Entering its 20th edition, Macau International Fireworks Display Contest to lift its curtain in mid September

Wynn Macau – 20th Macau International Fireworks Displays Contest will be held on September 13, 14, 20, 27 and October 1 at the sea area in front of the Macau Tower. The Macau International Fireworks Display Contest, organized by Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), has always been an important event. This year Wynn Macau continues to be the title sponsor for the Macau International Fireworks Display Contest. MGTO Director João Manuel Costa Antunes and Wynn Macau President Ian Coughlan attended the press conference today. Antunes expressed that diversification is the key direction for the tourism development of Macau. While continuing to employ the promotional theme “Experience Macau” under the slogan “A World of Difference, the Difference is Macau”, this year MGTO has introduced a series of promotions for visitors to experience Macau with the five senses “See, Taste, Touch, Feel and Hear”. “I believe the annual Fireworks Display Contest would satisfy the audience’s senses of “See” and “Hear” while bringing wonderful memories to visitors and citizens,” he added. Wynn Macau – 20th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest will be held on September 13, 14, 20, 27 and October 1 at the sea area in front of the Macau Tower. As two dates of the contest, September 14 and October 1 fall on Mid Autumn Festival and China’s National Day, teams from Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia and China will deploy their skills to add extra sparkle to the celebrations. This year again, each participating team is requested to complement their display with music to enthrall the audience with a light and sound spectacular. To enhance the enjoyment, the organizer will install sound systems at the waterfront of the Macau Tower Outdoor Plaza, at the Macau Tower Street seaside and at the square in front of Kun Iam Statue on Ave. Dr Sun Yat Sen so that the public can enjoy synchronized music to the spectacular displays. In past years, world renowned pyrotechnic companies have participated in the Macau International Fireworks Display Contest. Likewise, 10 teams from various countries and regions were invited to take part this year again. To celebrate this 20th edition, MGTO has purposely invited teams with distinguished performances in international contests. A number of teams joining the contest this year have won championships before in Macau, including a two-time champion from Japan and winning teams from Portugal and France. The team from Australia, the company of which was restructured and renamed last year, has also won here before. The teams from Germany, the United Kingdom and China were also 1st runners up while the other teams all have excellent skills in fireworks production and displays. The Macau International Fireworks Display Contest has gained worldwide recognition for the quality of the participating teams, the scale and the performance standard of the contest. The contest this year features ten teams from Germany, Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Chinese Taiwan, the Philippines, France, Australia and China. Tamaya Art Pyro Technics from Japan won the championship in the Macau International Fireworks Display Contest in 2004 and 2005. They employ the latest techniques in producing fireworks and perform more than 150 fireworks shows a year in China, the United States and Europe. Brezac-Artifices from France is no stranger to the fireworks display contest and won the championship in 2006. Established in 1965, the company has been very active in France since the 80’s and in recent years has added multimedia elements to their fireworks shows. Macedo & Companhia Pirotecnia, Lda. of Portugal, who won the contest in 2000, was listed on the Guinness Book of World Records for launching the largest fireworks display consisting of 66,326 fireworks shells on December 31, 2006. To enhance the quality and attractiveness of the contest, MGTO have increased the production subsidy and cash prizes to the fireworks teams. The production subsidy has been raised from US$17,500 to US$20,000. Cash prize to the winner has increased from US$6,000 to US$8,000, while prizes to the first and second runners-up have increased from US$3,200 to US$4,000, and from US$1,800 to US$2,500 respectively. Macau’s tourism industry has entered a new phase and is moving towards diversification. During the first five months of this year, visitor arrivals reached almost 12.6 million, a growth of 17.4%. As of 2007, the market share of international visitors among total arrivals was 9.3%, and for the first five months of this year, the figure has increased to 10.5%, showing healthy progress towards diversification of source markets. It is expected more and more visitors from various markets will come for the fireworks display in Macau. MGTO will spare no effort to bring about the world’s most prominent international fireworks display to visitors and at the same time, will promote the fireworks display contest through various international, regional and local media channels, major media and travel magazines in Guangdong, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Macau, as well as distribute posters and leaflets. MGTO and the General Union of Neighbors Association of Macau will again jointly present the Fireworks Carnival to offer an array of live entertainment, cultural activities and culinary delights on the fireworks display nights. In order to capture the spectacular moments of the fireworks display contest, photo and drawing competitions will be held again this year. Wynn Macau – 20th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest Photo Competition and Wynn Macau – 20th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest Drawing Competition will invite entries soon. The winners of the two competitions will be entitled to premiums and trophies.