News

The signing ceremony between the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the United Mexican States on Mutual Visa Exemption Agreement took place in the Macao SAR Government Headquarters on 19 September. The Government of the Macao SAR was granted the authorization from the Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China to conclude the above-mentioned agreement. The Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms. Florinda da Rosa Silva Chan, and the Acting Consul General of Mexico in Hong Kong and Macao, Mr. Hector Huerta, representing respectively the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region and the Government of the United Mexican States signed the agreement. The agreement will be effective from 19 October 2008. After the agreement comes into effect, holders of a valid Macao SAR Passport will be exempted from visa requirements when entering the United Mexican States for a stay of maximum 90 days. At present, a total of 77 countries and territories have agreed to grant visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to the Macao SAR passport holders, while 9 countries have agreed to grant the visa-free access to the Macao SAR Travel Permit holders.
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Amid the turbulence of the international financial system, the American International Group (AIG) – the largest American insurer and ranks fourth globally – was faced with serious liquidity problems, which prompted the Federal Reserve Board to authorise the Federal Reserve Bank, New York, to grant AIG a loan of USD 85 billion. This action will allow AIG to honour its commitments as and when they fall due and to take appropriate measures to set right its financial position. On the other hand, the action of the Federal Reserve Board has undoubtedly imparted confidence on those who are owners of insurance policies or financial instruments of AIG. As regards the situation of the Macau Branch of American International Assurance Company (Bermuda), Limited, the interests of the policy owners, insureds and beneficiaries were never at risk, given the prudential supervisory mechanism set in place under the Macau Insurance Ordinance. In reality, according to the provisions of the said law, insurers are required to have at their disposal financial compatibilities to cover their insurance liabilities, which are in the form of technical reserves and solvency margin. The technical reserves are required to be backed up with certain admissible assets as determined by the Monetary Authority of Macao (AMCM), and such assets cannot be uplifted without the express authorisation of the AMCM or, in certain cases, Chief Executive of the MSAR. The Macao Branch of the American International Assurance Company (Bermuda), Limited has duly covered its technical reserves with admissible assets, with the cover ratio being over 100%, while the solvency margin is in excess of the required minimum under the legal framework for insurance activity. In view of the above, the AMCM considers that the economic-financial situation of the Macau Branch of American International Assurance Company (Bermuda), Limited is solid and that the liabilities arising from insurance contracts issued by the said insurer are adequately guaranteed.
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The Statistics and Census Service released the results of the survey on Manpower Needs and Wages for the second quarter of 2008. The survey covered Wholesale & Retail Trade; Transport, Storage & Communications; Security Activities and Public Sewage & Refuse Disposal Activities, but excluded own-account workers engaging in these industries. The survey results were extrapolated from the information collected from 887 statistical units successfully interviewed. At the end of the second quarter of 2008, Wholesale & Retail Trade had 25,392 paid employees, up by 16.3% over the same period of 2007, with 14,769 working in Retail trade. In June 2008, the average earnings (excluding bonuses and allowances) for full-time employees amounted to MOP 8,302, representing a year-on-year increase of 7.8%. Sales representatives and Salespersons earned MOP 10,934 and MOP 7,079 respectively in average. Transport, Storage & Communications took on 7,548 paid employees, up by 2.2% over the second quarter of 2007. In June 2008, the average earnings for full-time employees in this sector increased by 10.2% year-on-year to MOP 14,868. Passenger vehicle/truck drivers in Land transport earned an average of MOP 13,145. Security Activities had 3,777 paid employees, up by 3.8% over the second quarter of 2007. Average earnings for full-time employees in June 2008 rose by 19.4% year-on-year to MOP 7,407, with Security guards earning MOP 7,055 in average. Public Sewage & Refuse Disposal Activities had 632 paid employees, up by 7.1% compared with the second quarter of 2007; the average earnings for full-time employees in June 2008 increased by 5.5% year-on-year to MOP 11,037. At the end of June 2008, Wholesale & Retail Trade reported to have 3,454 vacancies, of which 1,997 were in Retail trade; Transport, Storage & Communications had 910 and Security Activities had 485 vacancies. As regards recruitment prerequisites, 57.7% of the vacancies in Wholesale & Retail Trade and 37.5% in Transport, Storage & Communications required working experience; 58.9% and 28.9% of the vacancies in the above-mentioned industries required junior secondary or lower in educational attainment, while 84.5% of those in Security Activities required primary education only. Besides Cantonese, Mandarin (53.6%) was the more preferable language skill in Wholesale & Retail Trade.
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“Wynn Macau – 20th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest” kicks off today (September 13) as the fireworks teams from Germany and Korea light up the sky of Macau with splendid fireworks. Teams from Japan and the United Kingdom will celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with their pyrotechnic skills tomorrow. Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macau SAR Government Chui Sai On, Director of Macau Government Tourist Office João Manuel Costa Antunes and Jay Dee Clayton executive Vice President-operations of Wynn Macau officiate the opening ceremony at the Macau Tower Outdoor Plaza. Held on September 13, 14, 20, 27 and October 1 at the sea area across the Macau Tower, Wynn Macau – 20th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest has attracted ten teams from around the world to vie for 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; each will show off their pyrotechnic wizardry to spectators both from Macau and overseas. This year again, each participating team is requested to complement their display with music to enthrall the audience with a light and sound spectacular. MGTO will strive to improve year on year the quality of the Macau International Fireworks Display Contest to make it an event not to be missed for residents and visitors. To enhance the effect and audience enjoyment, sound systems are installed 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. Spectators are able to listen to live music of the fireworks displays through Radio Macau’s live broadcast at FM100.7. For the Mainland citizens to enjoy the marvelous fireworks and festive atmosphere of the Macau International Fireworks Display Contest, Jiangsu Radio of Nanjing will broadcast a 2-hour live program at the Macau Tower with the help of MGTO. The two fireworks displays tonight will also be filmed and broadcasted on the channel of “Made in Hong Kong and Macau” on Jiangsu Metronet http://news.js.cn/zt/gangao/index.html for a period of 30 days. The teams taking part in this year’s contest are: NICO Lunig Event GmbH from Germany, Hanwha Corportation from Korea, Tamaya Art Pyro Technics from Japan, Pyro 2000 Fireworks from the United Kingdom, Macedo & Companhia Pirotecnia, Lda., from Portugal, Wan Dar Fireworks Mfg. Co. Ltd. from Chinese Taiwan, La Mancha Pyro, Inc. from the Philippines, Brezac-Artifices from France, Infinity Pyrotechnics from Australia and Liuyang Jiding Fireworks Manufacture Export Co. Ltd. from China. Each fireworks display will last for approximately 18 minutes, and there will be two displays per evening at 9pm and 10pm. 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. To further enhance the event, MGTO and the General Union of Neighbors Association of Macau join hands again to present the Fireworks Carnival 2008 on the shorefront beside the Macau Tower. The opening ceremony of the Fireworks Carnival 2008 will be held today (September 13) at 7:30pm. Citizens can enjoy an array of live entertainment, cultural activities and culinary delights at the carnival between 5:00 - 11:00 p.m. on each of the fireworks display nights. Over 20 stalls offering snacks and souvenirs will also add sparkle to the party.
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Macao and Mainland officials would soon meet to discuss the importation of Mainland domestic workers to Macao, the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen, said today. Speaking to the press after a meeting with representatives from the Women’s General Association of Macau, Mr Tam said that at the invitation of the Ministry of Commerce, the Macao Government would visit the Ministry and study the mechanism of introducing domestic workers from the Mainland. Mr Tam said that was a demand for domestic workers in Macao, with more than 10,000 of them working here now. With the introduction of Mainland domestic workers, households in Macao would be given another source for domestic workers. However, Mr Tam reiterated that the Government would continue to uphold the principle of allowing imported workers only when there is a shortage of the same skills in Macao.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that Macao registered 406,346 visitor arrivals in package tours in July 2008, up by 27.0% from a year earlier. Visitors from Mainland China (282,412) and Southeast Asia (36,774) grew notably by 29.0% and 108.6% year-on-year, while those from Taiwan, China (24,978) decreased by 17.0%. In the first seven months of 2008, visitors arrived in package tours rose by 23.8% over the same period of 2007 to 2,819,196. The number of Macao residents travelling outbound in package tours in July 2008 decreased by 7.5% year-on-year to 19,797. Mainland China (61.5%), Thailand (10.1%) and Japan (8.1%) were the three most popular tour itineraries. In the first seven months of 2008, Macao residents travelling in package tours rose by 5.9% over the same period of 2007 to 126,392. Meanwhile, 34,765 residents travelled outbound under individual arrangements using services provided by travel agencies, down by 10.4% over July 2007. Hong Kong (46.5%), Mainland China (22.3%) and Taiwan, China (10.2%) were the major destinations. In the first seven months of 2008, Macao residents travelled under such arrangements rose by 10.8% year-on-year to 217,690. At the end of July 2008, the total number of guest rooms available in the hotel sector grew by 3,420 (+26.6%) from a year earlier to 16,279 rooms. In July 2008, a total of 587,624 guests checked into hotels and similar establishments, representing a year-on-year increase of 24.9%; the majority of the guests came from Mainland China (47.4%) and Hong Kong (25.9%). The average hotel occupancy rate rose by 1.2 percentage points to 78.9%, with 4-star hotels leading at 84.3%; in addition, the average length of stay of hotel guests extended by 0.1 night to 1.4 nights. Total number of hotel guests reached 3,795,209 in the first seven months of 2008, up by 19.9% over the same period of 2007. In the first seven months of 2008, visitor-guests staying in hotels accounted for 43.3% of the total number of tourists, up from 42.6% in the corresponding period of 2007.
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Following a comprehensive selection process, Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) has chosen Hume Whitehead Limited to raise the destination’s profile, communicate key messages and increase visitors from the UK and Irish markets. The appointment comes at an exciting time for Macau, one of the fastest growing destinations in 2008 and demonstrates MGTO’s commitment to the important UK market. The agency’s focus will be to ensure that the destination becomes a “must visit” on any Far East holiday, as well as the perfect location for business events and conventions. From the cultural appeal of the historic centre of Macau, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to a wide-ranging programme of year round events and more recent developments such as state-of –art resorts, casinos and convention and entertainment facilities, Macau is evolving into one of the world’s most vibrant destinations. As well as high profile media activities to raise awareness and understanding of Macau amongst consumers, Hume Whitehead will work closely with the travel industry to increase distribution of Macau tourism programmes and increase sales through a range of partnership marketing campaigns. “The UK market is one of the most important outbound travel markets in the world and we are confident that Hume Whitehead's extensive experience and contacts will help us put Macau firmly on the map with UK and Irish consumers” said Mr. João Manual Costa Antunes, director of the MGTO. Sue Whitehead, director and co-founder of Hume Whitehead, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been appointed to support Macau at such an exciting time and look forward to working with the MGTO team to promote the destination’s multi-dimensional attractions. Macau has something for everyone, a message we will be working hard to communicate over the forthcoming months.” During the first seven months of this year, Macau’s visitor arrivals reached 17.6million, an increase of 18.5% compared with the same period of 2007. Amongst this figure, Macau recorded more than 1.8 million international visitors, showing a 43.4% increase over the same period last year. The United Kingdom is the one of destination’s premier European source markets, with 77,973 visitors last year, a growth of 36.5%. Hume Whitehead is a representation and PR agency with clients across all areas of the travel industry including destinations, hotel groups and tour operators.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, today attended the opening ceremony of the 12th China International Fair for Investment and Trade in Fujian, which was officiated at by Vice Premier, Mr Wang Qishan. Afterwards, Mr Ho and members of the Macao SAR Government delegation toured the Macao pavilion and took some group photos with businesspeople from Macao and officials of some Portuguese-speaking countries, before returning to Macao in the afternoon.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, left Beijing today for Xiamen, Fujian, to attend tomorrow’s opening of 12th China International Fair for Investment and Trade. He was received by Vice Governor of Fujian Province, Mr Zhang Changping, at the airport, and soon afterwards he met with the Secretary of CPC Fujian Provincial Committee, Mr Lu Zhangong, and Governor, Mr Huang Xiaojing. In the evening, Mr Ho attended a welcoming dinner for participants of the 12th China International Fair for Investment and Trade. Tomorrow Mr Ho is scheduled to attend the opening ceremony of the trade fair and tour Macao’s pavilion at the fair. Macao’s officials attending the opening ceremony include the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen; the President of Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, Mr Lee Peng Hong, and the Coordinator of the Supporting Office to the Permanent Secretariat to the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, Ms Rita Botelho dos Santos. Delegations from a number of Portuguese-speaking countries, together with about 100 Macao businesspeople, are taking part in the trade and investment fair.
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The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen, said today he expected Macao’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would grow by more than 15 per cert this year. Mr Tam was speaking to reporters at a seminar on Macao’s role as the economic co-operation and trading platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. It was announced last week that Macao’s GDP jumped by 26.1 per cent in the first half of this year. Mr Tam said taking global economic slowdown into account, he expected Macao’s economic growth rate to shrink this year, but it would still reach 15 per cent. Speaking about the gaming industry, Mr Tam said the current restructure was necessary as it would give the city an opportunity to ensure its facilities, including the transport network and human resources, to keep pace with the gaming industry. He said he also expected gaming revenue to drop in the third quarter. Speaking on the employment of imported workers by gaming companies, Mr Tam said the Government had sent the Legislative Assembly a draft bill on imported workers, which, if passed, would require employers to pay a levy for employing imported workers, while the number of imported workers could not exceed a certain ratio. He also disclosed that the Government was studying plans submitted by six gaming operators on promoting more local workers.
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