News

Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total merchandise export for March 2019 amounted to MOP1.19 billion, up by 15.5% year-on-year. Value of re-exports (MOP1.07 billion) increased by 22.2%, with that of Beauty, cosmetic & skin-care products and Optical instruments surging by 360.9% and 178.4% respectively. Meanwhile, value of domestic exports (MOP115 million) dropped by 23.9%, with that of Copper & articles thereof falling by 35.2%. Total merchandise import fell by 3.3% year-on-year to MOP7.24 billion, of which imports of Construction materials, Mobile phones and Food & beverages declined by 47.0%, 18.0% and 15.0% respectively, whereas imports of Beauty, cosmetic & skin-care products and Garments & footwear expanded by 31.0% and 19.4% respectively. Merchandise trade deficit in March totalled MOP6.05 billion.
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Supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China, organized by Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and coordinated by Macau Travel Agency Association, the 7th Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo (referred to as the “Expo” or “MITE”) culminated in success on Sunday (28 April). The exhibition area doubled from last year to accommodate more exhibitors from a greater number of countries and regions. The three-day event drew a total of 33,944 visitors along with 318 hosted buyers and 154 industry buyers who participated in over 7,000 business matching sessions with exhibitors. 34 agreements were signed in total at MITE. Many countries, cities and tourism-related enterprises leveraged the platform to carry out their own promotions at MITE, which facilitated 29 destination promotions. The Expo will keep moving towards becoming Macao’s annual international travel fair brand, endeavoring to garner sound reputation and professional recognition to deliver more far-reaching impact internationally, in support of building Macao into a world centre of tourism and leisure.
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To gear up for the 1^st May Labor Day holiday (1^st – 4^th May) of Mainland China, Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) is carrying out a range of proactive measures. The Office encourages visitors to capitalize on the smart tool for visitor flow forecast and the official mobile app, as well as follow MGTO’s official WeChat ID. The Office also allocates personnel to handle enquiries and assist in visitor flow diversion at various locations, distributes food guides, supports entities to organize festive and holiday activities, carries out more rigorous inspections and give reminders to industry operators, among other measures. The above measures aim to meet the needs of local residents and visitors and continuously optimize the tourism environment and service quality in the industry.
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To strengthen industry management continuously and make pertinent deployment for the 1^st May Labor Day holiday of Mainland China, Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) joins hands with the Public Security Police Force (PSP) and the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) to conduct joint inspections targeting different spots before and during the holiday, besides sending undercover inspectors on patrol, to enhance the level of supervision at ports of entry and tourist attractions. The above measures are taken to combat the operation of allegedly-unlicensed tour guides, shoulder the responsibility for industry management and ensure orderly operation in the tourism industry, thus safeguarding visitor rights and the destination image of Macao.
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Consumer Council conducted its specific price survey on tissue papers, over-the-counter drugs, and milk powder on 29 April for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Results of the mentioned survey has been uploaded to the Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo), it is also available on the Council’s “Posto das Informações de Preços em Macau” iPhone and Android apps, as well as on the Council’s WeChat account page.
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“Art Macao”, a five-month mega international arts and culture event, will be held this summer. From June to October, this grand cultural and artistic festival features a series of artistic events, including a number of international art exhibitions, performances, international youth festivals and visual arts exhibitions of Macao higher education institutions, which form an arts festival of unprecedented scale and offer a new artistic and cultural experience to residents and tourists.
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The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym) of the Macao SAR Government organized a delegation of ten local cultural and creative groups to participate in the 14^th China (Yiwu) Cultural Products Trade Fair (hereunder referred to as “CCPF”) in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province, from 27 to 30 April. The Macao Creative Pavilion was set up to showcase Macao’s cultural and creative products and services, in a bid to explore more business opportunities and expand the sales channels for the city’s cultural and creative industries.
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In order to meet the demand of the tourism industry for high calibre talents, the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) plans to launch four Postgraduate Diploma, four MSc and one PhD programmes for the new academic year after approval is obtained from relevant authorities. These programmes will help Macao to develop into the "tourism education and training base of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area", cultivate high calibre talents, and improve the service and management capacity and the overall competitiveness of the destination.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that both the general unemployment rate (1.7%) and the unemployment rate of local residents (2.3%) for January-March 2019 held steady from the previous period (December 2018-February 2019). Meanwhile, the underemployment rate (0.4%) dropped by 0.1 percentage point.
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