News

The Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) was informed by the Royal Danish Consulate General in Hong Kong, that the holders of the Macao SAR Passport have been exempted from visa requirements when visiting Greenland and Faroe Islands for a stay up to three months during any six-month period. Presently, a total of 74 countries and territories have already agreed to grant visa-free access or visa-on-arrival to the Macao SAR passport holders, including 57 countries and 15 territories with mutual visa exemption, and 2 countries granting visa upon arrival.
…

Coming September, Macau will be showcased to the Thai audiences through the most popular television travel program, “The Spirit of Adventure”, currently being produced in the city. The “star” of the program decided to take advantage of the increasing number of flights between Bangkok and Macau to show the city to Thai audiences. “In the program, I will take the spectators in a discovery of Macau, showing that there’s not only casinos in the city. It is a easy destination to visit, only a few hours flight and much cheaper then others”, says Jongkolnee Satiraassavanant. The half-hour program aired every Sunday at the Thai television Channel-5 has an audience of around one million people. The program has also the peculiarity of trying to show new destinations and help to create new travel tendencies in Thailand. “We try to show a great variety of destinations”, points the TV-anchor, who has been travel the five continents and which South Africa its her next destination. Also in Macau, during this week, was another group from Thailand, this time leaded by a photographer with the mission to capture images of the city for an exhibition in Bangkok, aiming to show the cultural face of Macau to the Thai people. “I love to travel and when I do that I always try to stay in the old areas of the places I visit, and in Macau there’s a lot of old sites, with the advantage that here everything is close by”, tells the photographer Nat Prakobsantisuk Four daily flights leave Bangkok to Macau, operated by Air Macau and Air Asia, which have contributed for the current double digit growth of the number of Thai tourists visiting Macau. The visit of the two Thai groups have the support of Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), that has an representative office in Bangkok. Every year, MGTO supports familiarization visits from opinion makers, as a way to promote Macau to the world. Close to five thousand people were invited to fam tours in Macau last year.
…

Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that visitor arrivals in package tours totalled 207,989 in June 2006, down 3.2% year-on-year. Visitors from Mainland China (162,975) and Taiwan, China (15,371) dropped 2.7% and 32.9% respectively; however, those from Hong Kong (7,560) grew 20.0% over June 2005. In the first half of 2006, visitor arrivals in package tours increased 17.6% over the same period of 2005 to 1,454,698. Number of Macao residents travelling in package tours was 21,712 in June 2006, a year-on-year decrease of 23.0%. Mainland China, Thailand and Japan were the three more popular tour itineraries, which accounted for 68.6%, 8.2% and 5.2% of the total respectively. In the first six months of 2006, Macao residents travelling in package tours (130,587) grew 3.3% compared with the same period of 2005. Meanwhile, 27,872 residents travelled under own arrangements using services provided by the travel agencies, an increase of 2.4% over June 2005; Mainland China (32.9%), Hong Kong (25.7%) and Taiwan, China (20.0%) were the major destinations. In the first half of 2006, Macao residents travelled under such arrangements surged 23.7% to 171,282 compared with the corresponding period of 2005. At the end of June 2006, number of guest rooms available in the hotel industry registered an increase of 1,177 rooms (+11.1%) over June 2005 to 11,748 rooms. In addition, a total of 346,970 guests checked into hotels and similar establishments, up by 3.5% compared with June 2005. The average hotel occupancy rate was 68.0%, representing a slight increase of 0.4 percentage point; the highest average was in the 4-star hotels, at 75.8%. The hotel guests stayed an average of 1.16 nights, which rose by 0.02 night compared with June 2005. The majority of the guests came from Mainland China (56.7%), Hong Kong (24.6%) and Taiwan, China (3.2%). In the first half of 2006, number of hotel guests increased 13.3% over 2005 to 2,159,068. In the first six months of 2006, hotel guests (excluding Macao residents) accounted for 40.8% of the total number of tourists, which was lower than the 42.4% recorded in the same period of 2005.
…

Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicates that in the first half of 2006, a total of 6,427 contracts of sales and purchases of real estate were made, with value of MOP4.83 billion. The number and value were down 47.0% and 52.5% respectively over the same period of 2005. In the second quarter of 2006, a total of 3,423 contracts of sales and purchases of real estate were made, of which 4,059 real estate units were transacted, amounting to MOP2.6 billion. The number and value went down 54.9% and 53.7% respectively over the second quarter of 2005. In comparison with the first quarter of 2006, the number and value increased 10.6% and 16.1% respectively. In the first half of 2006, the total value of mortgage credits reached MOP42.92 billion, up 3.9 times year on year. In the second quarter of 2006, the total value of mortgage credits was MOP40.26 billion, of which the mortgage credits not involving actual property transactions reached MOP39.08 billion, mainly due to the increase in the mortgage credits of the gaming sector. The mortgage credits related to purchases of real estate reached MOP1.18 billion, equivalent to 2.9% of the total. The total amount increased 7.4 times over the second quarter of 2005; credits involving actual property transactions registered a decrease of 44.1%. In comparison with the first quarter of 2006, the above indicators were up 14.2 times and 32.3% respectively. According to the information supplied by the Finance Services Bureau, the real estate market in the first half of 2006, a total of 10,397 units were transacted, with value of MOP 8.06 billion. In the second quarter of 2006, 5,594 units with a total value of MOP 4.69 billion were transacted. The majority was residential units (68.6% of the total; 3,835 units) with value of MOP 2.98 billion. Among all the units transacted, 1,065 units were exempted from property tax (i.e. they were new buildings) with their value amounting to MOP 2.07 billion. In the second quarter of 2006, the average transaction price of residential units per square meter of usable area in Macao and the Macao Peninsula were MOP10,008 and MOP8,760, down slightly by 0.6% and 0.7% over the second quarter of 2005, but up 2.7% and 6.3% over the first quarter of 2006 respectively. Moreover, the average transaction price of residential units in Taipa was MOP14,122/m2, up 5.1% over the second quarter of 2005 and down 4.4% over the first quarter of 2006. In the second quarter of 2006, the average transaction price of industrial units per square meter of usable area continued to rise, at MOP3,834, up 17.6% and 2.8% over the second quarter of 2005 and first quarter of 2006 respectively. In the second quarter of 2006, the average transaction price of office units per square meter of usable area was MOP17,653, up 24.8% and 2.2% over the second quarter of 2005 and first quarter of 2006 respectively. Among the office units, the area of NAPE e Aterros da Baía da Praia Grande recorded the highest average, at MOP19,611/m2, whereas the area of Zape had the lowest average, at MOP13,783.
…

The Secretary for Security, Mr Cheong Kuok Va, said today Macao’s public order remained stable, with theft and robbery showing a drop from 401 cases to 261 in the first six months of this year compared with the same period last year. Disclosing crime figures for the first six months of the year, Mr Cheong said there were a total of 5,342 cases reported, an increase of 4% (+203 cases): this were mostly social-life-related offences, such as forgery of documents, which rose to 47.1%. The security chief said of the seven homicide cases reported in the same period, five were solved. The number of wounding and serious assault showed a rise of 9.7% (+74 cases). There were 419 "unclassified" crimes recorded in the reporting period, a decline of 1.2% (-5 cases), of which the employment of illegal immigration recorded 301 cases, an increase of 29.2% (+68 cases). Drug trafficking had increased 28.6% (+8 cases), but addiction to narcotics dropped to 58.8% (-48 cases) Juvenile crimes had recorded 75 cases, a drop of 8.5% (-7 cases), of which 125 people were juniors, a drop of 24.2% (-40 people). The Secretary stressed that the authority would continue to collect updated information and to strengthen their enforcement to combat crimes.
…

Following the success of the Macao Heritage Net in 2004 and the Macao World Heritage Information Kit launched last year, Cultural Affairs Bureau takes great pleasure in introducing ‘Exploring the Historic Centre of Macao’ PDA route guide through network technology. The system presents comprehensive introduction and information on the sites situated in the Historic Centre of Macao in digital format with visuals and text descriptions that can be downloaded by PDA for the convenient use of residents and tourists. Since the Historic Centre of Macao was listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List last year, the Cultural Affairs Bureau has enthusiastically undertaken the protection of these World Heritage sites and promoted them accordingly. The promotion leaflet of the Historic Centre of Macao and the Macao World Heritage Information Kit are popular with both local citizens and tourists, to the extent that it has become an important tool in raising tourists and residents’ awareness of the Historic Centre of Macao. The compact, portable PDA has become an instant technology hit. For facilitating enquiries about the Historic Centre of Macao, the Cultural Affairs Bureau has harnessed modern technology in the specially designed PDA route guide system. People who have access to PDA will have one more channel to get the background information and location of each site in the Historical Centre of Macao. The system is very convenient to use and is like a portable tourist book. ‘Exploring the Historic Centre of Macao’ PDA route guide system is available in traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese, Portuguese and English formats. The content comprises user interface directions, description on the universal value of the Historic Centre. of Macao, route guide, maps, albums, introduction and opening hours of each site, and relevant activities. The interfaces of the system are vivid, and its clear instructions make it simple to use. It is also equipped with a virtual mode for exploring the Historic Centre of Macao, which enables users to have a clear picture about the location of the sites. In addition, each site has an individual interface. Surrounding streets and areas are mapped out and the map can be magnified and reduced according to user’s needs for easy reference. Cultural Affairs Bureau encourages PDA users to make full use of the system to plan their most enjoyable and convenient route to explore the Historic Centre of Macao. At less than 5MB, the system can easily be downloaded and used via PDA. Download the ‘Exploring the Historic Centre of Macao’ PDA route guide for free either at www.macauheritage.net or at www.icm.gov.mo. Users are advised to register their e-mail addresses when downloading so that they can be informed of the latest information through their mailbox. Beside, there is a link for downloading the system on the website of Macao Government Tourist Office. Effective immediately, Cultural Affairs Bureau will continuously collect ideas and feedback to enrich the functions of the system
…

Information from the Statistics and Census Service shows that in the second quarter of 2006, a total of 771 companies were newly incorporated, with MOP98.40 million in registered capital. Compared with the same quarter of 2005, the number of newly incorporated companies and their registered capital decreased 8.0% and 56.7% respectively. These newly incorporated companies engaged mostly in Wholesale and Retail (250), followed by Business Services (147), Construction (134) and Real Estate (94). On the other hand, 54 companies were dissolved in the second quarter of 2006, with MOP18.66 million in registered capital. Among them, most had engaged in Wholesale and Retail (13), followed by Real Estate (12). Among the stockholders of the newly incorporated companies, 58.9% were Macao residents. In addition, the newly incorporated companies with capital of MOP50 thousand or less accounted for 67.1% (517 companies) of the total number, whereas their capital only made up 14.8% of the total. Meanwhile, 677 of the newly incorporated companies were limited companies. Based on the residence of the stockholders, the capital of the newly incorporated companies in the second quarter of 2006 mostly came from Macao (MOP39.19 million), followed by Mainland China (MOP34.75 million) and Hong Kong (MOP13.54 million). Guangdong Province (MOP5.29 million) topped the list of the capital coming from the Pan-Pearl River Delta provinces. According to the combination of the residence of stockholders, 629 of the newly incorporated companies were established by stockholders from a single country/region, the majority of which (386 companies) were established solely by Macao stockholders, followed by those from Hong Kong (147 companies). The number of the newly incorporated companies with stockholders from Macao and other countries/regions was 116, of which 46 were joint ventures of Macao and Mainland China stockholders and 45 were of Macao and Hong Kong stockholders. The newly incorporated companies with stockholders solely from countries/regions other than Macao totalled 26, of which 8 were joint ventures of Hong Kong and the British Virgin Islands and 5 were of Hong Kong and Mainland China.
…

The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Chui Sai On, said today the Government would introduce the policy of 15-year free education in an orderly manner. Mr Chui said this today during a plenary meeting of the Legislative Assembly to propose a Bill on the framework of Macao's non-tertiary education. According to the Bill, which was approved unanimously, free education would be extended to the first and second year of kindergarten, retroactive to the academic year 2005/2006. The Chief Executive had earlier announced in his Policy Address that Macao students would enjoy free education in senior high school no later than the academic year 2009/2010, which would in turn extend the free education system to 15 years, covering tuition fees for Macao students from kindergarten to senior high school. Under the proposed Bill, the Government would set up a foundation for the development of non-tertiary education system, with a start-up budget of MOP1.5 billion for the first four years. The Bill, to promote the modernisation of Macao's education system, has also categorised non-tertiary education into 'regular' education and 'continuing' education. For regular education, the Bill proposed a framework consisting of a three-year programme for pre-school, six-year programme for primary education, three-year for junior high school education and three-year programme for senior high school education. According to the Bill, the Chief Executive through an order would regulate the timetable for the introduction of the framework. It also proposed a transition period of no less than five years. Moreover, it would regulate the objectives of education, methods of funding, qualifications and training of teachers, curriculum, development of schools and other related areas. Regulations would be introduced in the future to regulate the qualifications, types, workload, benefits and evaluation of teachers. The proposed Bill amends Law No. 11/91/M, currently in effect and regulated Macao's education system since 1991. The Government started a review of Macao's education system in 2002 and later published a consultative document and a draft of the law to gather opinions from all the sectors of the public. The First Standing Committee of the Legislative Assembly would discuss the Bill before returning it to the plenary for an article-by-article vote.
…

Jointly organized by Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), General Union of Neighbors Association of Macau and Association of Traders and Operators of Commercial Vehicles, the “Taxi Ambassador” scheme aims to provide assistance to visitors using taxis in Macau. The 2-month pilot program has been launched today (August 4) at the Macau Ferry Terminal and will be extended according to public response. From 9am to 9pm everyday, “Taxi Ambassadors” donning uniforms and working badges will assist visitors at the taxi station outside the Macau Ferry Terminal by helping non Chinese speaking visitors in communication with taxi drivers about taxi fares, destinations and writing down the number of the license plate on an information card with useful phone numbers. The “Taxi Ambassadors” are fluent in Cantonese and have good command of English and Putonghua. Director of Macau Government Tourist Office, João Manuel Costa Autunes expressed that MGTO has been working closely with the local associations to enhance the service quality of the tourism industry. As taxi service is a crucial component of the tourism industry, the cooperation with General Union of Neighbors Association of Macau and Association of Traders and Operators of Commercial Vehicles will further reinforce the image of Macau as a tourist destination. Vice Chairman of Association of Traders and Operators of Commercial Vehicles, Leng Sai Hou said that the “Taxi Ambassadors” are mainly college students and the training courses provided by the association equip them with knowledge, technique and skills to assist visitors at the taxi station. He also added that with this scheme, in line with the summer holidays when mass visitors travel to Macau, the “Taxi Ambassadors” can also help facilitate the traffic at the taxi station. If the scheme works satisfactorily, Leng hopes that the service can be extended to other entry checkpoints in Macau during major holidays. One of the “Taxi Ambassadors” Lam Wa Chong said that as the youth of Macau, he hopes that he can contribute to Macau’s tourism industry and looks forward to helping visitors with other “Taxi Ambassadors”.
…

After almost 20 years living and doing research about Macau’s history, Celina Veiga de Oliveira is back in town, this time to be a special guide for the author of a book with Macau and Mainland China as background. With the support of Macau Government Tourist Office, until 9th of August, the historian will show the charm of Macau to the author of the book, journalist Ana Paula Cabral. From this trip to Macau will result the second book of a trilogy called “The Treaty of the Magicians”, about the magic universe targeting young readers. After “Igor from Harmeling – The Chosen one”, to be published this coming October, “Clepsydra” will be published in 2007. During the next few days, Celina Veiga de Oliveira will tell Macau’s stories to Ana Paula Cabral and, more importantly, she will try to convey to the author the magic of this land. “The enchantment I felt about Macau happened as soon as I arrived in the 1980s and that enchantment never relented. It is almost like a magical enchantment”, says Celina Veiga de Oliveira, now based in Portugal, were she is an History teacher and runs Editorial Tágide, publisher of Ana Paula Cabral’s trilogy. While living in Macau, Celina Veiga de Oliveira was the cultural adviser to the last Portuguese governor of Macau. She was also director of the Environment Council, a Macau History teacher, author of many books and television programs about Macau. Already dreaming with the success of the book, the author of the trilogy plans an English version and a movie about the second volume, taking place in the East. “If this book will have the same success of other similar books of the magic universe, this book could easily be made into a movie directed by a Chinese director”, points out the author. “Actually, I am writing it in a way that the book can be a movie script”, she adds. Prior to venturing into writing, the former news anchor from the Portuguese television RTP took part in many investigation journalism programs and presented the successful program Bombordo, about the sea, which had taken her to Macau before. Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) supports many familiarization visits from opinion makers, including journalists, travel trade operators, scholars and other areas of activity, as a way to promote Macau to the world. Last year, MGTO invited close to five thousand people in fam tours.
…