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State Councillor and State Council Secretary General, Mr Hua Jianmin, is to visit Macao to officiate the opening ceremony of a trade meeting to be attended by ministers from China and seven Portuguese-speaking countries. The meeting, the Second Ministerial Conference for the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries (Macao), is scheduled to open here on Sunday. The First Ministerial Conference was held three years ago: the goal for the second conference is to review their co-operation in the last three years and to set up new objectives for the next three. Meanwhile, many officials from the Portuguese-speaking countries attended a preparation meeting for the Second Ministerial Conference this morning. After the meeting, the Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretary to the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries, Mr Wang Chengan, told the press that the Ministry of Commerce would send a delegation of more than 70 representatives to Macao. Moreover, more than 400 businesspeople from the Mainland, Macao and the Portuguese-speaking countries are expected to attend a trade forum and related activities.
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The second China and Portuguese-speaking Countries Economic Cooperation Forum (Macao) will be held in Macao on 25-26 September 2006. Ministerial-level official from both China and Portuguese-speaking countries, entrepreneurs and business organisations will participate in the forum. Under the theme of "Strengthen Cooperation, Common Development", there will be a retrospective analysis of the implementation of the “Action Plan for Economic and Trade Cooperation”, which was approved in the first Ministerial Conference. Moreover, a string of objectives is expected to be set for the next three years (2007-2009). The First China and Portuguese-speaking Countries Economic Cooperation Forum (Macao) was held in Macao in October 2003. The forum, which is held every three years, promotes trade between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries by having Macao as a commercial platform.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, pledged today that Macao would strengthen co-operation with Shenzhen to facilitate developments to the mutual benefit of the two cities. Meeting with the visiting Mayor of Shenzhen, Mr Xu Zhongheng, at Government Headquarter this morning, Mr Ho said Macao would achieve sustainable development while Shenzhen would have new development though mutual co-operation. Mr Ho said Macao and Shenzhen should advance co-operation at all levels in order to facilitate development that would complement one another. Both sides might firstly speed up co-operation in trade, logistics, tourism, and finance. Since Macao is developing as a business platform for China and the Portuguese-speaking countries, this might help Shenzhen to open up to overseas markets, Mr Ho said. The visiting mayor, Mr Xu, said Shenzhen had a comparatively modern passenger and cargo transportation system that could act as a bridge for Macao’s economy to enter the Mainland. Mr Xu said Macao not only has diverse international connections, but also different channels for trading, and an especially close relationship with European Union as well as Portuguese-speaking countries that could support the diversification of Shenzhen’s export trading policy. He said the two governments should capitalise on the opportunities generated by the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) to boost the their economies. After the meeting, the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute signed “Agreement on strengthening Co-operation in Trade” with the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Trade and Industry; the Macao Government Tourist Office signed the “Memorandum of Co-operation in Tourism” with the Shenzhen Municipal Tourism Bureau. The Monetary Authority of Macao signed the “Agreement on Financial Co-operation” with the People’s Bank of China Shenzhen Central Branch and “Letter of intention on the co-operation in the establishment of payment and settlement system” with the Shenzhen Financial Electronic Settlement Centre. On Tuesday, the Secretariat of China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries Economic Cooperation Forum and the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Trade and Industry will also sign a co-operation agreement. Mr Xu and his official delegation are on a three-day visit to Macao at Mr Ho’s invitation.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, said today that Macao’s role as the mediator between China and Portuguese-speaking countries was becoming more evident, as reflected by the increase of companies setting up here. In his welcome speech at the Portuguese-speaking Countries Investment Environments and Policies Presentation held in Macao, Mr Ho pointed out that there had been an increase in the number of businesses from Portuguese-speaking countries set up in Macao this year. This showed that entrepreneurs from those countries valued the China market and approved of Macao’s role as the economic and trade platform, Mr Ho told the delegates, which included ministers from many Portuguese-speaking countries. The Chief Executive said that since the first “Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries” in 2003, the Permanent Secretariat for the forum had organised a series of events in accordance with the “Economic And Trade Cooperation Action Plan”, signed upon the closing of the forum, and had achieved significant results. “Macao has been exerting its advantage to carry out its mediating role in full swing,” said Mr Ho. He said the presentation would advance the understanding in Investment Environments and Policies in Portuguese-speaking Countries, and promotes the co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries. He said that the SAR Government was actively preparing for the Second “Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries”, which would be held in Macao next year, under the guidance and support of the Central Government. After the presentation, the ministers will go on to Xiamen for the 9th China International Fair for Investment and Trade”. During their stay in Xiamen, they will meet entrepreneurs from the Mainland and promote Investment Environments and Policies in Portuguese-speaking Countries.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah who is leading an official delegation to Brazil, arrived in Brasilia today (21 June Brazil time) and met with the Deputy Acting Foreign Minister, Mr Edmundo Fujita. During the meeting, which lasted some 50 minutes, Mr Ho said Macao and Brazil have cultural and historic backgrounds of mutual understanding and that many from Macao have settled in Brazil and became an integral part of the country. He said geographically Macao might be a great distance from Brazil, but the SAR Government would encourage Macao entrepreneurs to deepen their understanding of the country and to explore business opportunities there. Though Macao was a small market, he said, it opens doors to the South China market and markets further afield. Mr Fujita told Mr Ho that the Brazilian Government would provide more support to the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries, to be held in Macao in October next year, because the forum had a profound and special meaning. The Macao delegation also gave Mr Fujita an account of Macao’s recent social and new infrastructures developments, and said the Brazilian food industry could find great opportunities in Macao. In the evening, Mr Ho and the delegation attended a banquet hosted by the Chinese Ambassador to Brazil, Mr Zhang Yuende.
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In recent years, fusion cuisine has become a trend in every corner of the world. But do you ever notice that our Chinese and Portuguese culture in Macau have already been naturally blended into our long existed “Macanese Cuisine”? Opened up over 200 Chinese restaurants in some 30 States in America, the large-scale American chained Chinese restaurant “P.F. Chang’s China Bistro” took the opportunity and started carrying out their research on “Macanese Cuisine” in Macau. They planned to bring along a group of chefs early next year to learn the dishes and to eventually serve the Macanese dishes in 150 chained restaurants for a six months’ promotion starting September 2007. By the time, 16 million people will be able to taste “Macanese Cuisine” in America. Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) welcomed a group of 5 executives from the “P.F Chang’s”. For the past few days, MGTO staffs accompanied the group and introduced the origin of different types of cuisines and wine in details. They visited Macanese, Portuguese and Chinese restaurants, IFT (Institute for Tourism Studies), local wet markets for research and also looked for “Macanese Cookbooks”. Director of Culinary Operation, Roberto de Angelis urges Macau people to protect and expand the unique delicacy. “Architecture will disappear one day, but food culture is forever. That’s why you people should really keep it on.” Corporate Executive Chef, Bob Tam left Hong Kong when he was very young. To him, the impression of Hong Kong’s food culture would be Hong Kong style café and a series of creative cuisines. “70% of our menu composed of Cantonese dishes. However, there are still lots of different cuisines to be explored in China, and we want to bring them one by one into America. At the same time, to make Chinese food culture more popularized.” Sometime ago, he raised the idea of promoting “Macanese Cuisine”. “Since there are too much in the Hong Kong style cuisine and it would be difficult to include them all in our menu. However, “Macanese Cuisine” is unique and more focused, and that’s what we want.” Regional Vice President, Glen Beasley praised the attitudes of Macau people. He shared his experience to us that when he was ordering a cocktail in a bar, the bar tender did not get what he wants and Glen showed him everything. Afterwards, the manager came to him and expressed his gratitude. “This will never happen in America. And I found that people here use humble approach to serve.” he said. Beverage Manager, Mary Melton was thrilled after visiting a Portuguese wine supplier. “Most of our guests would order wine when they dine in our restaurants. We will choose the best from Macau to bring home, and we hope our guests would be able to taste the various type of fine wine from Portugal.”
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The third night of pyrotechnic exhibitions of the Wynn Macau – 18th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest belongs to Portugal and Australia, who had to work under the rain during the last few days to prepare the pyromusical shows for Saturday evening. The fireworks displays at the Macau’s skies start at 9 p.m with the exhibition of the more international Portuguese pyrotechnic company, the Pirotecnia Minhota, which will present a firework show with very modern music, including the Irish rock band U2. “Classical music goes very well with fireworks, but we think that for the audiences is more enjoyable to have more popular music that can make people dance with the fireworks”, points out David Costa, manager of Pirotecnia Minhota, a centenary company founded by his family. Macau already knows the art of Pirotecnia Minhota, who won the third edition of the Macau International Fireworks Display Contest, in 1991, and returned to the contest in 1995 and 2001. On the other hand, the Portuguese company was responsible for the mega pyromusical shows for the opening of the Macau International Airport, in 1995, and the celebrations for the Macau Day at the Expo’98 in Lisbon. The Australians Foti International Fireworks, to whom Pirotecnia Minhota have been meeting in the other international festivals, follows the program of the contest, at 10 p.m. With music from all over the world, the design of the Australian pyrotechnic display had in account the local taste. “The audience here is very different from the one we are used to in Australia and Europe. We will not present a very different show from our style, but we will use more certain kind of effects than others, that we think people here will like more”, tells Australian team leader Tim Gray, whom bicentenary company from Italian origin, has also a fireworks factory in Mainland China. For the third time in Macau, after a participation in the contest in 1999, in recent years Foti International Fireworks has been busier and doing bigger scale displays than ever, since it was picked up to do the opening and closing ceremony pyrotechnic shows of the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, year when the company also started being the organizer of the famous fireworks display of the Sidney New Years Eve.
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In a time when Macau is being more and more talked about in the United States, due to the investments made by the big names from Las Vegas entertainment industry, the Los Angeles Times thought it was time to write a big report about the city. “I confess I didn’t know what I was going to find in Macau, if it would be something similar to the Las Vegas Strip (a cluster of hotel-resorts and casinos along a big avenue), in the way that the casinos are integrated in the landscape of the city, or something different”, tells Beverly Beyette, the journalist sent to Macau by the daily newspaper. After five days discovering what Macau has to offer and tell, Beverly Beyette takes now back to California the mission to show to the readers that Macau is much more than what it as been putting it on the headlines – the gaming industry – and it offers a very different experience from that of the city built in the middle of the Nevada desert. “All that Las Vegas has for the visitors is basically the Strip. Almost all of the tourists that go to Las Vegas stay in the Strip and don’t leave the Strip. They go there only to have fun, go to the casino and watch the shows”, she points out. Whereas in Macau, outside of the hotels and resorts, Beverly Beyette found a very interesting place to visit, were she could feel the history of the old harbor-city co-habited by Portuguese and Chinese for more than 400 years, which legacy - the Historic Centre of Macau – was listed by UNESCO last year. The reporter believes that, in the future, the curiosity of US tourists about Macau will only grow, attracted by the investments of the big Las Vegas hotels, such as Wynn, Sands and MGM, which are very well know among the Americans. “I believe that more and more Americans will come to Macau to see what is going on here”, declares Beverly Beyette, who will write an article about Macau to be the main story of the special travel section published on Sundays by the Los Angeles Times, with a circulation of 1,3 million issues. The United States, were Macau Government Tourist Office DST has representative offices in California and New York, is currently the eight biggest visitor market for Macau. Between January and July of 2006, more than 78 thousand tourists from the US visited Macau, representing a 15 per cent growth over the same period last year.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that visitor arrivals in package tours totalled 227,239 in July 2006, down 6.6% year-on-year. Visitors from Mainland China (185,084), Taiwan, China (13,013) and Hong Kong (8,109) dropped 4.6%, 41.8% and 29.6% respectively over July 2005. In the first seven months of 2006, visitor arrivals in package tours grew 13.6% over the same period of 2005 to 1,681,937. Number of Macao residents travelling in package tours was 24,991 in July 2006, a year-on-year decrease of 22.6%. Mainland China, Thailand and Taiwan, China were the three more popular tour itineraries, which accounted for 68.4%, 9.1% and 5.3% of the total respectively. In the first seven months of 2006, Macao residents (155,578) travelling in package tours decreased 2.0% compared with the same period of 2005. Meanwhile, 36,832 residents travelled under own arrangements using services provided by the travel agencies, an increase of 6.9% over July 2005; Hong Kong (39.2%), Mainland China (29.1%) and Taiwan, China (11.5%) were the major destinations. In the first seven months of 2006, Macao residents travelled under such arrangements surged 20.3% to 208,114 compared with the corresponding period of 2005. At the end of July 2006, number of guest rooms available in hotel industry registered an increase of 1,230 rooms (+11.6%) over July 2005 to 11,792 rooms. In addition, a total of 399,230 guests checked into hotels and similar establishments, a growth of 5.2% compared with July 2005. The average hotel occupancy rate was 72.8%, representing a decrease of 1.2 percentage points over July 2005, the highest average was in the 4-star hotels, at 82.6%. Average length of stay of hotel guests remained the same as in July 2005, at 1.16 nights. The majority of the guests came from Mainland China (54.1%), Hong Kong (27.8%) and Taiwan, China (3.2%). In the first seven months of 2006, number of hotel guests increased 12.0% over the same period of 2005 to 2,558,298. In the first seven months of 2006, hotel guests (excluding Macao residents) accounted for 41.0% of the total number of tourists, which was lower than the 42.7% recorded in the same period of 2005.
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The “Macau Heritage Passport” campaign is organized by the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) and sponsored by the Macau Foundation. The second monthly lucky draw was held this afternoon at the lobby of the Macau Business Tourism Centre (MBTC), and 9 lucky winners were visitors from Hong Kong, Mainland and Taiwan. Officiating the draw were MGTO Acting Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Deputy Director Manuel Pires, President of Macao Foundation Vitor Ng and President of the Macau Goldsmith’s Guild, Eddie Laam. Ms. Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes and Mr. Vitor Ng presented a golden miniature of the Ruins of St Paul’s to the Grand Prize winner of the first monthly lucky draw. The objective of the “Macau Heritage Passport” campaign was to attract more visitors to Macau, enhance their knowledge of “The Historic Centre of Macau” while driving the length of stay and spending of visitors to new heights. Until now, MGTO has published 90,000 “Passports”, of which over 13,323 and 50,000 have been distributed through MGTO information counters and participant hotels. “Macau Heritage Passport” campaign features instant lucky draws, monthly lucky draws and a year end Mega Lucky Draw offering fabulous prizes worth a total of MOP$8 million. 1,321 instant lucky draws were held from July 1 to September 10, giving out key chains, magnets, coasters, postcards and paper fans designed with Macau heritage images. A total of 931 entries were collected for the second monthly lucky draw. 9 winners, entitled to 8 Special Prizes and 1 Grand Prize, will be drawn at each of the 6 monthly lucky draws. The Grand Prize is a 500g golden miniature of the Ruins of St Paul’s worth MOP$100,000, while the 8 Special Prizes featuring 8 one-oz golden coin, 3 nights at a 5-star hotel and “Macau World Heritage Highlight Tour” for 2 persons, are worth a total of MOP$400,000. MGTO will notify the winners who have to collect and consume the prizes within 6 months from the day of the lucky draw. There will be a Mega Lucky Draw after the 6 monthly lucky draws, wherein 28 lucky visitors will be drawn. The winner of the Mega Prize will receive a 1kg golden miniature of the Ruins of St Paul’s worth MOP$200,000 and each of the 5 Grand Prize winners will receive a 500g golden miniature of the Ruins of St Paul’s worth MOP$100,000. In addition, there will be 22 Special Prizes worth over MOP$1.54 million in total, including 8 one-oz golden coins, 5-star hotel accommodation, Macau World Heritage Highlight Tours and Mainland China Heritage Tours. Participating visitors have to collect 4 stamps on their “Macau Heritage Passport” which can be obtained at MGTO Information Counters and participating hotels in Macau. One of the stamps can be obtained from the participating hotel where the “Passport” holder is staying; the second can be obtained from any of the participating merchants with a single purchase of MOP$300 or above. The last two stamps are to be obtained from MGTO’s Information Counters at the Macau Business Tourism Centre, Macau Tourism & Cultural Activities Centre and Guia Lighthouse located near a number of world heritage sites after the “Passport” holder has visited these sites. Participating visitors can enter an instant lucky draw by presenting the 4 stamps and the completed lucky draw slip to any of the designated MGTO Information Counters. In addition to the instant lucky draw, participating visitors can also enter the monthly and year end Mega Lucky Draws by dropping the stamped and completed lucky draw slip into the lucky draw box located at any of the MGTO Information Counters or participating hotels.
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