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The Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government presents the 20th Macao International Music Festival (MIMF) from 6 October to 5 November 2006. The 20th anniversary of the MIMF is celebrated with a touch of romanticism. Jazz, classical, electronica, Chinese folk-pop, rock and fado will fill Macao's autumn nights with magic. The eclectic programme of 28 performances promises to delight Macao audiences, accustomed to the festival's annual offering of the best music from all over the world. Two decades of history have made the MIMF a tradition throughout Asia. Such noble Macao venues as the Dom Pedro V Theatre and the Lou Lim Ieoc Garden have received many indelible names in the arts. In 1989 Alfredo Kraus and Jennifer Smith, and in 1990 Christa Ludwig and Teresa Berganza put Macao on the bel canto map. Sándor Végh and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie gave an unforgettable performance in Taipa the following year, and more recently, the great Chinese composer Tan Dun left his mark on the St. Paul's Ruins. Among the notable Portuguese artists, names like Carlos Paredes, Sequeira Costa, Maria João and Mário Laginha, and the Gulbenkian Chorus, Orchestra and Ballet shine brightly. With such a rich tradition, the 20th MIMF can't help but open with an extra dose of the romantic. The Chinese prodigy Lang Lang blows out the first of twenty candles from the piano bench at the Macao Cultural Centre, playing concertos by the melodic Chopin and the extravagant Tchaikovsky. The Macao Orchestra joins the festivities under the leadership of two of the region's most important conductors, Pang Ka Pang and En Shao. The lyric expression continues on the same stage with an ambitious concert by the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne on 7 October, marking the return of large ensembles to the MIMF stage. Amid the magical ambience of the Mount Fortress venue, the popular French pianist Richard Clayderman charms the public with his romantic classics and later courts the ladies of Feng Huang, who return his affection with Chinese tradition. Following the tryst between Europe and China in the nostalgic Mount Fortress, one of this year's preferred venues, New York's Shanghai Quartet diversifies the exchange with a universal encounter between the music of East and West. The performance will warm another of Macao's historical settings, the Dom Pedro V Theatre (10 October), the very same stage to which the legendary voice of Carlos do Carmo returns to echo the fado tradition. For two incredible nights the singer who knows better than anyone how to rekindle the Portuguese spirit will light the fuse of saudade in the hearts of Macao's multicultural audience. The best of fado and Portuguese rock This year the Cultural Affairs Bureau invested in great names in Portuguese music, and rock band Xutos e Pontapés complete the deal. Last year they celebrated their silver anniversary with O Mundo ao Contrário (The World Upside-Down) and they ring in another year with a voyage to Macao. New and old favourites celebrate the return of the legendary Portuguese band on 27 October. Before Xutos e Pontapés present their Circo de Feras (Circus of Beasts) at Nam Van Lake, opera elevates the tone of the festival to its most romantic. For three nights in the Cultural Centre (13, 14 and 15 October) two tales of love-triangles full of intrigue are told in song. Mascagani’s Cavalleria Rusticana is the keystone of the verismo style, and Rugero Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci is its twin companion on stage, filled with the same Italian passion. Musica Antiqua Cologne (16 October) lights up the Dom Pedro V Theatre with their genuine interpretation of Baroque music. The electronics of Sakamoto in pure form The more modern sounds of electronica are added to the classics of the MIMF. It is with the music of Insen that Ryuichi Sakamoto makes his Macao debut on 18 October. He is joined by another musical scientist, the young German Alva Noto, and they fill the Mount Fortress with the celestial sounds of their lounge laboratory. Seven soloists, three orchestras and four choirs will make Nam Van Lake overflow with joy on 20 October. Musicians from Macau, the Mainland and Taiwan will shake the entire city with the grandeur of Gustav Mahler's "Symphony of a Thousand", written near the turn of the last century. The Macao Chinese Orchestra holds Hong Kong's Canto pop star Paula Tsui in its arms for three nights at the Cultural Centre (22, 23 and 24 October), in a concert that guarantees a heady dose of Chinese nostalgia. The Orchestra sends five of their best musicians back to the stage on 19 October. The curtains of the MIMF open on the festive Divertimento Berlin as well, whose musicians hail from the renowned Berlin Philharmonic and Berlin Opera orchestras. Not excluded from the celebration are the Batavia Madrigal Singers, from Indonesia, who perform alone on 24 October and later join forces with the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa to honour another celebration, the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-2006). A happy ending with Guys and Dolls Jazz enters among the ranks of the MIMF genres with the Instant Composers Pool Orchestra, liberating that intense creative fervour so often consigned to the privacy of the musician's studio. This musical intimacy is shared on 26 October at the Mount Fortress, which two days later will host four Chinese bands who revive their regional traditions in the pop and rock idioms of today. Chamber music ventures away from the classics of the MIMF in the concert of the Vienna Symphony Virtuosi (30 October). The Austrian ensemble offers the poetry of Johann Strauss, Mozart and Hummel on the Dom Pedro V Theatre stage, only to charm audiences in the second half with the jazz smooth talk of Cole Porter and Claude Bolling.
The MIMF closes with one of the greatest of all Broadway musicals. The 1950 production Guys and Dolls will draw the final burst of applause in two decades of festival tradition. The story of Miss Sarah Brown and the gambler Sky Masterson finds an ideal setting in Macao, providing a very happy ending to the celebrations of the Cultural Affairs Bureau.
Workshops and conferences on the events will be held to promote public interest and participation in the arts. As in previous years’ festivals, rehearsals for some shows will be open to the public.
Tickets for the 20th Macao International Music Festival will be available after 10am on 23 July 2006 at all Kong Seng Ticketing outlets. Online and telephone reservations will be available from 4pm on the same day. A variety of discount plans is offered. Detailed publicity materials are available at the ticket counters.
For more information please visit the website of the Cultural Affairs Bureau at:www.icm.gov.mo
E-mail: fimm@icm.gov.mo
Information: (853) 555 555 Macao (852) 2380 5083 Hong Kong (86) 139 269 11111 Pearl River Delta Region Online Reservations: www.macauticket.net Hotline: (853) 399 6699 / 399 6666 The 20th Macao International Music Festival has the kind support of the Macao Government Tourist Office.
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Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) launched a 4-day “The Historic Centre of Macau & Macau 24-hour Photo Exhibition” in Hong Kong today. MGTO Deputy Director, Ms. Helena Fernandes, led the MGTO delegation to attend the opening ceremony, where she was joined by Ms. Wang Miao, the editor-in-chief of China Tourism Press, for the ribbon-cutting. The ceremony was highlighted by a Portuguese cultural performance, attracting a substantial number of audience. The exhibition held at the International Financial Centre (IFC) mall, features photos of the Historic Centre of Macau, which was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2005. Concurrently, a number of Macau photos taken by a selective group of professional photographers from the Mainland, Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan are also displayed at the venue, showcasing Macau’s beauty and cultural richness. At the venue of the exhibition, Macau travel information and souvenirs are distributed to the audience as a means to promote Macau tourism with the main travel season approaching. Through the exhibition, MGTO aims to reveal Macau’s elegance and uniqueness to both Hong Kong people and visitors. With an aspiration to strengthen the global promotion of Macau tourism, IFC was purposely selected to be the venue, as it is regarded as an international financial hub situated at the commercial centre of HK. “The Historic Centre of Macau & Macau 24-hour Photo Exhibition” is held from 6th to 9th July at the Oval Atrium of IFC mall. Opening hours are from 10:00 to 20:00. Four sessions of Portuguese cultural performance are scheduled on 7th & 8th July at 13:30 and 18:00 respectively. MGTO has designated 2006 as “Macau World Heritage Year”, and will be promoting Macau tourism with the theme “Macau a world of difference, the difference is Macau”. Coupled with the development of new hotels and large-scale tourism projects, Macau has become one of the key destinations in the Asia Pacific region.
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Macao SAR Government would soon merge the Economic Council and the Human Resources Development Council so they can work more efficiently on enhanced diagnosis of Macao's economic issues, the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen, said today. The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, chaired the two councils' joint meeting, at which the Director of the Research Centre for Sustainable Development Strategies, Dr Tse Chi Wai, addressed the attendees on the current and future development of Macao's economy. Speaking to the press after the meeting, the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen, said the two councils would be merged soon, to concentrate the Government's resources on the analyses of different issues and policies, especially on the issue of human resources.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicates that, in May 2006, Macao’s total value of exports amounted to MOP1.84 billion, up 42.7% over the same month of 2005. Among this, the value of domestic exports surged 67.4% to MOP1.32 billion and the value of re-exports rose 3.4% to MOP516 million. Value of imports amounted to MOP3.23 billion, up 31.8% over the same period of 2005. A trade deficit of MOP1.39 billion was recorded this month. During the period of January – May 2006, the value of total exports increased 39.3% year-on-year to MOP8.25 billion. In addition, both the values of domestic exports and re-exports went up 56.2% and 8.2% respectively. Moreover, the value of imports amounted to MOP14.08 billion, up 29.8% over the same period of 2005. In the first five months of 2006, Macao’s trade balance registered a deficit of MOP5.83 billion. During this period, the exports/imports ratio increased from 54.6% in the corresponding period of 2005 to 58.6%. In the first five months of 2006, the value of Textile & garment exports, which accounted for 74.9% of the total exports, increased 45.4% over the same period of 2005. In addition, the value of Non-textile exports also rose 23.8%. As the major components of non-textile exports, Machines & apparatus, parts & accessories thereof and Footwear both expanded 7.4% and 198.0% respectively year-on-year. The USA and the EU remained as Macao’s major export markets, together making up 66.6% of the total value of exports. Among this, exports to the USA, which made up 48.9% of the total value of exports, increased 53.9% over the same period of 2005; exports to the EU, which made up 17.7% of the total value of exports, also increased 117.9% over the same period of 2005. During the period of January – May 2006, Macao’s total value of imports grew 29.8% year-on-year, mainly due to the increase in the value of imports by broad economic categories, namely Fuels & lubricants (40.8%), Consumer goods (32.6%), Raw materials & semi-manufactures (28.2%) and Capital goods (21.8%). Meanwhile, Macao’s main suppliers of imported goods still concentrated in the Asian region. Imports from Mainland China and Hong Kong together constituted 55.2% of the total value of imports. Compared with the same period of 2005, the value of imports from Mainland China and Hong Kong rose 46.2% and 31.1% respectively.
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The Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) invited tourism stakeholders from Southeast Asian countries to participate in the “Macau Race” program. The participants are required to design tour itineraries to discover Macau’s unique characteristics, with the objective to involve the travel trade from Southeast Asian countries in promoting tours to Macau and to further diversify Macau’s source markets. MGTO Director João Manual Costa Antunes indicated that Southeast Asia is a major source market for Macau. At present, there are direct flights between Macau and Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and the passenger volume is growing continuously. This program would further arm the travel trade with knowledge on the interesting and attractive aspects of Macau. Last year, visitor arrivals from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines grew significantly by 79.8%, over 100%, 38.3% and 22.1% respectively. 40 tourism stakeholders from travel agencies and airline companies in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines arrived Macau on June 30 for a four-day visit. Upon arrival, the delegation visited the world heritage sites of Macau and other major tourist attractions, and heard a presentation on the latest tourism development of Macau by MGTO. The delegation participated in the challenging “Macau Race” today (July 2). Divided into 20 teams, each team was given photos of 10 scenic spots in Macau, Taipa and Coloane, a guidebook and MOP$100. Each team has to design their own itinerary that consists of the 10 scenic spots and complete a mission at each spot within the allocated time. Participants would collect an alphabet from each spot they have visited and after gathering all 10 alphabets, they would have the name of the final station – the Macau Tower, where they have to finish the Skywalk X at the 10th highest freestanding tower of the World or have 15 minutes added to their total time spent. The fastest team to finish the entire itinerary would win. MGTO organized a prize presentation dinner at the Westin Resort and the winners were awarded medals, certificates and gifts while other participants received souvenirs.
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The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen, said today that the new supplement to the Mainland and Macao Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) would benefit the streamlining and diversification of Macao's economic structure. After attending the opening ceremony of the 'Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao Trade and Economic Co-operation Forum' in Hong Kong today, Mr Tam said that Supplement III to CEPA, signed on Monday (26 June), had provided enhanced conditions in three areas, namely the 'trade in goods', the 'trade in services', and the 'trade and investment facilitation'. In 'trade in services', relaxed measures are given to Macao enterprises and professionals from services sectors such as legal, construction, audiovisual, distribution, tourism, transport, individually owned stores, convention and exhibition, when entering the markets in the Mainland. Speaking on State Council's approval of a round-the-clock and special-purpose checkpoint in the soon-to-be-completed Zhuhai-Macao Trans-border Industrial Park, Mr Tam said that it would greatly benefit the development of the industrial zone. He but added that people with business connections with companies in the park would be only allowed to use this checkpoint: others would continue to use the present facilities.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, has disclosed that the State Council had given approval for the Zhuhai-Macao Trans-border Industrial Park to establish a special-purpose checkpoint, which would operate 24 hours a day. Mr Ho said this today when he was delivering a speech on the achievements of the Mainland and Macao Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) at the opening ceremony of the 'Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao Trade and Economic Co-operation Forum' in Hong Kong. The Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Mr Jia Qinglin, and the Vice Chairman, Mr Liao Hui, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong SAR, Mr Donald Tsang, and the Minister of Commerce, Mr Bo Xilai, were among the attendees. Mr Ho said the implementation of CEPA had been generally successful. Under the framework of CEPA, the Mainland and Macao had basically formed a free trade zone that allowed all products of Macao origin tariff-free entry into the Mainland. Under the trade in services agreement, Macao service suppliers have started to enter the Mainland market. More and more Macao residents were operating individually owned shops there. The supplements to CEPA further promoted and facilitated the economic and trade co-operation between the Mainland and Macao. Mr Ho said CEPA reflected the Central Government's support for Macao. It was a vehicle for the economic integration between the Mainland and Macao, and provided the two sides with enormous business opportunities. CEPA also helped to properly diversify Macao's economic structure and generated prerequisites for Macao's sustainable development. He said the Facilitated Individual Travel Scheme, one of the major elements of CEPA, directly supported the development of Macao's tourism industry: Mainlanders now make up more than 50 per cent of visitor arrivals. Given the support of the Mainland, Macao's real Gross Domestic Product growth averaged above the 10 per cent mark every year since the full execution of CEPA in 2004, Mr Ho said. He said promoting the integration of Macao's economy with the Mainland by strengthening co-operation was one of the major parts of Macao's economic development strategy. 'In accordance with the prevailing comparative advantage structure, the Macao SAR Government strives to develop Macao into a regional business service hub, especially for the economic and trade co-operation and exchanges between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries,' said Mr Ho. 'We believe that the far-reaching effect of CEPA is to create a huge and unified market by realising institutional innovations, resources and market integration, and lowering transaction and administration cost.' Speaking on the soon-to-be-completed Zhuhai-Macao Trans-border Industrial Park, Mr Ho said that the State Council had approved the establishment of a special-purpose checkpoint in the industrial zone, which would allow the transport of passengers and goods round the clock. The State Council had also decided that the China Customs, the Bureau of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, as well as the Ministry of Public Security, would carry out their relevant duties in the Industrial Park, under their existing offices in Zhuhai, he said. Staff would be increased appropriately. 'This decision from the State Council embodies both our country's approval for the Zhuhai-Macao Trans-border Industrial Park project, as well as her concern and support for the Macao Special Administrative Region,' said Mr Ho. He said that 'Co-operation and Development' had become one of the most important trends of the world economy. The on-going economic integration between the Mainland and Macao, to which CEPA was certainly the key catalyst, was a necessary process in the co-operation of our region. 'With the guidance and support given of the Central Government, the Mainland and Macao will continue to strengthen and deepen our co-operation.' 'By perfecting the implementation of CEPA, we would establish closer economic and trade links that complement and benefit each other, and in turn jointly contribute to the successful implementation of the ''one country, two systems'' principle,' said Mr Ho.
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Macao and Mongolia signed an aviation agreement yesterday to further promote bilateral exchanges. The Secretary for Transportation and Public Works, Mr Ao Man Long, and the Minister of Road, Transportation and Tourism of Mongolia, Mr Tsegmidiin Tsengel, signed the agreement in Ulaanbaatar on behalf of the two governments. Mr Ao, who was on a visit to Mongolia, said the agreement marked the beginning of co-operation between the two places, and aviation ties would further enhance their relationship in tourism and trade. The latest agreement with Mongolia is Macao's 39th international aviation protocol.
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With the globalization of the aviation industry and the rapid growth in air transportation, the challenges for maintaining aviation safety have become greater. Since the handover of Macao to China, the gaming industry has been liberalized; the tourist figures continue to increase year to year; the aviation industry has started to blossom and the passenger throughput of the Macau International Airport reports satisfactory growth year on year. Facing the increased demand in air transportation, in addition to enhancing the economic growth of the industry, the Civil Aviation Authority of Macao SAR (AACM) reinforces its regulatory role to guarantee aviation safety. AACM organized the “Airport Safety Management System Seminar” in the morning of 28 June with the aim of introducing the Safety Management Systems (SMS) of the Hong Kong and Macao airports to the Macao aviation operators. Speakers of the seminar were experienced industry people in SMS from the two areas. The number of participants was about 40. The speakers of the seminar were the Senior Operations Officer of the Civil Aviation Department of Hong Kong SAR, Mr. Edmund Wong, the Senior Manager, Airport Safety of the Airport Authority Hong Kong, Mr. H. W. Lau and the Safety Manager of Administration of Airports, Macau, Mr. Jose Marcal. The three speakers respectively introduced the SMS of the Hong Kong International Airport and the Macao International Airport, including the system components, policy, hazard control, safety objectives, safety responsibilities, training, contingencies and so on. They all agreed that the air transportation industry’s future viability depend on its ability to sustain the public’s confidence in traveling and the management of safety is therefore a prerequisite for a sustainable aviation business. The notion of safety management is introduced by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which contains two concepts: a safety programme and a SMS. The safety programme is a set of regulations and activities aimed at improving safety and to be implemented by the regulator. The SMS is an approach to managing safety, including the necessary organizational structures, accountabilities, policies and procedures, to be implemented by airlines, maintenance organizations, air traffic services providers and aerodrome operators. In accordance with the Annex 14 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention), since November 2005, a certified aerodrome shall have in operation a SMS. The Macau International Airport implemented its SMS in the end of 2005. In addition, AACM is now in the process of drafting safety regulations. Due to the corporatization and the privatization of airports and airlines in the global market, the role played by the regulator has become more significant. For this, ICAO urged all governments, airport entities, airlines and service providers to comply strictly with the standards of their SMS while fulfilling commercial interests. The seminar was held in the conference room of AACM’s office. Participants included representatives from Fire Services, Macau International Airport Company Ltd., Administration of Airports, Ltd., Menzies Macau Airport Services Ltd., Macau Catering Services Ltd., Nam Kwong Petroleum and Chemicals Company Ltd., Macau Business Aviation Centre, Air Macau Company Ltd. and East Asia Airlines Ltd.
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Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Dr Chui Sai On officiated the launch ceremony of “Macau Heritage Passport” today (June 28). To further promote Macau’s world heritage “The Historic Centre of Macau” to the world and boost its reputation as a cultural and tourism destination, Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) steps up its promotion effort by launching the “Macau Heritage Passport” campaign that will last for 6 months. “Macau Heritage Passport”, as a core campaign of “Macau World Heritage Year”, aims to encourage participation of local retailers in the promotions of Macau’s tourism industry. 140 hotels and merchants will participate in this campaign. Visitors participating in the “ Macau Heritage Passport” campaign are entitled to lucky draws featuring fabulous prizes including golden miniatures of Macau Heritage Site, gold coins, hotel accommodation, Macau heritage highlight tours, Mainland China heritage tours, with a total value up of MOP8 million. All visitors to Macau can enjoy this campaign, the objective of which is to attract more visitors to Macau and to enhance their knowledge on “The Historic Centre of Macau” while driving the length of stay and spending of visitors to new heights. 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 MOP300 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. MGTO has designated this year as “Macau World Heritage Year”. Comprising a series of promotions and publicity activities held in Macau and overseas, including the Mega Media Fam Trip which brought to Macau about 100 media representatives from 13 countries and regions, the “Visa Treasure Hunt” co-organized with Visa International, major trade shows and many others, “Macau World Heritage Year” aims to promote to the world Macau’s unique cultural heritage “The Historic Centre of Macau” and reinforce its image as a popular tourism destination.
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