News

As a new year comes around and everything looks fresh and cheerful, Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) wishes all citizens and visitors good health and prosperity, and that the tourism industry of Macau would scale new heights in the Year of the Pig! MGTO and Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) join hands to organize celebratory activities on the first day of Lunar New Year (Feb 18) at the Ruins of St. Paul’s and Senado Square to mark the spring festival and add a festive atmosphere to the city. 2006 was a fruitful year for Macau’s tourism industry as total visitor arrivals scored a new high of almost 22 million, an increase of 17% compared with 2005. MGTO has been promoting Macau’s unique multi-cultural characteristics through various activities. Lunar New Year is an important festival in the Chinese society and also a peak season for visitors to experience the traditional celebrations in Macau. MGTO and IACM take this opportunity to express New Year greetings to the citizens and hospitality to the visitors. On the first morning of Lunar New Year, Director of MGTO João Manuel Costa Antunes, Deputy Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Manuel Gonçalves Pires Júnior, Acting President of IACM, Mr. Raymond Tam hosted the eye-dotting ceremony of the golden dragon and lions at the Ruins of St. Paul’s and lit firecrackers at Senado Square to mark the celebrations. Guests and officials from MGTO, teamed up with the five Tourism Ambassadors – Smiling, Polite, Friendly, Helpful and Knowledge, the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, the Gold of Fortune and the Gods of Happiness, Prosperity, and Longevity, greeted the public and distributed “Lai Si” (red packets with lucky money) and souvenirs to residents and visitors. The crowd also enjoyed lively performance by the Folkloric Art Troupe of Xi Lin of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The vibrant dragon and lion dances signal Macau to be as energetic and spirited as these noble beasts and “Lai Si” distributed by the God of Fortune bestow good luck and fortune for the Year of Pig. The Lunar New Year celebrations are held on the first and second day of the Lunar New Year. Details of the activities are available on the website of MGTO http://www.macautourism.gov.mo In keeping with tradition, lucky “Lai Si” will be distributed at MGTO counters during Lunar New Year. Each packet contains a 10-cent coin as a symbol of MGTO’s wishes for good luck and prosperity throughout the year. On Lunar New Year’s Eve, MGTO staged a splendid “fireworks display duet” set off from barges anchored in waters just off the Macau Tower and Kun Iam Statue to usher in the Year of Pig. Thousands of citizens and visitors gathered at the waterfront for the magnificent spectacle.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, in his Lunar New Year Message today, extended his best wishes to the people of Macao. He said the people of Macao were always ambitious and shared a sense of responsibility, which offered the Special Administrative Region (SAR) with qualities to overcome many challenges since it was established seven years ago. Such traits would better prepare Macao for more challenges and newer opportunities, he said. He pledged that the SAR Government would continue to enhance its governance, push forward economic development, provide better public services and allocate more resources for social welfare. Moreover, the Government would promote a better distribution of the city's 'harvest' brought about by its growing economy. The Government would attach much importance on the residents' interests and safeguard Macao's stability and prosperity, Mr Ho said. He said he believed that with the concerted efforts of all the residents, Macao would become more and more harmonious and prosperous. He also thanked the civil servants and residents who have to work over the Lunar New Year holidays. Last but not least, he wished everyone in Macao a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.
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The newly appointed Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Mr Lau Si Io, said he would perform his duties with integrity and enhance the transparency of public services in these areas. Meeting the press at the Government Headquarters this afternoon, Mr Lau expressed his gratitude to the Central Government and the Special Administrative Regional Government for their faith in him. He said housing, transport and urban planning would top his agenda, and he would keep close exchanges with the Commission Against Corruption, to ask for its opinion over public services provided by departments under his supervision. Pointing out that development, in a way, would bring about conflicts among the society, Mr Lau said he would ease the conflicts between development and social harmony when he took office. He also pledged that he would enhance the transparency of the work under his supervision. The State Council of the People's Republic of China approved the Chief Executive’s nomination of Mr Lau as the new Secretary for Transport and Public Works. Mr Lau joined the civil service in 1984, and served as the President of the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau since the establishment of the bureau in January 2002.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that per-capita spending of visitors amounted to MOP 1,670 in the fourth quarter of 2006, up by 6% year-on-year. Per-capita spending of Mainland visitors led with MOP 3,562, while that of Hong Kong visitors was MOP-970. Compared with the fourth quarter of 2005, per-capita spending of tourists edged up by 1% to MOP 2,345; however, that of same-day visitors fell by 6% to MOP 522. Per-capita non-shopping spending (excluding gaming expenses) of visitors increased by 6% year-on-year to MOP 925, of which the expenses on Accommodation and Food & Beverage accounted for 41% and 38% respectively. Furthermore, per-capita shopping spending rose by 6% to MOP 745, with the expenses on Food & Candy and Clothing sharing 27% and 18% respectively of the total per-capita shopping spending. Per-diem spending of visitors was MOP 1,470, up by 2% over the fourth quarter of 2005 and that of Mainland visitors topped with MOP_2,375. In this quarter, the average length of stay of visitors (1.1 days), tourists (1.7 days) and same-day visitors (0.2 day) remained at the same level as in the fourth quarter of 2005.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service showed that in the fourth quarter of 2006, construction of 25 buildings was started, with 2,923 units and 464,752 m² in gross floor area, up 15.4% and down 20.9% respectively over the fourth quarter of 2005, and up 8.5 times and 1.6 times respectively in comparison with the third quarter of 2006. A sum of 2,299 parking spaces for cars and 416 parking spaces for motorcycles were provided. In 2006, the newly started buildings provided 4,756 units and 1,054,289 m² in gross floor area, down 3.9% and 50.6% year-on-year respectively. In the fourth quarter of 2006, a total of 26 buildings were completed and extended, involving 122 units and 213,363 m² in gross floor area, down 67.6% and up slightly by 1.0% respectively over the fourth quarter of 2005, and down 94.0% and 60.2% respectively in comparison with the third quarter of 2006. A sum of 487 parking spaces for cars and 107 parking spaces for motorcycles were provided. In 2006, the completed and extended buildings provided 3,026 units and 1,276,321 m² in gross floor area, up 1.4 times and 2.3 times year-on-year respectively. In addition, the number of residential buildings completed and extended was 14, supplying 102 building units, which went down 68.8% and 94.6% over the fourth quarter of 2005 and the third quarter of 2006 respectively. The housing units were mainly T3 (84 units), accounting for 82.4% of the total, followed by T4 and over (11 units). The number of housing units completed in 2006 totalled 2,783, showing a year-on-year increase of 1.5 times.
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The Macao Government expects the city's gaming revenue to record a modest double digit growth this year, the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen, said today. Speaking to the press at the spring festival reception hosted by the Liaison Officae of the Central Government, Mr Tam said it was difficult to forecast the gaming revenue for the whole year based only on the figures of the last month. But a low digit growth was a 'reasonable expectation', he said. According to government statistics, Macao's casinos generated 55 billion pacatas (US$6.87 billion) in gross gaming revenue in 2006, a growth of about 23 percent compared with the previous year. Mr Tam explained that the Government released the gross revenue of the whole gaming industry and particular games on a monthly basis, and it would not release the amount of tax collected from particular gaming concessionaires. Asked about the requirements for investment residency scheme, Mr Tam said the Government had no plans to amend the terms for obtaining residency by investing fixed asset, nor the minimum value of related fixed asset. He said the Government could process about 2,300 applications for property investment residency every year, about 2,100 of which were approved in 2006. There were also no plans to alter the number of applications processed and approved every year. The Government would also step up the construction of public rental housing and push forward the Home Ownership Scheme, policies that were outlined in the Government's Policy Address last year, he added.
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In order to increase the public understanding of the eastern and western cultures, art and heritage, the Cultural Affairs Bureau will be organizing the 3rd Docent Training Programme in the coming April and June.
Enhanced in both theory and practice, this training programme will be conducted by not only professionals of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, but also some renowned professors, researcher, archaeologist and museologist. The lectures will cover a wide range of subjects, such as skills on guided tours, history of eastern and western cultures, art, the Historic Centre of Macao, archaeology, ceramic, Chinese calligraphy and western paintings, etc. Practices of guided tours and discussions will be followed by the end of the programme.
This docent programme is a free weekend training course conducted in Cantonese in the auditorium of the Macao Museum. It will be carried out between April and June on every Saturday from 14:30 to 17:30, Sunday from 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:30 to 17:30 (except Easter Holidays). This course is intended for the local residents interested in guided visits in the Macao Museum. Twenty participants with the minimum of high school education will be accepted for the course. Certificates will be awarded by the Cultural Affairs Bureau to those who successfully complete the course. Meanwhile, the present museum docents and those who attended the previous docent training courses are welcome to join this programme. Some parts of the programme can be exempted and a certificate will be granted as well when finished. Information for the programme and the application form can be acquired at the ticket office of the Macao Museum and the Kun Iam Ecumenical Centre. The above material can also be downloaded from the following websites: http://www.icm.gov.mo or http://www.macaumuseu.gov.mo. Applications will be accepted until 2nd March 2007. Any people interested in the course need to submit / mail their applications to the Macao Museum or the Kun Iam Ecumenical Centre before the deadline. The necessary documents including one photocopy of the Macao Resident Card, photocopies of education certificates, one colour photo (1.5 inches) and a completed application form should be sealed in an envelope and sent to the above places. A pre-selection will be made based on the education and experiences of the candidates. Whereas, interviews with the potential participants will be arranged by the Macao museum in a later stage. A list of final and standby participants will be announced on 6th April at the Museum ticket office and the Centre, as well as on the above websites. For further information and details of the programme, please contact Mr. Ho at 3941217 or Miss Lee at 3941231.
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The early Ming glazed copper-red pear-shaped vase, Yuhuchunping, produced during Emperor Hongwu’s reign (1368-1398), to be donated to the Macao Special Administrative Region in this ceremony, was purchased at a Hong Kong auction in May last year by Mr. Steve Wynn, Chairman of Wynn Resorts (Macau) S.A.. Costing approximately 78 million Hong Kong dollars, this extremely rare Chinese porcelain will be exhibited as part of the permanent collection of the Cultural Affairs Bureau’s Macao Museum. The donation ceremony is attended by Mr. Edmund Ho Hau Wah, Chief Executive of the Macao S.A.R.; Dr. Fernando Chui Sai On, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao S.A.R. Government; and Mr. Steve Wynn, Chairman of Wynn Resorts (Macau) S.A. The Macao Museum is closed during the ceremony and will reopen to the public at 1pm. The early Ming glazed copper-red vase, Yuhuchunping, stands 32.7cm high, with a mouth diameter of 8.5cm, body diameter of 21cm and base diameter of 12cm resulting in a flared mouth, narrow neck, wider lower body, flat bottom and rim foot. The motifs painted in copper-red under the glaze are divided into seven layers, from top to bottom namely: plantain leaf, classic scroll, overlapping wave, ruyi-head lappet (trefoils), peonies, lotus petal and classic scroll. The glaze of this elegantly thrown and coloured vase has tones ranging from a rich crushed raspberry to a slightly darker mushroom-pink. The peonies are rendered in a natural, unconstrained style. The vase is a classic product of the imperial kilns in the Hongwu Reign (1368-1398) of the Ming Dynasty. The copper-red underglaze technique originated in Jingdezhen during the Yuan dynasty. It used copper-derived pigments to obtain red paint which was then applied over biscuit. After applying the glaze, the piece would then be baked in a kiln at a high temperature. This technical innovation of the period represents a remarkable achievement in the history of Chinese ceramics. The copper red underglaze was highly sensitive to the ambient conditions during production ambience, and could thus vary in tone. Therefore the failure rate of its production was very high. Ceramics painted in underglaze copper-red dating from the Yuan and Ming dynasties are therefore very rare and highly appreciated. In order to provide the appropriate conditions for this masterpiece, the Macao Museum has created an exhibition space featuring the necessary security measures. This precious piece of Chinese porcelain, which will be placed on view immediately after the ceremony, will attract locals and visitors to Macao. This ceremony also includes the unveiling of the updated roll of donors of the Museum in recognition of the valuable contribution of all those who have generously given to the Macao Museum. These altruistic acts promote the development of the museum’s collections and, in turn, help foster an understanding of Macao’s historic significance.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that in 2006, 13,593 real estate sale and purchase contracts were made, with a total value of MOP11.62 billion, down 32.1% and 27.4% respectively over 2005. In the fourth quarter of 2006, 3,701 real estate sale and purchase contracts were made, involving the transaction of 4,541 real estate units, a year-on-year increase of 8.0%. The corresponding total value of contracts in the fourth quarter went up 36.1% to MOP3.1 billion. In comparison with the third quarter of 2006, the number of contracts and their value decreased 0.2% and 15.8% respectively. In 2006, the total value of mortgage credits expanded to MOP65.03 billion, up 2.8 times year-on-year. In the fourth quarter of 2006, the total value of mortgage credits was MOP4.43 billion, of which mortgage credits not involving actual property transactions reached MOP3.31 billion, whereas those related to purchases of real estate was MOP1.12 billion, equivalent to 25.3% of the total. The total value of mortgage credits was down 11.6% over the fourth quarter of 2005, and those involving actual property transactions registered an increase of 36.7%. Compared with the third quarter of 2006, the above indicators were down 74.9% and 4.7% respectively. According to the data provided by the Finance Services Bureau, a total of 26,400 units were transacted in the real estate market in 2006, amounting to MOP25.1 billion in value. In the fourth quarter of 2006, the number of units transacted was 9,979 with a total value of MOP11.78 billion. The majority was residential units (64.5% of the total or 6,439 units), accounting for MOP10.34 billion in value. Among all the units transacted, 5,140 units were exempted from property tax (i.e. they were new buildings) and their value amounted to MOP8.78 billion. The average transaction price of residential units per square meter of usable area in 2006 was MOP10,578, up 5.5% over 2005. In the fourth quarter of 2006, the average transaction price of residential units was MOP10,967, up 8.0% over the fourth quarter of 2005 and down 3.1% over the third quarter of 2006. Meanwhile, the average transaction prices of residential units in the Macao Peninsula and Taipa were MOP9,630 and MOP14,544 per square meter respectively, surpassing the average prices in the fourth quarter of 2005 but remained lower than the records in the third quarter of 2006. Moreover, the average transaction price of residential units in Coloane was MOP15,735 per square meter, down 1.0% year-on-year and up 5.6% over the third quarter of 2006. The average transaction price of industrial units per square meter of usable area was MOP4,435, up 26.8% over the fourth quarter of 2005 and down slightly by 0.3% over the third quarter of 2006. In addition, the average transaction price of office units per square meter of usable area was MOP20,819, up 48.7% and 6.3% over the fourth quarter of 2005 and third quarter of 2006 respectively. Among the office units, the area of Praia Grande and Penha recorded the highest average, at MOP25,120 per square meter, whereas the area of Baixa de Macau had the lowest average, at MOP14,595.
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Police's initiatives against street crime have proved successful, with cases of robbery and pick-pocketing plunging by 9.5 and 30.5 percent last year compared with 2005. In releasing last year's crime statistics to the press today, Macao's Secretary for Security, Mr Cheong Kuoc Va, said the crime situation in the Special Administrative Region remained stable, with total criminal offences having gone 3 percentup to 10,854 cases. Mr Cheong noted that violent crime fell by 5.1 per cent. In particular, arson and robbery cases dropped by 29.2 and 9.5 percent, while homicide, blackmail and drugs trafficking increased by four, one and seven cases respectively. Crimes against people, one of the five major categories of crimes classified in the Penal Code of Macao, rose by 6 percentto 2,519 cases in 2006. Wounding cases increased by 6.9 per cent, while criminal intimidation cases dropped by 4 percent. However, false imprisonment went up by 24 cases in 2006. Crimes against property dropped by 3.7 per cent, with pick-pocketing, robbery and deception cases down by 30.5, 9.5 and 6.4 percentrespectively. On the other hand, criminal damage cases went up 11.3 percent. Blackmail and loan sharking increased by 1 case each. Crimes against society recorded a rise of 36.7 percent, attributed to a 50.8 and 42.9 percentincrease in the use of counterfeit banknotes and forgery cases. Crimes against public order stood at 702 cases, with false declaration cases having fallen by 7.8 per cent. Moreover, other crimes that were not included in the above classifications recorded a slight increase of 4.8 per cent. Drugs trafficking cases went up by 10.9 percent, while drug abuse cases fell by 32 percent. Mr Cheong also noted that the authority repatriated 17,013 illegal immigrants and overstayers in 2006: 1,085 illegal immigrants were from the Mainland. Out of the 11,430 overstayers from the Mainland, 3,398 of them arrived in Macao under the facilitated individual travel scheme. Meanwhile, 1,100 foreigners overstayed their visits in Macao. Juvenile crimes also fell by 9.4 percentwith 224 juveniles having been involved in crime, a drop of 80 people compared with 2005.
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