News

Owing to the ash cloud caused by the volcano eruption in Chile, Macao Post announced that mail delivery services (including Correspondence, Printed Matters, Small Packet, Parcel and EMS) from Macao to Chile and Uruguay are subject to delay until further notice. Thank you for your kind attention.
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The Monetary Authority of Macao announced today that the preliminary estimate of Macao SAR's foreign exchange reserves amounted to MOP215.8 billion (USD26.94 billion) at the end of May 2011. The reserves rose by 3.5% from the revised value of MOP208.4 billion (USD26.04 billion) for the previous month. When compared with a year earlier, the reserves increased by MOP57.5 billion or 36.4%. Macao SAR's foreign exchange reserves at end-May 2011 represented 38 times the currency in circulation or 299.5% of Pataca M2 at end-April 2011. 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 and 4.76 points year-on-year to 87.03 in May 2011.
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The Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Wang Guangya, arrived in Macao today for a three-day working visit. Mr Wang arrived at the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal in the afternoon and proceeded to a working meeting with the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, principal officials and heads of legislature and judiciary, at the Government Headquarters. During the meeting, Mr Chui extended gratitude to the Office's support to Macao and briefed Mr Wang on the Government's policies and latest developments. Mr Chui said that with the support of the Central Government, Macao continued to implement policies to enhance the people's livelihood and promote the facilitation of public administration and the legal system. It continued to steer Macao into a global tourism leisure hub, diversify Macao's industrial portfolio, enhance the harmony of the community and push forward the implementation of the principle of 'One country, two systems'. Mr Wang said that the Office would continue to implement the Central Government's principles and policies concerning Hong Kong and Macao and, with the concerted efforts of people from all walks of life, would spare no efforts in the implementation of the principle of 'One country, two systems' in Macao. He said the Third-term Macao SAR Government had worked tirelessly and proactively, and had a good beginning, and that it was evident that Macao had made achievements since the establishment of the Macao SAR. He said the Government had acted proactively in different areas, such as in enhancing the livelihood of the people and maintaining social stability, and that the Central Government had a positive appraisal towards the work of the Macao SAR Government. Mr Chui hosted a reception for Mr Wang after the working meeting. Mr Wang is scheduled to visit different areas of Macao tomorrow and exchange views with representatives from all walks of life tomorrow afternoon.
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To actively stimulate tourism development, the Macau Government Tourist Office first launched the "Plan to Support Macau Tourism Industry" in May 2009. Under this Plan, the "Strategic MICE Market Stimulation Program" has been well received by the local business tourism industry. Due to its favourable impact, the Macau Government Tourist Office will extend the program from July 1 to December 31 of 2011 to help attract more international MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Convention, Exhibition) events to be held in Macau. In 2010, a total of 1,399 MICE events were held in Macau, an increase of 184 (+15%) compared with 2009. The average duration increased from 2.0 days in 2009 to 2.5 days; while the number of participants and attendees reached 806,135, up by 41% year-on-year. Among these events, 57 exhibitions attracted 656,303 participants and attendees; with average duration extended from 3.1 days to 4.3 days. Meetings & conferences accounted for 1,342, with average duration increased from 2.0 days to 2.4 days, while number of participants totaled 149,832. The "Strategic MICE Market Stimulation Program" that MGTO introduced in May 2009 included three categories: Meetings and Conventions, Exhibitions and Incentives. From May 18 of 2009 to May 6 of 2011, the program has supported a total of 246 events, which included 95 meetings and conventions, 47 exhibitions and 104 incentive travel events with a cumulative 1.1 million participants, involving a financial support of MOP$49.6 million. In addition, 38 upcoming events have enrolled in the program, which include 6 meetings and conventions, 20 exhibitions and 12 incentive travel events with an estimation of 640,000 participants and involving a financial support budget of around MOP$29.5 million. The budget for the program extension from July to December 31 of 2011 is estimated at MOP$27 million.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that visitor arrivals in package tours decreased by 5.0% year-on-year to 543,679 in April 2011. Visitors from Mainland China (408,461), Thailand (12,959) and Japan (9,233) decreased by 4.9%, 14.7% and 45.3% respectively. On the contrary, visitors from Taiwan, China (27,491); Hong Kong (24,718) and Republic of Korea (18,546) increased by 11.9%, 9.4% and 23.5% respectively. In the first four months of 2011, visitor arrivals in package tours decreased by 2.7% year-on-year to 1,951,555. In April 2011, Macao residents travelling outbound in package tours increased by 3.8% year-on-year to 18,619, with Mainland China (82.1% of total); Thailand (4.1%) and Taiwan, China (3.9%) being the most popular tour itineraries; however, outbound residents in package tour to Japan decreased substantially by 97.9%. At the same time, outbound residents travelling under own arrangements using services of travel agencies increased notably by 26.3% year-on-year to 46,275; the main destinations were Mainland China (37.7% of total); Hong Kong (24.3%); and Taiwan, China (22.8%). In the first four months of 2011, outbound residents in package tours (73,617) and those travelling under own arrangements using services of travel agencies (172,815) increased by 6.0% and 25.8% respectively year-on-year. At the end of April 2011, total number of available guest rooms of hotels and guest-houses increased by 577 (+2.9%) year-on-year to 20,148 rooms, with that of 5-star hotels (12,041) accounting for 59.8% of the total. Hotels and guest-houses received 675,836 guests in April 2011, up by 1.7% year-on-year, with the majority coming from Mainland China (53.4% of total) and Hong Kong (20.9%). The average length of stay of guests held stable at 1.4 nights, same as in April 2010. The average occupancy rate of hotels and guest-houses was 84.5%, up by 3.6 percentage points year-on-year. Average occupancy rate of hotels stood at 85.2%, with 4-star hotels leading at 89.6%, and the average for 5-star hotels was 83.6%. Hotel guests increased by 1.9% year-on-year to 2,594,832 in the first four months of 2011; average occupancy rate of hotels and guest-houses stood at 81.9%, up by 2.3 percentage points compared with 79.6% a year earlier. In the first four months of 2011, visitor-guests of hotels and guest-houses accounted for 61.0% of the total number of tourists (overnight visitors), higher than 60.6% in the same period of 2010.
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On 18th June at 8:00pm, the Macao Orchestra will perform the concert "Twilight of a Great Era" in the Macao Cultural Centre's Grand Auditorium. The evening of Romantic classics features the Macao Orchestra premiere of Sergei Rachmaninoff's symphonic masterpiece Symphony No. 2 in E minor and the Macao debut of Italian violinist Paulo Morena, who will perform Max Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor with Venezuelan conductor José Luis Gómez on the podium. A crucial milestone in Rachmaninoff's creative journey, the Symphony No. 2 in E minor is inlaid with traces of critical historical moments and the magnificently strong passion of the Russians, incorporating the emotions of wildness, melancholy and passion as a unity. The melody has the powerful ability to influence the mood and touch the hearts of listeners. This symphony remains one of the most popular musical pieces of the Romantic Era, and within Rachmaninoff's oeuvre it is crowned as his most elegant, lyrical classic work, one that won him the renowned Grammy Award. The third movement of the symphony is famous for its exceptionally romantic ambience and immensely strong Slavic style as featured in passages for the violin section. The "Twilight of a Great Era" concert features two renowned guest musicians, both of whom will be giving their Macao debuts. Born in Venezuela, conductor José Luis Gómez is a student and assistant of Lü Jia, the Principal Conductor and Music Director of the Macao Orchestra. Possessing a keen passion for conducting, young Maestro Gómez has led several chamber orchestras both at home and abroad and has participated in the International Competition for Young Conductors. Italian violinist Paulo Morena mastered his instrument at a young age and gave his solo debut at just 13 years old. An award-winner in several international violin competitions, Morena has been called "The Most Noticeable Violinist of the New Generation". He has performed with numerous celebrated conductors and worked as concertmaster with several orchestras. In "Twilight of a Great Era", Morena presents Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, a famous piece richly imbued with the musical flavour of the Romantic Era. Tickets to the Macao Orchestra concert "Twilight of a Great Era" are priced at MOP 150, 120 and 80, with various discounts available to qualifying patrons. Tickets may be purchased at Kong Seng Ticketing Network Outlets or by telephone on 2855 5555. For enquiries, please call 2853 0782 or visit the Macao Orchestra website at www.icm.gov.mo/om.
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Consumer Council conducted a specific price survey report on rice on 9th June. In comparison with last season's figures, stability in price was shown in the current report. Consumers may access the "Supermarket Price Information Platform" on the Council's website to view and compare the resources. In the current report dated 9th June, prices of most Thai rice brands recorded are the same as those recorded in March; slight price increase was recorded only for a few brands selling in several retail outlets. Japanese rice brand 'Fuji Pearl Rice (5kg)' recorded an average price increase of over 6% between the seasons; significant price decrease, ranging from 22% to 5%, was recorded for Australian rice brand 'Double Ram Australian Calrose Rice (5kg)' due to price differences between different outlets. Consumer Council has optimized its website with regard to the online search of data on its "Supermarket Price Survey Report" and "Specific Price Survey Report". Consumers can choose the items of their interest and use its online search function to interactively compare the retail prices of their chosen items at various retail outlets. The said report is now available on the Council's website. Further, materials of the 'Smart Consumption' photo exhibition have been displayed at various locations including Macao Central Library and other organizations since March and parts of the materials will be exhibited from 13th to 30th June at IACM's Municipal Market Complex of S. Domingos. Consumer Council will continue the 'Smart Consumption' photo exhibition, interested organizations and schools may contact the Council at 8988 9315.
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Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) Director João Manuel Costa Antunes led a delegation to take part in "The 25th International Travel Expo Hong Kong 2011" (ITE HK). This year, MGTO organized "Enjoy Macau in Style" Travel Seminar to promote quality tourism. The Macau delegation includes MGTO Director who officiate the opening ceremony, MGTO department and division heads, staffs and 39 Macau travel trade representatives. The Macau booth this year was specially designed to showcase the cultural exchange between East and West culture for over 400 years through lotus, the floral emblem of Macau and traditional Portuguese designs. On the other hand, an eye-catching installation, a crystal ball with Ruins of St. Paul's will highlight the promotional theme "Experience Macau". MGTO hosted an in-booth cocktail to greet approximately 200 Hong Kong travel trade partners, MICE organizers and media friends for networking and exchange. "Enjoy Macau in Style" Travel Seminar" will be held on June 11-12 (Public Days). The seminar will introduce diverse, most updated and stylish tourism products for visitors to enjoy Macau's unique difference through the five senses. Exclusive travel privileges will be launched for visitors to enjoy fun in Macau. Hong Kong has been the second largest tourist source market of Macau. Throughout the years, MGTO and its Hong Kong Representative pinpoint tourism characteristics of Hong Kong visitors and explore tourism resources to meet the demand. For the first 4 months of this year, Macau welcomed nearly 2.5 million Hong Kong visitors to Macau. ITE HK an annually held prime travel expo which attracts an international portfolio of exhibitors and visitors, providing a platform for mutual exchange among the travel industry. In order to position Macau as a leisure and business destination, MGTO actively participate in different programs of the expo to keep a direct contact with trade and public visitors. "The 25th International Travel Expo Hong Kong 2011" held from June 9-13 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre provides a platform for mutual exchange among the travel industry. This year, there are over 600 international exhibitors from 56 countries and regions taken part in the Expo.
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According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, on a monthly basis, broad money supply continued to grow in April. External loans contracted whereas deposits continued to grow. The total loan-to-deposit ratio therefore witnessed a decline. Money supply
Currency in circulation and demand deposits surged 0.2% and 7.8% respectively. M1 thus increased 6.6% when compared with the previous month. Meanwhile, quasi-monetary liabilities rose by 2.9%. M2 therefore increased by 3.4% to MOP267.8 billion. On an annual basis, M1 and M2 rose 13.4% and 23.5% respectively. The share of Pataca (MOP) in M2 stood at 26.9%, down 1.0 percentage point over a month ago and 0.9 percentage points from a year earlier. The share of Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) in M2 was 54.1%, up 0.9 percentage points month-to-month but down 0.6 percentage points year-on-year. Deposits
Resident deposits grew 3.5% from the previous month to MOP261.5 billion. Of which, MOP deposits dropped 0.2%, while HKD deposits and other foreign currency deposits increased at respective rates of 5.2% and 3.6%. Concurrently, non-resident deposits grew 3.0% to MOP88.9 billion and public sector deposits with the banking sector increased 1.7% to MOP22.0 billion. As a result, total deposits with the banking sector grew 3.3% from a month earlier to MOP372.4 billion. The shares of MOP and HKD in total deposits were 22.4% and 45.7% respectively. Loans
Domestic loans to the private sector increased 4.3% on a monthly basis to MOP145.9 billion. Among which, MOP38.8 billion was MOP-denominated and MOP94.8 billion was denominated in HKD, representing 26.6% and 65.0% of the total respectively. On the other hand, external loans contracted 1.2% to MOP146.3 billion; of which, loans denominated in MOP and HKD accounted for 0.3% (MOP0.4 billion) and 34.7% (MOP50.7 billion) respectively. Loan-to-deposit ratios
As domestic loans to the private sector grew faster than resident deposits, the loan-to-deposit ratio for the resident sector at end-April 2011 rebounded 0.5 percentage points month-to-month to 51.4%. The ratio for both the resident and non-resident sectors was 78.4%, down 1.4 percentage points from the previous month.
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The endorsement ceremony for Macao Hospitality and Tourism Industry Practitioners Fund was held today at Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT). Fifteen industry partners attended the event. The Fund is established by the University of Nevada Las Vegas Singapore Campus (UNLV) to provide additional scholarship to UNLV's Master of Hospitality Administration (MHA) Executive Program in Macao. The fifteen endorsers of the Fund include: ·Global Gaming Expo Asia (G2E Asia)
·Galaxy Entertainment Group
·Grand Emperor Hotel
·Grand Lisboa Macau
·Grand Hyatt Macau
·Holiday Inn Macau
·Hotel Lan Kwai Fong Macau
·Hotel Lisboa Macau ·L'Arc Macau
·Melco Crown Entertainment
·MGM MACAU
·Sands China Ltd.
·Shun Tak Holdings Limited
·Waldo Hotel Macao
·Wynn Macau Dr. Fanny Vong, President of IFT started the ceremony by delivering opening remarks, followed by Dean Donald D. Snyder, Dean of The William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Both expressed their gratitude to the industry partners for supporting the Fund which in turn helps to raise the level of tourism in Macao. UNLV's MHA programme is offered in partnership with the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) Macao. Both are committed to providing quality, comprehensive graduate education to industry professionals in Macao. The programme was launched in 2010 with an augural batch of 10 students among whom 6 are IFT alumni. IFT is proud of its graduates who are optimistic about the future of the tourism industry and are willing to invest time in further equipping themselves to get prepared for the upcoming opportunities and development in Macau. They will graduate at the end of this year and be invited to the graduation ceremony at UNLV Singapore Campus. This fund provides an opportunity for industry partners to show their support for members of the hospitality and tourism industry who wish to further their professional development through higher education. With this funding, students will receive additional scholarships to enroll in the UNLV Macao MHA programme at tuition of MOP121,000. Background on UNLV and IFT
UNLV has a 50-year history of academic excellence and its graduates can be found in key management positions in leading hotels throughout the world. The Singapore Campus, which opened in August 2006, is UNLV's first international campus and has a current student population of close to 500 students. UNLV's Singapore Campus is accredited in the United States and recognized by the Singapore Ministry of Education. IFT, established in 1995, is a public institution of higher education that offers degree and professional programs in a wide range of tourism-related disciplines such as hospitality, tourism business, heritage, events, retail and marketing, leisure and entertainment, sports and recreation, creative and cultural studies, and culinary arts. IFT has received various awards in recognition of its achievement in quality education. In 2008, IFT was awarded the "Medal of Merit for Tourism" by the Macao SAR Government for its contribution to the development of the tourism industry. Contact Information for media interview
For more information or to arrange for interviews with either Dr. Andy Nazarechuk, Dean of UNLV Singapore, or Dr. Fanny Vong, President of IFT Macao, please contact: For UNLV SingaporeMs. Jenny WeinmanManager of Graduate Programs(65) 6332-9538 ext. 610jennifer.weinman@unlv.edu.sg For IFT MacaoMs. Frida LawSenior Public Relations Officer (853) 8598-3182frida@ift.edu.mo
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