News

Experts from consumer organizations of China, Portugal, Hong Kong and the President of United Nation's International Advisory Group of Experts on Consumer Protection were invited by Macao Consumer Council to participate in an experience exchange forum to discuss the development of consumer arbitration system. A feature on this forum is included in issue no. 236 of Consumer Report. To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the establishment of 'Consumer Arbitration Centre', series of events such as carnivals and online quiz were launched to promote the services of Consumer Arbitration Centre. An exchange forum on 'Arbitration and Consumer Dispute Resolution' was also held on 12th March, invitees included representatives from China Consumers' Association, Portugal Directorate-General of Consumer (Direcção Geral do Consumidor de Portugal), Association for Consumer Protection of Portugal (Defesa do Consumidor de Portugal), Information and Arbitration Centre of Porto (Centro de Informação de Consumo e Arbitragem do Porto), Hong Kong Consumer Council, and the President of United Nation's International Advisory Group of Experts on Consumer Protection were invited to exchange opinions and experiences regarding their works in consumer protection, especially the resolution of consumer disputes through fast, harmonious and legal means of mediation and arbitration. An excerpt of the contents of the exchange forum is available in the current issue of Consumer Report. Consumer Report is now available free of charge at Consumer Council (Av. Horta e Costa, N.º 24-A, Edf. Cheung Heng, R/C), and the service counter of Consumer Council at Macao SAR Government Service Centre (Rua Nova da Areia Preta, Nº52), Public Information Centre at Vicky Plaza, libraries and bookstores. Consumers may also access the resources online on the Council's official website (http://www.consumer.gov.mo). For enquiries, please call 8988 9315.
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Consumer Council's telephone system will be under maintenance from 5:45PM, 16th May to 19th May. Telephone inquiry and complaint voice recording services will be available as usual. The Council's telephone system will be under maintenance from 5:45 PM, 16th May to 19th May and measures have been taken by the Council. Telephone inquiry and complaint voice recording services will be available as usual during the above-mentioned public holiday and non-working hours but recording services may be affected due to certain circumstances. Consumer Council apologizes for any inconvenience that may arises to consumers.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the total population was estimated at 586,300 as at end-March 2013, an increase of 4,300 quarter-to-quarter; female population totalled 304,000, accounting for 51.9% of the total. There were 1,609 live births delivered in the first quarter of 2013, a significant decrease of 500 quarter-to-quarter (-23.7%). Male babies totalled 890 and the gender ratio of the newborn stood at 123.8, corresponding to 123.8 male babies per 100 female. Meanwhile, there were 488 mortality cases, an increase of 44 quarter-to-quarter; the top three underlying causes of death were Neoplasms (177 cases), Diseases of the Circulatory System (109 cases) and Diseases of the Respiratory System (89 cases). In the first quarter of 2013, there were 680 Chinese immigrants and the individuals granted right of abode registered a net inflow of 92, down by 95 and 133 quarter-to-quarter. Non-resident workers totalled 114,716 at the end of the first quarter, an increase of 4,164. A total of 1,168 cases of marriage registration were recorded in the first quarter, up by 186 quarter-to-quarter.
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Five projects have been selected for the 13th round of Cultural Affairs Bureau Academic Research Grants supported by the Macao Special Administrative Region. The Cultural Affairs Bureau Academic Research Grants are aimed at supporting academic research projects in the humanities that will make a significant and original contribution to the understanding of Macao and Macao's relationship with China and other countries. This semester, the following projects were chosen from among proposals received between June 1 and November 30, 2012: 1. The Life of the British in Macao during 1780-1840, by Yu Po Ching, PhD in History at the Tsing Hua University of Taiwan and postdoctoral research fellow at the University's Institute of History. 2. A Study on the History of Translation in Modern Macao, by Li Chang Sen, PhD in History at Jinan University, China, and professor at the Macao Polytechnic Institute (retired). 3. A Study on the Calligraphy and Seal Cutting Art of Lam Kan (1923-2004), by Lau Ho Man, PhD in the History of Chinese Art at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. 4. The Sculpture, Painting and Decorative Arts of Macao during the Time of Portuguese Administration (1557-1911), by Pedro Dias, PhD in Art History at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Coimbra and professor at the University (retired). 5. French Travellers and Their Journeys in Macao (1623-1900), by Ivo Manuel Veiga Carneiro de Sousa, PhD in History at the University of Porto, Portugal. For more information on the Cultural Affairs Bureau Academic Research Grants, please visit the Cultural Affairs Bureau website: www.icm.gov.mo.
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Consumer Council conducted its specific price survey on biscuits on 14th May for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12th June. Result of the mentioned survey has been uploaded to the Council's website (www.consumer.gov.mo) and is available in the Council's 'Supermarket Price Information Platform' iPhone and Android apps. For inquiry, please call the Council's hotline: 8988 9315.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that visitor arrivals in package tours decreased by 2.0% year-on-year to 739,091 in March 2013. Package tour visitors mainly came from Mainland China (533,170), with 199,991 coming from Guangdong Province, followed by those from Taiwan, China (45,703); Hong Kong (41,859) and the Republic of Korea (40,738). In the first quarter of 2013, visitors in package tours totalled 2,297,333, up by 11.8% year-on-year. As the long Easter holiday fell in March this year, local residents travelling outbound using services of travel agencies increased by 24.0% year-on-year to 117,828; those travelling in package tours totalled 43,454, with Mainland China, the Republic of Korea and Taiwan, China being the main destinations. In the first quarter of 2013, outbound residents increased by 27.0% year-on-year to 365,530, of which 134,295 travelled in package tours. There were 100 hotels and guesthouses operating at the end of March 2013, providing 28,125 rooms, up by 26.3% year-on-year; guest rooms of 5-star hotels accounted for 66.4% of the total. In March 2013, the hotels and guesthouses received 915,766 guests, up by 20.4% year-on-year. The average length of stay of guests held stable from a year earlier at 1.4 nights. The majority of guests came from Mainland China (57.4% of total) and Hong Kong (18.2%). Due to an increase of 5,853 guest rooms year-on-year, the average occupancy rate of hotels and guesthouses decreased by 6.3 percentage points to 78.7%, with that of 4-star hotels at 83.4%. In the first quarter of 2013, number of guests increased by 15.7% year-on-year to 2,523,435; the average occupancy rate stood at 79.6%, down by 3.6 percentage points. In the first quarter of 2013, visitor-guests took up 69.7% of the total number of overnight visitors, higher than the 64.3% in the same period of 2012.
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The Monetary Authority of Macao announced today that the preliminary estimate of Macao SAR's foreign exchange reserves amounted to MOP128.9 billion (USD16.12 billion) at the end of April 2013. The reserves fell by 0.8% from the revised value of MOP129.9 billion (USD16.25 billion) for the previous month. When compared with a year earlier, the reserves dropped by MOP1.5 billion or 1.1%. Macao SAR's foreign exchange reserves at end-April 2013 represented 16 times the currency in circulation or 133.0% of Pataca M2 at end-March 2013. The trade-weighted effective exchange rate index for the pataca, a gauge of the domestic currency's exchange rates against the currencies of Macao's major trading partners, fell by 0.13 points month-to-month but rose by 1.15 points year-on-year to 98.12 in April 2013. For enquiry, please contact:
Research and Statistics Department, Monetary Authority of Macao (Tel: 83952532; Fax: 28353042)
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The Monetary Authority of Macao released today the credit card statistics for the first quarter of 2013. The total number of personal credit cards in circulation was 668,966 at the end of March 2013, equivalent to an increase of 3.1% over a quarter earlier. The numbers of Pataca (MOP) cards, Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) cards and Renminbi (RMB) cards were 483,940, 72,461 and 112,565 respectively. MOP cards, HKD cards and RMB cards witnessed respective growth of 2.8%, 2.1% and 5.0% quarter-to-quarter. Compared with a year ago, MOP cards and HKD cards rose 13.9% and 7.6% respectively, while RMB cards registered an upsurge of 35.1% mainly driven by a marked 36.8% growth of MOP/RMB dual-currency cards. As at end-March 2013, credit card credit limit granted by banks in Macao reached MOP11.4 billion, up 5.1% from end-December 2012. Credit card receivables amounted to MOP1.5 billion while the rollover amount totalled MOP492.2 million, accounting for 33.1% of credit card receivables. The delinquency ratio, i.e. the ratio of delinquent amount overdue for more than three months to credit card receivables, edged up to 0.66%. For the first quarter of 2013, the credit card turnover dropped 6.7% quarter-to-quarter to MOP3.2 billion. The cash advance turnover was MOP152.3 million, accounting for 4.8% of total credit card turnover. Credit card repayments, in which payments for interest and fees are included, went up 10.0% from the previous quarter to MOP3.5 billion.
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The 15th International Exhibition of Food & Drink, Hotel, Restaurant & Food Service Equipment, Supplies & Services (HOFEX 2013), Asia´s largest biennial food and hospitality trade show, was held from May 7 to 10, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Organized by the Hong Kong Exhibition Services Ltd., HOFEX 2013 occupied a venue of over sixty thousand square metres spread over 3 floors, with 13 pavilions, to showcase more than 1,900 international suppliers and distributors of food, beverages, foodservice equipment, hospitality design and technology, from over 40 countries. The event attracted hotel and restaurant owners and senior management, as well as executive chefs from all over the world, looking for catering and hospitality sources. Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) set up a Macao Pavilion at the venue, with the participation of 34 enterprises, including 26 local enterprises and 8 Portuguese enterprises, being the latter organized by the "Associação de Jovens Empresários Portugal-China (AJEPC)". With an area of 342 square metres, products on display at the Macao Pavilion included table wine, coffee, food and souvenirs, ice cream, brown sugar products, hotel bedding and disposable tableware. Through the Macao Pavilion, IPIM promoted the business environment in Macao, the services provided by IPIM, the Macao Ideas (Macao Products Exhibition Centre), "One-Stop Service" for MICE Bidding and Support in Macao, as well as the Macao Franchise Expo 2013 (MFE 2013) to be held in July and the 18th MIF to take place in October this year, among various events in Macao. The 46-member Macao Business Delegation attended the opening ceremony of HOFEX 2013. Mrs. Irene V. K. Lau, Executive Director of IPIM, was invited to participate and to preside over the opening ceremony together with such distinguished guests as Prof. Chan Ka-keung, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of Hong Kong SAR Government, Dr. Peter Lam Kin-ngok, Chairman of Hong Kong Tourism Board and Mr. Daniel Cheung, General Manager of Hong Kong Exhibition Services Ltd. In addition to visiting the Macao Pavilion and various exhibitions, members of the Macao Business Delegation also took part in business matching sessions in the food, dairy products, table wine, kitchenware and tableware sectors. Members of the delegation represented the following business associations in Macao: Industrial Association of Macau, Macau Union Suppliers Association, Macau Association of Retailers & Tourism Services, China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries Culture, Art and Economy Promotional Association, the Industry and Commerce Association of Macau, Association of Macao Tourist Agents, Macau Youth Entrepreneurs Association, etc. Through this one-stop international sourcing platform, Macao entrepreneurs had the opportunity to exchange trade information and carry out business talks for procurement of goods and services.
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Consumer Council conducted its specific price survey on shampoo and shower gel on 9th May for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12th June. Result of the mentioned survey has been uploaded to the Council's website (www.consumer.gov.mo) and is available in the Council's 'Supermarket Price Information Platform' iPhone and Android apps. For inquiry, please call the Council's hotline: 8988 9315.
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