News

The Statistics and Census Service released the results of the Survey on Manpower Needs and Wages for the fourth 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. The survey results were extrapolated according to the information collected from 893 statistical units successfully interviewed. At the end of the fourth quarter of 2008, Wholesale & Retail Trade had 26,012 paid employees, up by 8.0% year-on-year, with 15,665 working in Retail trade. In December 2008, the average earnings (excluding bonuses and allowances) for full-time employees amounted to MOP8,603, up by 6.9% year-on-year, with the average earnings of Sales representatives and Salespersons amounting to MOP10,037 and MOP7,505 respectively. Transport, Storage & Communications took on 7,816 paid employees, up by 6.4% over the fourth quarter of 2007. In December 2008, the average earnings for full-time employees increased by 5.2% year-on-year to MOP14,925. Drivers of Passenger/cargo transport by land earned an average of MOP12,930. Security Activities had 3,910 paid employees, up by 5.6% over the fourth quarter of 2007. The average earnings for full-time employees in December 2008 rose by 17.6% year-on-year to MOP7,482, with Security guards earning MOP 7,110 in average. Public Sewage & Refuse Disposal Activities had 658 paid employees, up by 6.1% compared with the fourth quarter of 2007. The average earnings for full-time employees in December 2008 increased by 2.4% year-on-year to MOP11,243. At the end of December 2008, Wholesale & Retail Trade reported to have 1,728 vacancies, Transport, Storage & Communications and Security Activities had 313 and 476 vacancies, down significantly by 57.6%, 72.6% and 32.7% respectively. In terms of recruitment prerequisites, 57.6% of the vacancies in Wholesale & Retail Trade and 63.2% in Transport, Storage & Communications required working experience; 66.9% and 65.3% of the vacancies in the above-mentioned sectors required junior secondary education or higher, while 96.2% of those in Security Activities required primary education only. Besides Cantonese, Mandarin (61.4%) was the more preferable language skill for the vacancies in Wholesale & Retail Trade.
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Organized by IAPCO (International Association of Professional Congress Organizers) and hosted by the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), the “IAPCO & Macau Regional Seminar on Organizing Congresses” is opened today (March 16) at the Four Seasons Hotel, Macau. About 100 MICE industry professionals from Macau and other regions in Asia participated. This regional seminar aims to provide an educational opportunity for people in the MICE industry to further develop their event planning skills and raise the standards of customer service. This will be IAPCO’s only seminar specifically on professional conference organizing in Asia in 2009. About 100 professional congress organizers (PCOs), convention and visitors bureaus, events management companies and other meetings industry representatives from Macau, the Mainland, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand take part in the four-day seminar and each participant will receive a certificate of attendance from IAPCO & MGTO. Three internationally renowned speakers who are experts in the congress industry are invited to share their knowledge and experience on a broad range of topics like Creating the Project Plan, Promotion of a Destination and Bidding to Win, Financial Planning & Budgets, Venue Management, Program Management & Abstract Handling, Congress Registration and On-Site Arrangements and Accountability & Crisis Management. Philippe Fournier, Vice President of IAPCO, is the managing director of MCI in Europe. He has been in the industry organizing congresses in France and all over the world since 1984. Roslyn McLeod, IAPCO Council Member, is the managing director of Tour Hosts Pty Ltd. in Australia. A frequent speaker at regional seminars, Roslyn was awarded Medal of the Order of Australia for her contribution to the meeting industry. Sarah Storie-Pugh, Chairman of Concorde Services Ltd in London, has involved in over 350 events of various scales. She was awarded the meetings industry Personality of the Year Award in 2004.
Director of MGTO João Manuel Costa Antunes pointed out in his welcome speech that the seminar has received overwhelming response, with around 100 meetings industry representatives from Macau, Pearl River Delta and other regions in Asia. He expressed that though the global economic downturn is hitting hard the business tourism industry, the trade must not be discouraged. “We should take this opportunity to strengthen our fundamentals and be well equipped with necessary trainings to turn challenges into business opportunities,” he stressed. He believed that from the valuable insight of the speakers and interactions with participants, the local business tourism trade could enhance their competitiveness and standards of service. MGTO hopes that through hosting this regional seminar, it will work closer with IAPCO and establish a long term relationship, which will become a very powerful and effective promotional tool to show more industry professionals what Macau as an appealing and competitive MICE destination has to offer. IAPCO is a non-profit organization founded in 1968 that represents professional organizers and managers of international congresses, conventions and special events. IAPCO is committed in raising the standards of service amongst its members and other sectors of the meetings industry by means of continuous education and interaction with other professionals. To stimulate regional business tourism in the markets currently served by local carriers, MGTO and Air Macau jointly invited representatives from major MICE publications to come to Macau and learn about the development of the MICE industry and visit MICE facilities. The media familiarization group also took part in the opening ceremony of the “IAPCO & Macau Regional Seminar on Organizing Congresses” to generate extensive coverage on the event.
The 17 media representatives are from professional convention and exhibition publications based in the Mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Korea and the United Kingdom.
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2009 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum & Exhibition (2009MIECF) will be held on 2-4 April at The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel. The Organizing Committee (OC) has already received from all over the world more than 440 environmental projects for business matching, an increase of almost seven times over the previous year. The event is believed to provide valuable business opportunities for participating enterprises. The OC has received environmental initiatives focusing on areas such as sewage management, recycling and treatment of solid refuse, production of renewable energy, air purification technique, energy savings plan, eco building and construction, solar and wind powers, and environmental engineering and management, etc. Participating regions include Macao, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Brazil, England, Canada, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Korea, and Belgium, etc. 2009MIECF is hosted by the Macao SAR Government and co-organized by Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute and Environment Council. The event is also fully supported by China’s Central Government and the extensive support by the Pan-PRD 9+2 provinces / regions and other regions. This year the MIECF has prepared a series of Green Matching and negotiation activities for participating enterprises from all over the world, helping them seek suitable partners through a series of activities such as professional recommendation symposiums and forums. Concurrently, the Green Matching Zone will also provide a one-stop service for business operations in Macao, global market information, and Mainland and local legal consulting services, etc. Green Business Matching for Exploring Development Opportunities
The OC has invited and connected global green industry to participate in the exhibition and forums. Further business opportunities will also be provided to participants, through a series of on the spot recommendation and matching activities, as well as pre-organized and pre-arranged business matching, etc. At present, the OC is collecting information on co-operation intentions from local and overseas business and investments organizations, assisting project providers to utilize Macao as a commercial trading service platform for seeking co-operating partners. More than 440 environmental projects have been received so far. Meanwhile, in order for exhibition and forum participants to fully utilize Macao as a commercial trading service platform for expanding customer network and seeking suitable co-operating partners, the OC has arranged several opportunities for on the spot matching and representative matching, including the “Green Business Co-operation Day” jointly organized by the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and other international chambers of commerce, and the Green Dot on 3 April: Environment-Business-Connection – “Green Properties Exchange Symposium”, etc. Online Business Matching for Early Opportunities
In line with this year’s series of MIECF activities, the OC has introduced the online business matching service platform with the latest business matching information uploaded. Enterprises can browse through the most updated project details without leaving the office, as well as register in advance Business Matching. This online platform will continue assisting enterprises to seek suitable partners even after the exhibition, maximizing its full effectiveness. Pre-Matching for the Most Effective Results
To date, the OC has already arranged for more than 140 pre-matching sessions. Meanwhile, walk-in matching will also be registered at the “Green Matching Zone”. Pre-registration of Green Matching is now open for Macao industrial and commercial sectors and local enterprises. Please visit the online Green Matching service platform (http://bm.ipim.gov.mo) or contact the OC’s matching specialist (Tel: 853 2872 8328, Fax: 853 2872 7506, Email: matching@ipim.gov.mo) for details, registration and getting the latest green matching information for more business opportunities.
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The Public Security Police Forces today refused the entry of five Hong Kong residents, in accordance with the Internal Security Law, according to a press statement issued by the Forces. With a view to safeguarding Macao’s social stability and public order, the Public Security Police Forces, which is the bureau responsible for regulating the entry and exit of people into and out of Macao , may turn down the entry requests by non-Macao residents who fail to meet the entry criteria, according to the statement.
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The Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government will organize an Academic Research Lecture in the Cultural Affairs Bureau Auditorium (Edifício do Instituto Cultural, Tap Seac Square, Macao) at 6:30pm on Thursday March 19. Dr. George Bryan Souza, adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of Texas, will give a lecture on “Commerce and Consumption: Merchants and Opium at Batavia over the 18th Century”. This presentation introduces and discusses an anatomy of commerce and consumption of opium at Batavia, on Java, and throughout the Indonesia Archipelago over the long eighteenth century (c.1684-1796). The anatomy of this commerce is introduced by outlining and identifying the importance of the trade in opium to different locally based, indigenous and foreign merchants and their networks. Based upon archival work on the Dutch materials held in Jakarta, Indonesia, this presentation focuses upon all of the major merchant groups, with emphasis upon Chinese in particular, that purchased, distributed, and sold opium to end consumers. The merchant’s families, identities, backgrounds, occupations, and networks are described and explored with the purpose of determining the overall significance of these merchant groups and the relationship of opium and its commerce to the political economic development of Java, in particular, and over a broader geographical space in Southeast Asia, during the 1740s and until the late 1780s – the beginning of a period from 1740 to 1840 that has been claimed as a Chinese century. George Bryan Souza is an adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of Texas, San Antonio. Educated at Stanford University (B.A. with Departmental Honors in History), the School of Oriental and African Studies, at the University of London (M.A. in Southeast Asian Area Studies), and Trinity College, Cambridge University (D. Phil. in History), he is the author of The Survival of Empire: Portuguese Trade and Society in China and the South China Sea, 1630-1754, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986 and numerous articles. Over the past few years, he has received support for his research interests in global maritime economic history, the history of European expansion, and cross-cultural contact and exchanges in the early modern period from the following institutions: affiliated fellow, IIAS, Leiden University, the Netherlands; IANTT/FLAD research grants, Lisbon, Portugal; Bernardo Mendel fellowships, at the Lilly Library, Indiana University; research grant from the American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies; Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Asia Research Institute at the National University of Singapore; Visiting Research Fellow at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Kyoto University and is in Macao on a Fulbright grant. Upon completion in April 2009, Souza will take up his invited appointment as a Mercator Guest Professor at Tubingen University in Germany. The lecture will be given in English with Mandarin, Cantonese and Portuguese simultaneous interpretation. Entrance is free. For further details, please contact Ms. Chu of the Macao Historical Archives of the Cultural Affairs Bureau at 85986537.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that Macao registered 430,599 visitor arrivals in package tours in January 2009, up by 12.7% from a year earlier. Visitors from Mainland China (319,375) and Hong Kong (31,769) increased by 16.0% and 40.5% year-on-year respectively, while those from Japan (15,269) decreased by 5.7%. The number of Macao residents travelling outbound in package tours rose markedly by 34.0% year-on-year to 18,132 on account of the Lunar New Year fell in January 2009. Mainland China (68.7%), Republic of Korea (6.5%) and Taiwan, China (6.1%) were the three most popular tour itineraries. Meanwhile, 29,818 residents travelled outbound under individual arrangements using services provided by travel agencies, down by 11.3% over January 2008. Hong Kong (43.1%), Mainland China (27.9%) and Taiwan, China (10.2%) were the major destinations. At the end of January 2009, the number of guest rooms available in the hotel sector increased by 1,410 (+8.7%) from a year earlier to 17,538 rooms. In January 2009, a total of 524,618 guests checked into hotels and similar establishments, down by 6.8% year-on-year; the majority of the guests came from Mainland China (49.5%) and Hong Kong (23.5%). The average hotel occupancy rate for January 2009 dropped by 7.1 percentage points year-on-year to 65.6%, with 4-star hotels leading at 70.0%; in addition, the average length of stay of hotel guests stood at 1.4 nights, same as that in January 2008. In January 2009, visitor-guests staying in hotels accounted for 56.7% of the total number of tourists, down from 61.2% in January 2008.
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Macau Government Tourist Office and the Macau travel trade promote the city as a leisure and business tourism destination and strengthen ties with the international travel trade in the world's leading travel trade show, ITB Berlin 2009 opened today (March 11). MGTO deputy director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes heads the Macau delegation to the exhibition, held from March 11 to 15. The theme of MGTO’s booth at ITB this year is “Experience Macau!”, showcasing UNESCO world heritage “The Historic Center of Macau” as well as the new tourism products to the travel trade and consumers of the region. Latest tourism information of Macau is also distributed at the booth, where travel trade representatives from Macau, Germany and around the world meet for business. MGTO aims to uplift the reputation of Macau at large-scale international travel fairs to tap more overseas markets and promote connections between travel trade partners. Besides taking part in various activities promoted by the organizer, MGTO invites key media and travel trade partners to the Macau Welcome Hours reception for updates on Macau’s tourism industry. MGTO will also participate in the Pan Pearl River Delta presentation, HKTB luncheon and PATA luncheon. Helena Fernandes will be present at meetings of UNWTO Task Force and UNWTO Tourism Resilience Committee. The five days of the exhibition will also include interviews with the media and appointments with tourism executives. MGTO also takes this opportunity to promote the celebrations of the 10th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Macau SAR this year to the long-haul markets, attracting more visitors from Europe to experience Macau’s unique blend of East and West cultures. Held at the capital of Germany, ITB Berlin has a history of 43 years. This year about 11,000 exhibitors from 180 countries and territories are participating in the exhibition, which is hailed as one of the largest travel fairs in the world. Exhibitors from around the globe present their destinations, products and services on a gigantic display area of 160,000 square meters. More than 280,000 visitors attended the exhibition last year.
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The 2009 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum & Exhibition (2009 MIECF) will be held on 2-4 April at the Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel. The Organizing Committee (OC) has received enrollment confirmation from 65 entities, and collected over 400 environmental projects for business matching. The OC believes that by attending 2009 MIECF, enterprises can exchange experience and work mutually for their benefits. As official Host Coordinators of 2009 MIECF, the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and the Environment Council are working hard to prepare for the Environmental Forum and Exhibition. With the support from government departments, enterprises and academic entities of Macao, Mainland China and Overseas, 65 entities have registered in the Exhibition, and IPIM has currently collected over 400 environmental projects covering production of renewable energy, air purifying technology and sewage treatment etc. Currently, almost 200 specialists from environmental industry have confirmed to attend the 2009 MIECF. They are from governmental departments, enterprises, academic organizations, official supporting organizations, environmental protection entities, chambers of commerce from Hong Kong, as well consulates of many countries in HK and Macao. The three-day 2009MIECF will emphasize on improving the development of global environmental industry and will also provide opportunities for enterprises to exchange experience with each other in this field. Businesses will also be created despite the difficult situation generated from the financial tsunami. The Official Host Co-ordinators believe that 2009 MIECF will provide a good environment for enterprises to promote and explore new business in the environmental protection industry. Incentive schemes are also provided to encourage all who are interested to take part in this green event. The activities of 2009 MIECF include Green Forum, Green Matching and Green Showcase, details as follows: Green Forum
Along with the changes in the environment and climate, people become more concerned about the environmental issues. Therefore three seminars involving Energy Saving and Emission Reduction, Disaster Management and the Green Business Co-operation and Finance will be held during the Green Forum of 2009 MIECF with professional speakers from all over the world to study and discuss on the topics. Green Matching
Macao will concentrate on transforming the industries of China into green industries, especially for the 9+2 provinces / regions, and the event will organize brand networking, matchmaking sessions and business promoting platforms to assist enterprises from Mainland China and overseas, especially those from Mainland China and European Union to build up business partnerships. Green Showcase
The exhibits profile of 2009 MIECF mainly include drinking water treatment techniques; household and manufacturing sewage management techniques; substitution energy, energy saving and reduction; from garbage to energy – refuse power incineration technology; air disposal treatment and desulphurization techniques of power–station; project financing, consultancy, accreditation; disaster management auditing and gas monitoring, etc. In addition, “green development agenda”, “green tourism”, “green energy”, “green traffic”, “green business opportunity” and “green ecology” of Macao will also be showcased during this Exhibition. Green Business Co-operation Day To Assist Enterprises to Seek Business Opportunities To further strengthen enterprises’ business co-operation in the area of environmental protection, the first day of 2009 MIECF has been designated as the Green Business Co-operation Day (the Green Business Day) by 2009 MIECF. The Green Business Day aims at assisting enterprises to conduct business co-operation negotiations, explore business opportunities and seek co-operation partners, and enhance production effectiveness by utilising environmental technology. The Green Business Co-operation Day (the Green Business Day) is organised by IPIM in co-operation with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), Macao Chamber of Commerce, European Union Business Information Programme (EUBIP) and various international chambers of commerce, with the objective of assisting enterprises to seize business opportunities in environmental co-operation and create mutually beneficial business relations. At the Green Business and Finance Co-operation Forum held under the Green Business Day, representatives from financial and environmental enterprises and organisations in various regions will conduct detail discussion on the current status and prospects of the financing of environmental projects. Representatives from chambers of commerce and enterprises in the Mainland and Europe will attend the Enterprises Green Business Summit to discuss the issue of environmental co-operation between enterprises. In addition, the Green Business Networking Cocktail Reception and Contract Signing Ceremony will be held during the Green Business Co-operation Day on 2nd April, in an attempt to provide opportunities to discuss and exchange the ideas for enterprises from different regions, thus to strengthen the co-operation between both sizes in environmental industries. Exhibition opens to public
The Exhibition is opened to professionals on 2-4 April with its last day opened to the public from 09:00 to 18:00 as well. Registration for Exhibition can be done on site in the Exhibition. However, registration for attending the Forum and Seminars have to be done in advance by contacting the 2009 MIECF secretariat; Tel 8798-9675; Email: miecf2009@ipim.gov.mo, or visit the official website www.macaomiecf.com
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Green Business Co-operation Day－Gathering Unlimited Green Business Opportunities To further strengthen enterprises’ business co-operation in the area of environmental protection, the first day of 2009 MIECF has been designated as the Green Business Co-operation Day by 2009 MIECF. The Green Business Co-operation Day aims at assisting enterprises to conduct business co-operation negotiations and promote projects as well as business co-operation. The theme of the Green Business Co-operation Day is Gathering Unlimited Green Business Opportunities. The event is organised by IPIM in co-operation with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), Macao Chamber of Commerce, European Union Business Information Programme (EUBIP) and various international chambers of commerce, with the objective of assisting enterprises to seize business opportunities in environmental co-operation and create mutually beneficial business relations. The activities in the Green Business Co-operation Day include The Green Business Co-operation and Finance Symposium, The Enterprise Green Business Summit and Green Business Networking Cocktail Reception and Contract Signing Ceremony. The Green Business Co-operation and Finance Symposium At the Green Business Co-operation and Finance Symposium, senior management and experts from environmental, financial institutions/enterprises in various regions will conduct in-depth study and discussions in the current status and future development of the environmental industry. Confirmed speakers of the event include Mr. Nigel Hall, Technical Adviser of Regional Office for the Pacific of the European Investment Bank (EIB) (on behalf of Dr. Carlos da Silva Costa, Vice-President of EIB), Mr. Ethan Ji Win Tzou, Vice-Chairman of Korea Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCCI), Chairman of Winfull Capital Korea Co Ltd and Mr. Stewart J. Ballard, Business Development Director (Asia) of Sindicatum Carbon Technology Limited. The Enterprise Green Business Summit Representatives of chambers of commerce and enterprises from Mainland China (Pan-Pearl River Delta Region) and various European countries will attend the Summit to discuss environmental co-operation between enterprises. The event will be held in the form of interactive discussion. Confirmed participants include Mr. João Marques da Cruz, Board Member of EDP Internacional (Portuguese enterprise), Dr. Dominic Orr, President and CEO of Aruba Networks (technology enterprise), Dr. Bernd Dallmann, Chief Executive of Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH & Co KG, Mr. Douglas Woodring, Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce’s Environmental Committee in Hong Kong, Mr. Fred Larsen, Chairman of the Board, Lamor Group and Mr. Eddie (Edward W.C.) Leung, Managing Partner and Founder of Secured Environment Company (environmental technology enterprise in Silicon Valley). Green Business Networking Cocktail Reception and Contract Signing Ceremony The Green Business Networking Cocktail Reception and Signing Ceremony, another activity to be held under the Green Business Co-operation Day, is scheduled to be held at 5:30pm on 2 April at the 2009 MIECF venue. The activities aim at providing business communication and exchanges opportunities to further promote interactive co-operation among participating international enterprises and environmental sector. About the 2009 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum & Exhibition (MIECF) The 2009 MIECF is hosted by the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region, co-ordinated by the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and Environment Council and supported by the Central Government of the People’s Republic of China and the collective participation of the local authorities in the Pan-Pearl River Delta region (9+2 provinces/regions) and beyond. The theme of this year’s MIECF is A Global Green Gathering, Environment-Business-Connection. The event combines ecological responsibility and social commitment that promotes optimism in the green future in Mainland China and other regions. For further enquiries, please contact the 2009 MIECF Secretariat on Tel: 853-8798 9675, Fax: 853-2872 8213, email:info@macaomiecf.com or visit the official website: www.macaomiecf.com.
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The Government attaches much importance to anything that promotes exchanges between Hong Kong and Macao, the Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, said today. Asked about some Hong Kong residents who were denied entry to Macao, Mr Ho said the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR, Mr Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, had expressed concern to him on behalf of himself and the Hong Kong SAR Government. Mr Ho said that Macao maintained a positive attitude in promoting Hong Kong-Macao relationship and placed much importance to anything that would promote exchanges. He said the Macao police had acted in accordance with the law and he believed they would not have made decisions that were detrimental to the exchanges between Hong Kong and Macao. He said he believed that the relationship between Hong Kong and Macao would be closer in the future.
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