News

The Salinity Response Task Force held its second plenary meeting this morning to discuss a series of promotional tactics to educate the public in tackling the effects caused by salt tide. During the meeting, the task force agreed to introduce a four-level-level "Salinity Scale for Potable Water", distinguished by colours, to inform the public on the quality of the water supply and guidelines for health. The four levels are "Low" (green), "Moderate" (yellow), "Fairly High" (orange) and "High" (red), which are classified according to the salinity in water supply. The task force will promptly inform the public the latest condition of water supply via the mass media. The task force also further discussed a series of promotional tactics that would be worked out by means of different tools, such as mass media, website, leaflet, etc. in mid-October. They hope that this way the people would get more information and knowledge on salt tide and well prepared for it.
…

The Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Mr Ao Man Long, said today that the Government would set up an inter-departmental task force to tackle the salinity in the city's water supply. The Government was very concerned with the increase in salinity of the water supply and decided it was necessary to set up the task force to co-ordinate the various departments' efforts in tackling the problem, Mr Ao said. He was speaking to the press after attending a meeting of the local members of the Guangdong-Macao Working Group on Water Supply, and the Deputies of Macao to the National People's Congress. The local members briefed the Deputies on the measures to be taken to alleviate the salinity, which is expected to increase in the coming winter and spring. The Director of the Port Authority, Macao's chairperson to the Working Group Ms Wong Soi Man, said that the Government would work together with the Pearl River Water Resources Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources and the Macao Water Supply Company to tackle the problem.
…

The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, is to pay a five-day visit to Vietnam on Sunday (Oct 8), at the invitation of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, Mr Pham Gia Khiem. Mr Ho is scheduled to meet with Mr Pham in Hanoi and pay courtesy calls to high-ranking officials on his official visit. During his stay in the Vietnamese capital, the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China in Hanoi will host a banquet for Mr Ho. From Hanoi, Mr Ho and his delegation of Government officials are also expected the scenic Halong Bay, Danang City, Hoi An Ancient Town and Ho Chi Minh City. He is also scheduled to meet with the Chairman of the Danang People's Committee and the Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee. The Macau Government Tourist Office and the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute would organise about 80 Macao businesspeople to visit Vietnam to enhance bilateral business links.
…

The “Macau Heritage Passport” campaign is organized by the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) and sponsored by the Macau Foundation. The third monthly lucky draw was held today at the lobby of the Macau Business Tourism Centre (MBTC), and 9 lucky winners were visitors from Hong Kong and Mainland. Officiating the draw were MGTO Director João Manuel Costa Antunes, Deputy Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Deputy Director Manuel Pires and Member of Macao Foundation Wu Zhiliang. 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 150,000 “Passports”, of which over 16,014 have been distributed through MGTO information counters. “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. 1,644 instant lucky draws were held from July 1 to September 30, giving out key chains, magnets, coasters, postcards and paper fans designed with Macau heritage images. A total of 511 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.
…

Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that in 2005 there were 1,489 cooked-food stalls, restaurants and similar establishments in business, a rise of 39 establishments over 2004. Alongside the continuous economic growth, Sales & other receipts totalled MOP 2,718 million, while expenditure amounted to 2,651 million, representing increases of 10.2% and 11.7% respectively. In 2005, there were 1,439 restaurants and similar establishments, an increase of 36 establishments over 2004. Total number of persons engaged in the industry was 14,618 as at the end of 2005, down slightly by 0.7% over the preceding year. Sales and other receipts grew by 10.2% to MOP 2,706 million, while expenditure amounted to MOP 2,642 million, up by 11.6%. In terms of expenditure, purchase of goods shared 41.6% of the total, with MOP 1,099 million; compensation of employees (MOP 853 million) and operating expenses (MOP 690 million) accounted for 32.8% and 26.1%. As a measure of an industry’s contribution to the economy, gross value added amounted to MOP 924 million, equivalent to an increase of 3.4% over 2004. With an increase of 3 stalls over 2004, there were 50 cooked-food stalls operating in the municipal markets in 2005, engaging a total of 88 persons. Sales & other receipts increased by 15.4% over 2004 to MOP 12.28 million; meanwhile, expenditure amounted to MOP 8.77 million, up by 12.3% over 2004.
…

The Chief Executive, Mr Ho Hau Wah, said today that the spirit of innovation and accountability are the mainstay upholding the harmony of Macao. Mr Ho said this in his address to almost 1,000 officials and guests at the National Day reception, when he underlined that the changing environment brought about by globalisation and integration with neighbouring regions, which accelerated the rapid advances of Macao in many aspects. He said friction and confrontation generated in the course of development could be minimised by the spirit of innovation and accountability, and the sharing of this spirit by the people of Macao would sustain the harmony of the society. He called on government officials to uphold these virtues and take the initiative to reform on certain key areas. He thanked the Central Government’s all-out support for Macao, especially in critical moments, and said that it was an integral part to the evolution of the Special Administrative Region. After his speech, the Chief Executive toasted the prosperity of the Mainland and Macao, and to the health of the guests and the people of Macao. In the morning, Mr Ho and more than 300 officials and luminaries attended the flag-hoisting ceremony at Golden Lotus Square to celebrate the 57th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
…

France netted the top prize in the Wynn Macau – 18th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest at a ceremony held at the Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Center on October 1. Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Chui Sai On presented the trophy and prize to the winners, who also received a trophy from the title sponsor – Wynn Macau. The winners also received US$6,000 and a certificate while United States of America, the first runner up and Australia, second runner up won US$3,200 and US$1,800 respectively, plus trophies and certificates. This year Mainland citizens were able to share the marvelous fireworks display moments as Jiangsu Travel Radio, a Nanjing based radio channel broadcasted live the last evening of the contest in a three-hour program – “Macau Night” of “Made in Hong Kong and Macau” from the Macau Tower square. A souverir was presented to MGTO by the Director of Jiangsu Travel Radio during the prizegiving ceremony. The contest this year featured ten teams from Germany, Taiwan China, Korea, Thailand, Portugal, Australia, United States of America, Japan, France and China. Hanwha Corporation from Korea was disqualified as the duration of their fireworks display fell short of the requirement stated in the competition rules. This is the third occurrence in the contest’s 18 years of history. Mr. Antunes noted in his speech that this spectacular event not only brought joy to the citizens and tourists, but also played an important role to promote Macau to the world. The organizer arranged the last two fireworks shows on National Day, with marvelous fireworks displays from the last team - China’s Liuyang City Hongji Fireworks Co., Ltd. to celebrate this special occasion and marked the finale of the Wynn Macau – 18th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest. To add festive atmosphere to the fireworks display contest, MGTO and the General Union of Neighbors Association of Macau jointly presented the Fireworks Carnival 2006 on the shorefront beside the Macau Tower on each of the fireworks display nights, offering an array of live entertainment, cultural activities and culinary delights. This year again, each participating team complemented their displays with carefully selected music, ranging from rock to orchestra, to enthrall the audience with a light and sound spectacular. The Macau International Fireworks Display Contest, organized by Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), has always been an important and renowned event. This year Wynn Macau is the title sponsor for the International Fireworks Display Contest. The annual glamorous fireworks displays, together with the colorful activities have become a signature event that brings splendid experience to the public and visitors in Macau.
…

Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicates that, in August 2006, Macao’s total value of exports amounted to MOP1.79 billion, down 13.2% over the same month of 2005. Among this, the value of domestic exports dropped 24.4% to MOP1.24 billion and the value of re-exports rose 30.5% to MOP551 million. Value of imports amounted to MOP3.18 billion, up 8.6% over the same period of 2005. A trade deficit of MOP1.39 billion was recorded this month. During the period of January – August 2006, the value of total exports increased 25.2% year-on-year to MOP14.13 billion. Both the values of domestic exports and re-exports increased 30.9% and 12.1% respectively. Moreover, the value of imports amounted to MOP23.73 billion, up 23.2% over the same period of 2005. In the first eight months of 2006, Macao’s trade balance registered a deficit of MOP9.60 billion. The exports/imports ratio increased from 58.6% in the corresponding period of 2005 to 59.5%. In the first eight months of 2006, the value of Textile & garment exports, which accounted for 74.2% of the total exports, grew 22.9% over the same period of 2005, while the value of Non-textile exports rose 32.1%. As the major components of non-textile exports, Machines & apparatus, parts & accessories thereof and Footwear both expanded 11.3% and 347.3% respectively year-on-year. The USA and the EU remained as Macao’s major export markets, together making up 66.5% of the total value of exports. Among this, exports to the USA, which made up 46.9% of the total value of exports, increased 21.2%, while exports to the EU, which took up 19.6% of the total, increased 86.4% over the same period of 2005. During the period of January – August 2006, Macao’s total value of imports grew 23.2% year-on-year, mainly due to the increase in the value of imports by broad economic categories, namely Fuels & lubricants (40.5%), Consumer goods (26.2%), Raw materials & semi-manufactures (20.0%) and Capital goods (13.9%). Meanwhile, Macao’s main suppliers of imported goods still concentrated in the Asian region. Imports from Mainland China and Hong Kong, which together constituted 55.6% of the total value of imports, rose 33.1% and 26.9% respectively compared with the same period of 2005.
…

The Wynn Macau – 18th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest, one of the world’s biggest fireworks festivals, closes its curtain on Sunday night with a performance by France dedicated to the cinema, at 9 p.m, followed by a display with Chinese minorities’ music, presented by China, at 10 p.m. After missing last year’s contest’s first prize for only two points, the French Brezac-Artifices aspires to conquer the jury this year with a fireworks show synchronized with the soundtracks of several famous movies, like Titanic and 007 James Bond. The team is coming to Macau with confidence at its height, after achieving good results in two of the world’s most prestigious fireworks competitions, Cannes (1st) and Montreal (2nd). “As this is the second time we are joining the competition, this year we were able to correct what went wrong last year, and we are confident that our exhibition will have more impact than the one in 2005”, believes Dominique Brezac, son of the company founder, one of Europe’s leading fireworks displays organizers. While the French try to seduce the jury, the Chinese Liuyang City Hongji Fireworks have already conquered the spectators’ hearts. The organizers arranged the exhibition of Liuyang’s team to coincide with China’s National Day, celebrated this Sunday. The Chinese Liuyang City Hongji Fireworks has also on its side the fact that it is the team from this competition bringing the biggest amount of fireworks to paint the Macau skies. “October 1 is a very especial date for China, it is a great honor for us to be able to perform on this day, and we hope to offer Macau a beautiful fireworks moment”, points out Tan Chuxiong, the team leader of Liuyang City Hongji Fireworks, a company that exports fireworks all over the world, mainly Europe and the United States. The Chinese team is from the place where fireworks are originated, Liuyang, in Hunan province, which remains today as the main pyro-production center on the Mainland, the world’s top fireworks manufacturing country. In December last year, the company came to Macau for the first time, to stage a display for the 6th anniversary of the establishment of the Macau SAR. The last evening of the contest will be broadcasted live by Jiangsu Travel Radio, in a three-hour long program, from the Macau Tower square. The Nanjing based radio channel will do a “Macau Night” for its Chinese listeners, part of the program “Made in Hong Kong and Macau”, to be broadcasted at FM 107.9, from 7:30 p.m to 10:30 p.m., on October 1. The name of the winner of the Wynn Macau – 18th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest will be known on Sunday, after the last exhibitions and the final decision of the jury.
…

To celebrate “World Tourism Day” today (September 27), Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) organized an exciting tray race and World Tourism Day banquet. Director of MGTO, João Manuel Costa Antunes, Deputy Directors Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes and Manuel Gonçalves Pires Júnior presented welcome gifts to a lucky tourist from Germany at the Macau Ferry Terminal. Stefan Walburg, who visited Macau two years ago, returned with his girl friend this time for the unique blend of Chinese and Portuguese culture. “I love Asian culture. Macau has its distinctive cultural ambience that impressed me. I am very happy to be the lucky tourist of the World Tourism Day and this is a good start for my journey in Macau!” he said. Souvenirs were also distributed to visitors at the information counters of MGTO. The traditional tray race was held in the afternoon, where waiters and waitresses run down the stoned-path from the Ruins of St Paul’s to Senado Square carrying a tray with a bottle of beer on it. 112 participants from 22 hotels and restaurants in Macau took part in the race. Crowds of visitors and local people were attracted and they cheered for the participants. The winner of the men’s division was Chen Chun Zheng from Jai Alai Chinese Restaurant – Vui Lek Hin and the winner of the women’s division was Wu Yan from Sands. The Best Costume Awards went to Eric Rico Tambalque of Sands and Wang Yuan of Holiday Inn. In the evening, MGTO held a dinner banquet, attended by Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Dr Chui Sai On, to celebrate “World Tourism Day”. World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in the third session of its General Assembly in Spain (September 1979), has decided to commemorate September 27 as “World Tourism Day” each year. This is the 27th year since the celebrations commenced in 1980. The main purpose of “World Tourism Day” is to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic values. Each year, World Tourism Organization selects a different theme for “World Tourism Day”. This year’s theme is “Tourism Enriches”. The host country for “World Tourism Day” this year is Portugal, and official celebrations were held on September 27, 2006. Many other countries and regions also carried out activities to celebrate the day.
…