, found the overall standard of the designs remarkable and showed their appreciation towards many of the innovative ideas including those from the local students. The adopted design is simple yet appealing. It is easily recognisable symbolising the aesthetic appearance of the main building structure of Macao Science Center, perceived by Mr. Pei Ieoh-ming. The combination of colour and line structure sophistically form an ascending node with both a right-handed and left-handed spinning outlook depicting the multiple view points in the advances and application of science and technology that the Science Center features. Apart from the "Adoption Award", 5 Public Group Honorary Awards and 10 Student Group Honorary Awards were also chosen, the winners are: Public Group: Cheung Ka Yan, Miguel Marcos Mendaes Khan, Gisela To (Macao); Michael Miller Yu (Hong Kong); Lee Chun (Hangzhou). Student Group: Wong Ho Pui, Leong Chan Kuan, Lao Sin Wa (Escola Estrela do Mar); Wong Ka Ian, Cheang Hio Man (Escola Luso-Chinesa Técnico-Profissional); Pou Ka Ieng (Colégio de Santa Rosa de Lima - English Section); Lei Cheok Mei (Escola Hou Kong); Hong Ka Lok (Escola para Filhos e Irmãos dos Operários); Chan In San (Escola Choi Nong Chi Tai), Pang Xou Fai (Escola Pui Tou). The above winning designs can be viewed on the Macao Science Center webpage at www.msc.org.mo. For further enquiries please contact the Center at (853)8795 7297.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the value of total exports of goods amounted to MOP1.51 billion in June 2008, down by 19.2% year-on-year; the value of domestic exports decreased by 23.2% to MOP977 million, and that of re-exports dropped by 10.4% to MOP535 million. The value of total imports of goods amounted to MOP3.60 billion, up slightly by 0.2% year-on-year. A trade deficit of MOP2.09 billion was recorded for June 2008. In the first half year of 2008, total exports of goods fell by 10.7% year-on-year to MOP8.53 billion, with the value of domestic exports and re-exports declining by 11.8% and 8.7% respectively. Meanwhile, total imports of goods grew by 6.9% to MOP21.45 billion, and the trade deficit for the first half year was widened to MOP12.91 billion. The exports/imports ratio decreased from 47.6% in the first half year of 2007 to 39.8% in the same period of 2008. The value of Textile & garment exports declined by 15.8% year-on-year and its relative importance decreased further to account for 59.9% of the total exports of goods in the first half year of 2008; moreover, the value of Non-textile exports fell slightly by 1.7%, with exports of Machines & apparatus, parts & accessories thereof and Footwear dropping by 50.8% and 56.3% respectively, while exports of Image & sound appliances rose by 69.2%. In the first half year of 2008, the value of exports to the USA, Mainland China and the EU decreased by 6.3%, 40.3% and 40.5% respectively year-on-year, but that to Hong Kong rose by 23.6%. The main suppliers of imported goods to Macao concentrated in the Asian region. The value of imports from Mainland China and Hong Kong amounted to MOP11.13 billion, accounting for 51.9% of the total imports in the first half year of 2008. In terms of broad economic categories, the value of imports of Fuels & lubricants and Consumer goods expanded by 30.5% and 23.5% respectively year-on-year, but that of Raw materials & semi-manufactures and Capital goods decreased by 14.9% and 3.6% respectively.
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An ad hoc committee has been set up to organise all reconstruction works in Sichuan sponsored by Macao, it was announced in the Government Gazette today. The committee, which would come into effect tomorrow, would be responsible for establishing a communication mechanism with Sichuan to facilitate Macao’s associations and organisations to participate in reconstruction projects, and in making reports to Chief Executive on the progress of those projects. The committee, chaired by Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, comprised members from different governmental departments, in including representatives from the Office for the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Office for the Secretary Economy and Finance, Health Bureau, Social Welfare Bureau, and other bureaux.
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