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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that a total of 277 MICE events were held in the third quarter of 2016, consisting of 257 meetings & conferences, 17 exhibitions and 3 incentive events. Total number of participants and attendees was 628,000. Number of meetings & conferences held in the third quarter increased by 6 year-on-year; number of participants rose by 93.4% to 45,000, with those participating in meetings & conferences with 200 participants or more soaring by 170.3% to 33,000 (73.0% of total). The average duration of the meetings & conferences was 1.4 days. Meanwhile, meetings & conferences of 4 hours or more decreased by 18 year-on-year to 171 (66.5% of total), yet number of participants surged by 119.5% to 37,000; the average duration of these meetings & conferences was 1.9 days. There were 17 exhibitions held in the third quarter, down by 12 year-on-year; number of attendees decreased by 41.9% to 577,000, with the 13 exhibitions organized by non-government organizations attracting 426,000. The average duration of the exhibitions was 3.5 days, up by 0.2 day year-on-year, and total floor area used dropped by 38.4% to 59,000 m2. Furthermore, 3 incentive events were held, drawing 5,712 participants; the average duration of the events was 3.7 days and total floor area used was 20,000 m2. In accordance with information collected from the organizers of 17 exhibitions in the third quarter, receipts of these exhibitions amounted to MOP 12.79 million, with rental of exhibition booths accounting for 78.8% of the total. Expenditure of the exhibitions totalled MOP 44.18 million, which was mainly incurred on production, construction & decoration (25.3%) and publicity & public relations (23.4%). Moreover, receipts of the 13 exhibitions organized by non-government organizers amounted to MOP 10.65 million, of which 74.5% came from rental of exhibition booths and merely 19.8% (MOP 2.11 million) were the financial support from government or other organizations. Expenditure of these exhibitions totalled MOP 12.58 million, mainly incurred on production, construction & decoration (31.0%) and publicity & public relations (28.4%). The 17 exhibitions together attracted 1,415 exhibitors, of which 31.6% came from Mainland China and 41.2% from Macao; professional visitors totalled 31,000, with those from Macao predominating at 70.5%. Exhibitors and professional visitors attending exhibitions organized by non-government organizations constituted 50.2% and 90.8% of the respective total. Information from 435 interviewed exhibitors in the third quarter indicated that 92.9% of their receipts were generated from sales of products, while rental paid for exhibition booth accounted for 65.6% of their expenditure. Regarding comments about the MICE venue and services, over 80.0% of the interviewed exhibitors that had used services rendered by local companies were satisfied with their services (84.7%) and arrangements (84.2%). Meanwhile, 83.3% of the interviewed exhibitors were satisfied with the language skills of the venue staff; 50.8% of the exhibitors were satisfied with the promotion of the exhibition while 24.2% considered that improvement was needed. In addition, 69.0% of the interviewed exhibitors were satisfied with the ease of access to the venue, while 10.3% considered that improvement was needed. In the first three quarters of 2016, a total of 905 MICE events were held, and total number of participants and attendees was 1,215,000. Number of meetings & conferences totalled 843, up by 16 year-on-year, and total number of participants rose by 37.7% to 106,000. Meetings & conferences of 4 hours or more decreased by 62 to 536, but number of participants increased by 31.0% to 77,000. Meanwhile, 39 exhibitions were held, down by 16 year-on-year, with number of attendees falling by 32.9% to 1,078,000; there were 34 exhibitions organized by non-government organizations and number of attendees (922,000) made up 85.5% of the total. Number of incentive events totalled 23, drawing 31,000 participants. In accordance with information collected from the organizers of 38 exhibitions in the first three quarters, receipts and expenditure of these exhibitions amounted to MOP 83.56 million and MOP 117 million respectively, with receipts (MOP 80.00 million) of the 33 exhibitions organized by non-government organizers being higher than their expenditure (MOP 59.52 million).
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Organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), the “The World in Colour and Ink – Collection of Feelings to Huangshan and Jingdezhen work exhibition” was inaugurated on 22 November, at 6pm, at the Mount Fortress Corridor. The opening ceremony was officiated by the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government, Ung Vai Meng; the Assistant of the Chief of the Department of Education and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao S.A.R., Shao Bin; and the President of the Macau Artist Society, Lai Ieng. This exhibition features artworks by 11 Macao artists who travelled to Huangshan in Anhui Province and Jingdezhen in Jiangxi Province to develop live works. Admission is free and all are welcome. Through creativity, the artists express their most genuine emotions and convey what they have seen and heard. Their works depict the spectacular landscapes of Huangshan and the unique appearance of Jingdezhen. Macao artists travelled to Huangshan and Jingdezhen to participate in drawing, painting and calligraphy exchange activities. This exhibition features a total of 33 pieces (sets) of Chinese painting, western painting and Chinese calligraphy, featuring three pieces of artworks from each artist. In addition, the artists’ experimental paintings on porcelain created during the trip to Huangshan and Jingdezhen, are also showcased in this exhibition for the first time. This exhibition is an extension of the Collective Exhibition of Macao Artists, which promotes local artists participation in an exchange programme of exhibitions in different provinces of Mainland China, aiming to facilitate artistic exchange between the art circles of Macao and other regions as well as to broaden Macao artists’ horizons. “The World in Colour and Ink – Collection of Feelings to Huangshan and Jingdezhen work exhibition” is held from 23 to 30 November 2016, at the Mount Fortress Corridor, located at Caminho dos Artilheiros, Beco dos Artilheiros, Macau, and is open daily from 7am to 7pm. Admission is free. For enquiries about the exhibition, please call IC through tel. no. 8988 4000 during office hours.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that visitor arrivals rose by 1.6% year-on-year to 2,678,447 in October 2016, an increase of 10.4% month-to-month attributable to the National Day holidays. Overnight visitors rose by 12.1% year-on-year to 1,370,967, accounting for 51.2% of the total, while same-day visitors dropped by 7.6% to 1,307,480. The average length of stay of visitors increased by 0.1 day year-on-year to 1.2 days; the average stay of overnight visitors and same-day visitors was 2.2 days and 0.2 day respectively. Visitors from Mainland China rose modestly by 0.4% year-on-year to 1,825,123 in October, of which those travelling under the Individual Visit Scheme increased by 9.1% to 864,046. Mainland visitors came mainly from Guangdong Province (801,452), Hunan Province (78,389) and Fujian Province (68,198). Visitors from the Republic of Korea (52,118), Hong Kong (514,273) and Taiwan (87,063) grew by 22.1%, 1.8% and 4.3% respectively. Long-haul visitors from the United States (16,988), Australia (8,854), Canada (7,503) and the United Kingdom (6,288) increased year-on-year. Analyzed by mode of transport, visitor arrivals by land increased by 3.7% year-on-year to 1,562,378; those arriving through the Border Gate (1,355,604) and the Checkpoint of Cotai (205,379) rose by 1.0% and 26.3% respectively. Visitor arrivals by sea decreased by 4.0% year-on-year to 914,876; those disembarking at the Outer Harbour (553,254) and the Provisional Ferry Terminal in Taipa (361,622) dropped by 1.8% and 0.7% respectively. Visitor arrivals by air increased by 13.1% year-on-year to 201,193, with 200,185 arriving at the airport. In the first ten months of 2016, visitor arrivals totalled 25,547,241, up slightly by 0.2% year-on-year; overnight visitors rose by 8.9% to 12,778,458 while same-day visitors dropped by 7.2% to 12,768,783. The average length of stay of visitors increased by 0.1 day year-on-year to 1.2 days; the average stay of overnight visitors rose by 0.1 day to 2.2 days while that of same-day visitors remained stable at 0.2 day. Visitors from Mainland China (16,962,619) and Hong Kong (5,309,751) decreased by 0.4% and 2.2% respectively year-on-year, while those from the Republic of Korea (529,572) and Taiwan (896,341) increased by 16.8% and 9.5%. Moreover, visitors from the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom registered year-on-year growth.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that value of retail sales for the third quarter of 2016 amounted to MOP 13.57 billion, down by 7.4% year-on-year, a slowdown from the declines in the first two quarters; meanwhile, value of retail sales rose by 3.2% compared with the revised figure of MOP 13.15 billion in the second quarter of 2016. Retail sales of Watches, Clocks & Jewellery accounted for 20.0% of the total retail sales, followed by sales of Goods in Department Stores (15.1%), Adults' Clothing (11.7%), Leather Goods (11.3%) and Goods in Supermarkets (7.7%). In comparison with the third quarter of 2015, notable decline was observed in the retail sales of Motor Vehicles (-38.7%) and Watches, Clocks & Jewellery (-21.2%) on account of slowdown in demand; meanwhile, sales of Goods in Supermarkets (-6.6%) and Goods in Department Stores (-5.8%) also decreased. On the other hand, sales of Leather Goods (+14.7%) and Automotive Fuels (+10.5%) showed marked growth. Value of retail sales for the first three quarters of 2016 totalled MOP 41.53 billion, down by 9.4% year-on-year. After removing the effect of price changes, volume of retail sales for the third quarter of 2016 rebounded by 3.4% quarter-to-quarter, with notable increase in sales of Motorcycles, Parts & Accessories (+31.2%), Automotive Fuels (+22.6%), Motor Vehicles (+16.3%) and Leather Goods (+12.1%); however, sales of Communication Equipment (-18.1%) and Furniture & Lighting (-18.1%) registered quarter-to-quarter decrease. Volume of retail sales decreased by 5.9% year-on-year in the third quarter. Sales volume of Motor Vehicles (-42.2%), Motorcycles, Parts & Accessories (-39.9%) and Watches, Clocks & Jewellery (-24.6%) recorded significant decline, while that of Leather Goods (+32.0%) and Automotive Fuels (+17.6%) showed marked increase. Volume of retail sales for the first three quarters of 2016 decreased by 7.6% year-on-year. In respect of retailers’ comments, 46.5% of the retailers anticipated that sales volume in the fourth quarter of 2016 will remain stable compared with the same quarter of 2015 while 45.1% forecasted a decrease and 8.4% expected an increase. Meanwhile, 80.0% of the retailers anticipated stable retail prices in the fourth quarter of 2016 compared to the same quarter of 2015, 14.3% expected a decrease, and 5.7% predicted an increase. Moreover, 42.0% of the retailers anticipated the business will worsen in the fourth quarter of 2016 compared with the third quarter, 32.4% expected the business to remain stable, and 25.6% expected an improvement.
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Consumer Council conducted its latest ‘Supermarket price survey’ in November on 22 November for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Surveyed locations included supermarkets at Lam Mau, Patane and San Kio areas in Santo António Parish. The latest ‘Supermarket Price Survey’ is now available on Consumer Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo), ‘Supermarket Price Information Platform’ iPhone and Android apps, and on the Council’s WeChat account page. The survey is also available free of charge at the offices of Consumer Council, IACM’s Iao Hon and S. Domingos Markets, bookstores and libraries. With reference to the local seven parishes and the number of supermarkets in each parish, the Council has divided around 100 supermarkets into 8 areas for price collection. The Council collects prices from these supermarkets for the provision of a more comprehensive database for consumers to check price discrepancies and make price comparisons according to their desired locations. For inquiry, please call 8988 9315.
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The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Leong Vai Tac, today said the Government was progressing with plans for a minimum wage system that would apply to all employees in Macao. Speaking to reporters this morning following a meeting of a Legislative Assembly committee, he stated the Government had not deviated from its goal of pressing ahead with creating a city-wide minimum wage system, within three years of the enactment of a law that has given such rights to cleaning staff and security workers. The Law on the Minimum Wage for Cleaning and Security Workers of the Property Management Industry came into force on 1 January, 2016. The Government has been closely monitoring and analysing the local situation regarding the implementation of a minimum wage for cleaning and security workers, said Mr Leong. Such an analysis would be a major reference point in order to introduce a system covering all sectors in Macao, he said. Under the current law, the hourly minimum wage for cleaners and security workers is set at 30 patacas. Their daily and monthly salary is set respectively at 240 patacas and 6,240 patacas.
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For the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June, Consumer Council on 22 November collects prices of fresh pork from wet markets and supermarkets for consumers’ reference. The mentioned data collected during 16 November to 22 November are used for comparing the average selling price of the same products from Zhuhai and Hong Kong. The relevant data has been uploaded to the Council’s website for consumers’ reference. The specific price surveys on fresh pork and vegetables are now available on the Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo), iPhone & Android ‘Supermarket Price Information Platform’ app, and the Council’s WeChat Account page. The relevant surveys include the average selling prices of local fresh pork and vegetables, and comparison on the respective the average selling prices rom Zhuhai, HK, and Macao. For enquiry, please call 8988 9315.
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Under the substantial adjustment of Gaming & Junket Activities, Gross Value Added of all economic activities of Macao declined by 21.9% year-on-year in real terms in 2015. With a decrease in Gross Value Added of Gaming & Junket Activities and an increase in that of Construction, the relative importance of the tertiary sector to the economy dropped from 94.9% in 2014 to 92.2% in 2015, while the share of the secondary sector rose from 5.1% to 7.8%. Analyzed by primary distribution of income, Taxes on Production and Imports, Operating Surplus and Compensation of Employees amounted to MOP95.4 billion, MOP156.4 billion and MOP104.9 billion respectively in 2015, accounting for 26.7%, 43.8% and 29.4% of GDP. Despite a significant drop in GDP in 2015, Compensation of Employees registered growth, bringing the relative importance of Compensation of Employees to GDP up by 7.5 percentage points year-on-year. Meanwhile, the shares of Operating Surplus and Taxes on Production and Imports dropped by 1.1 and 6.4 percentage points respectively. Changes in Gross Value Added of Economic Activities Gross Value Added of the secondary sector surged by 17.2% in real terms, with that of Construction growing by 19.0%, and that of Manufacturing and Electricity, Gas & Water Supply rising by 9.6% and 9.0% respectively in real terms. On the other hand, Gross Value Added of the tertiary sector decreased by 24.0% in real terms, due to a 35.6% plunge in that of Gaming & Junket Activities. Gross Value Added of Wholesale & Retail, Hotels & Similar Activities and Restaurants & Similar Activities dropped by 18.0%, 0.6% and 20.1% respectively in real terms, and that of Real Estate Activities and Renting & Business Activities fell by 7.1% and 18.5% respectively. Notwithstanding the substantial fall in Gross Value Added of the tertiary sector, some service industries still performed well, in which Gross Value Added of Financial Activities that include Banking, Insurance & Pension Funding went up by 8.9% in real terms, and that of Transport, Storage & Communications, Education and Health & Social Work grew by 3.1%, 6.8% and 8.0% respectively in real terms. Changes in Industrial Structure The relative importance of the secondary sector to total Gross Value Added (7.8%) increased by 2.7 percentage points year-on-year, in which the share of Construction (6.5%) grew by 2.4 percentage points and the shares of Electricity, Gas & Water Supply (0.7%) and Manufacturing (0.6%) both rose by 0.2 percentage points. The relative importance of the tertiary sector dropped from 94.9% in 2014 to 92.2% in 2015, down by 2.7 percentage points. The share of Gaming & Junket Activities tumbled by 10.4 percentage points to 48.0%, while the shares of other industries rose to different extents as their Gross Value Added increased, or decreased at a rate far smaller than that of Gaming & Junket Activities. The shares of Wholesale & Retail (5.6%) and Hotels & Similar Activities (3.8%), which are closely related to Gaming & Junket Activities, both went up by 0.4 percentage points, and the share of Restaurants & Similar Activities (1.8%) rose by 0.2 percentage points. Notable growth was observed in other industries, including: Real Estate Activities (10.0%) up by 1.5 percentage points, Banking (5.3%) up by 1.3 percentage points, Public Administration (4.2%) up by 1.2 percentage points, Transport, Storage & Communications (2.7%) up by 0.7 percentage points, and Education (1.8%) up by 0.5 percentage points.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the economy of Macao expanded by 4.0% year-on-year in real terms in the third quarter of 2016, the first positive quarterly growth recorded over the past two years, attributable to a rebound in both exports of services and investment. External demand showed improvement, leading to a pickup in exports of gaming services and exports of other tourism services, rising by 0.2% and 6.5% respectively year-on-year, an upswing from the second quarter (-9.9% and -6.0%); meanwhile, exports of goods decreased by 15.6%, a slowdown from the 24.7% drop in the second quarter. Domestic demand recovered, private consumption expenditure and investment grew by 0.3% and 2.3% respectively; meanwhile, government final consumption expenditure and imports of goods fell by 1.3% and 7.3% respectively. The implicit deflator of GDP, which measures the overall changes in prices, rose marginally by 0.2% year-on-year in the third quarter. Private consumption resumed growth. Sustained favourable employment situation and reduced inflationary pressures pushed private consumption expenditure up slightly by 0.3% year-on-year, ending its downward trend in the previous two quarters; nevertheless, expenditure on durable goods remained weak, revealing that households were still relatively cautious about spending on non-essential items. Household final consumption expenditure in the domestic market and abroad grew by 0.5% and 4.5% respectively. Government final consumption expenditure diminished, falling by 1.3% year-on-year, lower than the 6.1% growth in the second quarter. Compensation of employees increased by 2.2%, while net purchases of goods and services decreased by 4.9%. Investment gained momentum. Gross fixed capital formation, the gauge of investment, grew by 2.3% year-on-year, rebounding from the second quarter (-20.0%). Investment growth was underpinned by an increase in private investment. Private investment in construction and equipment increased by 1.3% and 11.2% respectively, resulting in a 2.4% rise in total private investment. Meanwhile, government investment rose by 1.8%, of which equipment investment grew by 17.5% but public construction edged down by 0.1%. Decline in merchandise trade tapered off. Overall demand stabilized, with private consumption, investment and visitor spending showing modest growth. Both imports and exports of goods decreased at a slower rate, by 7.3% and 15.6% respectively year-on-year, far lower than the 17.0% and 24.7% declines in the second quarter. Service trade returned to positive growth. Owing to increases in visitor arrivals and spending, exports of services grew by 3.3% year-on-year, putting an end to the downtrend over the past two years. Exports of gaming services and exports of other tourism services increased by 0.2% and 6.5% respectively. Meanwhile, imports of services rose by 6.2% year-on-year, improving from the 3.1% drop in the second quarter. In the first three quarters of 2016, the economy of Macao contracted by 5.4% in real terms. In terms of major GDP expenditure components, private consumption expenditure decreased by 1.6%, investment receded by 18.1%, exports and imports of goods dropped by 22.0% and 15.4% respectively; exports and imports of services shrank by 5.8% and 1.0% respectively, in which exports of gaming services and exports of other tourism services fell by 8.7% and 2.6% respectively; meanwhile, government final consumption expenditure rose by 1.6%, the only major expenditure component that registered growth. Economic growth for 2014 and 2015 was revised downwards from ­0.9% and -20.3% to -1.2% and -21.5% respectively, while the rate of growth for the first and second quarters of 2016 was revised upwards from -13.3% and -7.1% to -12.4% and -7.0% respectively.
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The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) is now calling for submission of information in order to publish the Macao Music Yearbook 2014 and the Macao Music Yearbook 2015. Local art associations or artists are welcome to provide relevant information starting from today until 26 January 2017, in order to facilitate the compilation of the yearbooks. With the growth of Macao’s classical music scene and artistic exchanges with other countries and regions, it is necessary to keep a detailed record of Macao’s artistic development. In recent years, the Cultural Affairs Bureau planned to compile the publication of three performing arts yearbooks in the field of Macao’s theatre, dance and music. Last year, with the support of art associations and performing arts practitioners, the related performing arts events and activities were documented systematically. In view of this, IC keeps on collecting information for the Macao Music Yearbook 2014 and the Macao Music Yearbook 2015. These yearbooks will document the performing art activities held in the past two years, featuring information on classical music, jazz, and musical theatre, among other areas, as well as information of local and overseas concerts, competitions, master classes, workshops, courses, seminars, exchanges and exhibitions, research and related publications (such as books, periodicals, scripts, dissertation and critiques), photos, videos and so forth, based on its objectivity and authenticity. As the yearbooks involve a vast scope of materials, associations and individuals, IC is now gathering relevant information for the Macao Music Yearbook 2014 and 2015 in order to prevent the omission of any data and ensure the integrity of the data. All interested parties in providing the aforementioned information may download application forms at the webpage https://sites.google.com/site/macaomusicyearbook20142015/ or obtain them at the Cultural Affairs Bureau Building in person. Applicants may submit the completed application form by fax to 2847 3747 or by email to musicyearbook1415@gmail.com. Submission of documents can also be made by post or in person at the Cultural Affairs Bureau Building located at the Tap Siac Square. For enquiries, please contact Ms. Lee or Mr. Cheong through tel. no. 6629 6463, during office hours.
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