News

The Monetary Authority of Macao (AMCM) is aware of the latest announcement on a final rule concerning Banco Delta Asia as a ‘primary money laundering concern’. Regarding the decision of the United States Department of the Treasury, AMCM expresses its deep regret. The MSAR Government will soon make an official response. In response to the development, Banco Delta Asia will continue to be under the management of the MSAR Government. Under any circumstances, the MSAR Government will take necessary measures to protect the interests of depositors and safeguard the stability of the financial system.
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To celebrate the World Forest Day, Macao Post announced that a Temporary Post Counter will be set up at Senado Square, at 9H00 to 18H00 on 21st March 2007 providing the commemorative cancellation service for the “World Forest Day”. A commemorative envelope will be distributed to public, and various philatelic products will also be available for sale during the above activity. Besides, Macao Post will distribute the above-mentioned envelope on 14th to 20th March 2007 at Macao Post Headquarters and all post offices. Welcome to visit and collect Macao Stamps.
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The Macao Special Administrative Region Gazette today announced the establishment the Office for the Protection of Personal Data, effective today The Office, under the supervision of the Chief Executive, consists of a director and a subdirector, and will be responsible for making the relevant regulations and the monitoring of the execution of such regulations.
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The stability of Macao’s financial sector and depositors’ rights would be protected when the Government announces a solution to the Banco Delta Asia incident in the future, the President of the Monetary Authority of Macao, Mr Anselmo Teng, said today. A press release issued today by the Authority quoted Mr Teng as saying that the Government had been making great efforts in dealing with the incident and had been keeping in close touch with representatives of the Government of the United States of America. An administrative committee, whose members were appointed by the Government, is currently running Banco Delta Asia. The committee’s duty would cease at the end of this month and the Government would consider whether it is necessary to extends its term.
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Macau received the Future Award 2007, for being considered the most promising future tourism destination in Asia, voted by 26,000 German travel trade members of GoAsia. The result was announced during ITB Berlin, the world’s leading travel trade show, that closed Sunday at the German capital. “The GoAsia Awards are very prestigious. Macau being chosen among so many other possibilities is a great honor for us. The award shows that the German travel trade is aware about the changes going on in Macau”, said Macau Government Tourist Office deputy director, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, head of the Macau delegation to ITB. The winners were voted on-line by GoAsia members, an association that includes tour operators, airline companies, among many others. The Future Award category was given this year for the first time. “This new category is to reward those who innovated. Macau was able to transform completely its tourist offer, with its European roots it is acquiring a very modern face”, pointed out Frank Grafenstein, communications director of GoAsia, during the ceremony held Friday on the sidelines of ITB. Other categories of the GoAsia annual awards include the Best Tourism Board, Best Travel Agency, Best Airline Company and Best Destination in Asia. GoAsia was created in 2003, after SARS to regain the trust of German tourists – known as the “World champions of travel” – to visit Asia.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that visitor arrivals in package tours totalled 327,611 in January 2007, up by 63.3% year-on-year. Visitors from Mainland China (239,703), Hong Kong (24,361) and Taiwan, China (17,089) reported remarkable growths of 48.2%, 207.7% and 77.0% respectively compared with January 2006. As the 2006 Chinese New Year holidays fell in January, the number of Macao residents travelling in package tours in January 2007 dropped significantly by 63.5% year-on-year to 10,603. Mainland China; Thailand; and Japan were the three more popular tour itineraries, which accounted for 70.2%, 9.6% and 5.3% of the total respectively. Meanwhile, 23,607 residents travelled under own arrangements using services provided by travel agencies, a decrease of 26.4% over January 2006. Hong Kong (42.7%); Mainland China (28.2%); and Taiwan, China (15.8%) were the major destinations. At the end of January 2007, number of guest rooms available in the hotel industry registered an increase of 1,907 rooms (+17.3%) year-on-year to 12,922 rooms. In January 2007, a total of 429,669 guests checked into hotels and similar establishments, representing a notable year-on-year growth of 31.3%. The average hotel occupancy rate grew by 7.3 percentage points to 71.8%, with 4-star hotels leading at 79.2%. The average length of stay of hotel guests increased by 0.04 night to 1.20 nights. The majority of the guests came from Mainland China (53.6%) and Hong Kong (25.8%). In January 2007, hotel guests (excluding Macao residents) accounted for 41.4% of the total number of tourists, which was higher than the 39.3% recorded in January 2006.
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Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) is promoting the city at the ITB Berlin, the world’s leading travel trade show that opened today with close to 11,000 exhibitors from some 180 countries and territories. MGTO has chosen business tourism as the main focus for the Macau promotion at the 41st edition of ITB, as the Macau SAR government is actively driving developments in the conventions and exhibitions area, following the opening of new hotels and other tourism infrastructures, equipped with stat-of-the-art meeting and exhibition areas. In addition to the delegation headed by MGTO deputy director, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, the Macau booth also hosts representatives from The Venetian, Mandarin Oriental, Galaxy, Macau Tower and TurboJET, who are there to promote their products and make business contacts. The decoration of the Macau booth at the 41st ITB is a replica of the façade of the building of the Macau Business Tourism Center. On Friday it will stage a Macau Cocktail for tourism professionals and media. This year, the Macau booth offers to the visitors an opportunity to have their profile cut in paper or their name written in Chinese characters through the hands of two Macau artists, Wong Cheong Tao and Wong Chung Hung, father and son, invited by MGTO to participate in ITB. Throughout the five days of the exhibition, which closes on Sunday, official representatives from travel destinations, hotels, tour operators, travel books publishers, cruise organizers, on-line suppliers, among many others, participate in the world’s major annual concentration of tourist products and services. In parallel, another major annual happening takes place, the ITB Convention Market Trends & Innovations, among many other events. Last year, ITB achieved a new record, welcoming more than 162 thousand visitors, a 14.5 increase, and 10,856 exhibitors, 4.3 percent more, compared to the previous edition. This press release is available at: http://www.macautourism.gov.mo
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The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, expressed his warmest regards and wishes from Macao to Mr Ma Man Kei when visited him in hospital in Beijing this afternoon. The Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Mr Ma is hospitalised in the People's Liberation Army General Hospital (301 Military Hospital). Mr Ho was accompanied by the Chief of the Office of Chief Executive Ho Veng On, on the visit. The Chief Executive is in Beijing to attend the opening of the Fifth Plenary Session of the Tenth National People's Congress held this morning. He is scheduled to return to Macao tonight.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah left today for Beijing to attend the opening of the Fifth Plenary Session of the Tenth National People's Congress. When asked by the media at the Macao International Airport before his departure, Mr Ho said he would probably not meet with State leaders this time as he had recently met them on his duty visit. He said he would visit the Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Mr Ma Man Kei, who is hospitalised. During Mr Ho's absence, the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Florinda Chan, will act as Chief Executive.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, is scheduled to leave for Beijing on Sunday (4 March) to attend Monday’s opening of the Fifth Plenary Session of the Tenth National People's Congress. During Mr Ho’s absence, the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Florinda Chan, will act as Chief Executive.
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