News

Mr. Tao Guangshao, Vice-Mayor of Shanghai and Mr. Fan Yungjin, Deputy Director of Shanghai Financial Services Office, paid a visit to Macao. The purpose was to discuss with the Monetary Authority of Macao (AMCM) regarding financial cooperation between Shanghai and Macao with a view to arriving at an excellent consensus. Mr. Tam Pak Yuen, Secretary for Economy and Finance, and Ms. Gao Yan, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government, met with the delegation. They expected an early implementation of the cooperation mechanism. Of late, as invited by the Secretary for Economy and Finance of the MSAR, a delegation of 10 including Mr. Tao Guangshao, Vice-Mayor of Shanghai, Mr. Fan Yungjin, Deputy Director of Shanghai Financial Services Office, Ms. Zhang Yixing, Deputy Director of the Hong Kong Macao Affairs Office of Shanghai, Mr. Zhang Yujun, General Manager of Shanghai Stock Exchange, paid a study tour to Macao. The issue of establishing a financial liaison and communication mechanism between the two cities was explored. In October last year, a Macao financial sector delegation visited Shanghai and met with Vice-Mayor Tao. The intention to establish a financial liaison and communication mechanism between Shanghai and Macao was raised. It would better promote the cooperation between the institutions and regulatory authorities of the two cities. At the same time, it would support the MSAR to enhance its platform function in servicing the trade and financial activities between China and Portuguese speaking countries. Vice-Mayor Tao and the delegates met with Mr. Tam Pak Yuen, Secretary for Economy and Finance and Ms. Gao Yan, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government, on 17 January. Opinions relating to enhancing the financial service business communication between Shanghai and Macao, and establishing financial cooperation mechanism between the two cities were exchanged. The discussion was a candid and in-depth one. Consensus relating to the establishment of the mechanism was arrived at in the meeting. It is expected that the relevant memorandum will be executed in the first half of this year. It certainly lays down a solid foundation in promoting closer cooperation between the financial sectors of the two cities. Mr. Teng Lin Seng, Chairman of the AMCM Board of Directors, who was present in the meeting, expressed optimism for signing the cooperation memorandum. He opined that a regular meeting mechanism for Shanghai and Macao would be of help to promote the construction of Macao to become a cooperation platform for trade and financial cooperation between China and Portuguese speaking countries. Moreover, it would have positive motivation function at all levels relating to exchanging of financial information, market surveillance and institutional cooperation.
…

Many of Macao's cultural attractions will maintain opening hours during the Chinese New Year, from January 22nd to January 25th, holding a series of activities in celebration of the Spring Festival. These sites include the Macao Museum, the Mandarin's House, Lou Kao Mansion, Tap Seac Gallery, Mount Fortress Corridor, Ye Ting's House, the Museum of Sacred Art, the Tak Seng On Traditional Pawnshop Museum and Guia Fortress Chapel. The arrival of the Year of the Dragon brings with it a special exhibition titled The Soaring Dance – Drunken Dragon Festival in Macao, to be held at the Macao Museum. The traditional Drunken Dragon Festival, organised each year by the Macao Fresh Fish Commercial Association to unite and benefit the community, is now an item of Macao's Intangible Cultural Heritage, having been successfully inscribed on the List of National Intangible Cultural Heritage in the 3rd Batch of Submissions (May 2011). The exhibition at the Macao Museum features ceremonial objects, clothing, photographs, videos, cultural relics and documents that introduce this ancient folk custom to tourists and Macao residents, allowing them to deepen their knowledge of this historic festival's history in Macao. From January 22nd to 25th the Museum is offering free admission to residents. Open daily, except Mondays, between 10am and 6pm, the Museum also offers free admission to residents and students every Sunday. In celebration of both the Chinese New Year and its own 2nd Anniversary, the Mandarin's House holds a series of activities including exhibitions of drums and lion dance costume heads, calligraphy, Chinese music, lion dances, Cantonese Opera and a Wishing Tree. Guided tours are available in Cantonese. To minimise delays, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (CAB) advises visitors to book the date and time of their visit at least two days in advance, via the Mandarin's House website. Meanwhile, the Lou Kao Mansion, bedecked with festive Chinese New Year decorations, continues to showcase the Folk Arts of Shandong Province from now until February 5th, offering displays and demonstrations of Micro-carving and Laixi Gourd Carving. The Infection, Industria and Upsych – Contemporary Photography Exhibition by Václav Jirásek gathers profoundly creative works by one of the most acclaimed contemporary photographers of the Czech Republic, offered for public contemplation at the Tap Seac Gallery. The Gallery remains open as usual during Chinese New Year, from 10am to 7pm with free admission for the general public. The Mount Fortress Corridor is currently displaying the European Splendour: Photo Exhibition of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in European Union Member States. This beautiful collection of photographs allows visitors to enjoy the charm of Europe's World Heritage-listed natural sites, historic city centres and architectural treasures. The exhibition runs until January 29th, open daily from 7am to 7pm with free admission for the general public. The recently inaugurated Ye Ting's House, located at 76 Rua Almirante Costa Cabral, was the Macao home of army commander Ye Ting, where he lived with his family for seven happy years. This site remains open throughout the holiday period, ushering in the Year of the Dragon. The CAB, with the co-operation of Ye Ting's descendants and using photographs from the era, managed to restore the building's original façade. Ye Ting's House displays photographs from Ye Ting's military career and family life, unveiling the revolutionary hero's feats and contributions to Chinese modern history. In the garden, visitors will find the "Statue of Ye Ting and Family", crafted by local sculptor Ka-Long Wong. Ye Ting's House is open daily from 10am to 6pm. The Macao Central Library, along with the Sir Robert Ho Tung, Ilha Verde and Mong Há branches, will close two hours early on January 22nd and will remain closed from January 23rd to 25th, resuming normal hours beginning January 26th. The Kun Iam Ecumenical Centre is temporarily closed for maintenance. With the exception of a few sites, admission is free for the above-mentioned activities. During the Chinese New Year, the Mandarin's House and Tap Seac Gallery will offer visitors the Cultural Affairs Bureau's 2012 Commemorative Calendar, while supplies last. For more information on current activities and opening hours, please call 8399 6699 during working hours or access the CAB's website at www.icm.gov.mo. Opening hours and cultural activities during Chinese New Year:
(* please find the attached file)
…

In order to cater for the air transport demand during the Chinese New Year holidays which are approaching, the Civil Aviation Authority of Macao SAR (AACM) has approved a total of 66 extra and charter flights upon requests by airlines. In addition, AACM appeals to passengers who make their travels via Macau International Airport to pay attention to and not to violate Macao's air transport and security requirements. The Chinese New Year is one of the most important festivals in the Chinese community. It is also the peak time where Chinese people enjoy family reunion, pay visits to relatives and friends, and travel for leisure. The trend for Macao residents to arrange outbound travels during this period is going up. Meantime, the number of tourists coming to Macao to spend their holidays is also increasing continuously. During this period every year, airlines always need to increase their capacity to meet the market demand. In order to cater for this need, AACM has approved a total of 66 extra and charter flights upon requests by airlines. These extra and charter flights include 20 flights to and from Shanghai, 14 to and from Shenzhen, 8 to and from Hangzhou, 4 each to and from Shenyang and Qingdao, 6 to and from Sapporo, 2 to and from Taichung, 4 to and from Kaohsiung and 4 to and from Seoul. There are occasional incidents of passengers carrying prohibited items and violating discipline inside aircraft at Macau International Airport. Take the past three years for instance, there were about 13 passengers per year who had violated the Administrative Regulation No. 31/2003 which stipulates the prohibited items and the illegal offences inside a civil aircraft, namely smoking, use of cellular phones, and other acts of disobedience to captain's orders, and who were then fined by AACM. Although the number of unruly passengers was not significant, the Authority wishes to stress that such acts would always lead to flight delays and therefore affect the other passengers. Therefore, AACM appeals to passengers who travel via Macau International Airport to pay attention to the requirements relating to air transport and security, in order that passengers will not violate the provisions and cause impact to the normal operation of the flight and decline their own travel mood. Passengers can read the relevant information in the "Passenger Guide" and "Security Notice to Passengers" as well as the provisions of the above mentioned administrative regulation at AACM's website: www.aacm.gov.mo According to world weather reports, certain destinations covered by Macao's aviation network might expect unfavourable weather conditions during this Chinese New Year. In consideration of this situation, AACM has requested the airport operators and the local airlines to ensure the timely and smooth release of flight information to the outside in case of flight delays resulting from the Act of God.
…

Consumer Council released its latest 'Supermarket Price Survey' dated 18th January. Frozen and refrigerated foods were added this time to make a total number of 305 surveyed items. In comparison with last month's record, average prices of over 40% of the surveyed items had been raised this month, other 30% recorded price drop and around 25% recorded no change in price. Rice imported from Thailand was one of those which showed price rise. Out of the 19 surveyed samples, prices of 8 of them had increased by 2% to 15%. Prices of both 'Red Lotus (5kg)' and 'Wing On Thai White Fragrant Rice (5kg)' had been raised by almost 15%. For dairy products, average prices of 'Nestle' and 'Dreyer's' had been increased by 10% to over 20%. 16 out of the 25 surveyed cooking oil samples recorded price increase of around 2%, several brands of tissue handkerchiefs also recorded price increase of around 2%. Instant noodles and household cleaning products were the main categories which showed decrease in price while canned foods prices were stable. Consumer Council indicated that supermarket price level in January is more stable than end of last year, as the percentage change in price of the over 300 surveyed samples falls between 2% to 3%. The Council also noted that as supermarkets change their prices constantly, the difference in prices of products also varies significantly. Selling prices of the same product are different even in supermarket chain stores located in different areas of Macao, the highest price difference being over 30%. Consumers are advised to check with the price data provided by the Council, especially the 'Top Ten Price Differences' function on its website, and to download the new 'Supermarket price platform' iPhone app available for free on the Council's website. The latest 'Supermarket Price Survey'is now available on the Council's website (www.consumer.gov.mo) and the 'Supermarket Price Information Platform' iPhone app. 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. Consumers may also access the resources through WAP channels on their mobile phones. For inquiries, please call 8988 9315.
…

Owing to the strike action taken by the truck drivers in Italy, Macao Post announced that mail delivery services (including Correspondence, Printed Matters, Small Packet and Parcel) from Macao to Sicily (Postal codes : 90010 to 98101) are subject to delay until further notice. Thank you for your kind attention.
…

Macao Post announced that the mail delivery services (including Correspondence, Printed Matters, Small Packet, Parcel and EMS) previously affected by the strike action taken by the workers' union in Nigeria have resumed as normal. Thank you for your kind attention.
…

Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the average Composite CPI for the whole year of 2011 was 110.30 and the inflation rate for 2011 stood at 5.81%. The rising inflation rate was attributable to higher charges for meals bought away from home, dearer prices of clothing and gasoline, driving up the annual inflation rate by 2.5 percentage points. However, subsidy on electricity charges and lowered telecommunication charges tapered off part of the increment of the Composite CPI. In 2011, notable increase was observed in the price index of the following sections of goods and services, namely Miscellaneous Goods & Services (+9.06%); Transport (+8.75%); Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+8.14%); and Clothing & Footwear (+6.73%); however, price index of Communication decreased by 10.67%. In addition, the average CPI-A (109.49) and CPI-B (110.63) for 2011 increased by 5.51% and 5.99% from a year earlier. The Composite CPI (113.40) for December 2011 increased by 6.81% year-on-year. Price index of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (+11.08%); Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+11.02%); and Miscellaneous Goods & Services (+9.00%) registered marked increase on account of dearer prices of fresh meat, vegetable, fresh fish, women's clothing, gasoline and gold jewellery, as well as soaring tobacco tax and charges for meals bought away from home. On the contrary, price index of Communication decreased by 13.96% year-on-year. The CPI-A (112.48) and CPI-B (113.77) for December 2011 increased by 6.80% and 6.90% respectively year-on-year. The Composite CPI for December 2011 increased by 0.74% month-to-month, of which the price index of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco; Clothing & Footwear; and Recreation & Culture increased by 10.48%, 3.02% and 1.34% respectively, while the price index of Transport decreased by 0.03% with lower gasoline prices. Meanwhile, the CPI-A and CPI-B increased by 0.69% and 0.74% respectively month-to-month. The Composite CPI for the fourth quarter of 2011 rose by 6.72% compared with the same quarter of 2010, with noticeable increase in the price index of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+10.40%); Miscellaneous Goods & Services (+9.53%); and Transport (+7.57%). In the fourth quarter of 2011, the CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 6.57% and 6.88% from a year earlier. The 2008/2009-based Composite CPI reflects the impact of price changes on the general population. The CPI-A relates to about 50% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP6,000 to MOP18,999. The CPI-B relates to about 30% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP19,000 to MOP34,999.
…

Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that total visitor arrivals increased by 12.1% year-on-year to 2,545,718 in December 2011. Same-day visitors (1,354,407) accounted for 53.2% of the total, with 811,723 coming from Mainland China. Analyzed by place of residence, visitors from Mainland China increased by 23.5% year-on-year to 1,482,380 (58.2% of total), mostly from Guangdong Province (689,956), Fujian Province (91,425) and Hunan Province (55,194); Mainland visitors travelling to Macao under the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) totalled 572,841, up by 15.8% year-on-year. Visitors from Singapore (41,767), Japan (40,491) and the Republic of Korea (38,505) went up by 19.9%, 12.3% and 14.0% respectively; on the contrary, those from Hong Kong (657,910); Taiwan, China (85,737) and Malaysia (40,626) decreased by 1.5%, 18.9% and 1.5% respectively. Visitor arrivals set a new record of 28,002,279 for the whole year of 2011, up by 12.2% from 2010. Visitors from Mainland China (16,162,747), Hong Kong (7,582,923) and the Republic of Korea (398,807) increased by 22.2%, 1.6% and 20.2% respectively, while those from Taiwan, China (1,215,162); and Japan (396,023) decreased by 6.0% and 4.2%. Same-day visitors accounted for 53.8% of the total, at 15,077,119. Mainland visitors travelling to Macao under IVS increased by 20.1% from a year earlier to 6,588,722 in 2011. Analyzed by mode of transport, visitor arrivals by sea totalled 11,020,999 in 2011, up by 7.6% year-on-year. Visitors arriving at the Outer Harbour increased by 10.3% to 7,124,903, while those arriving at the Provisional Ferry Terminal in Taipa decreased slightly by 0.3% to 3,422,313. Visitor arrivals by land registered an increase of 16.9%, reaching 15,299,600 in 2011, with 14,160,602 arrivals through the Border Gate. Visitor arrivals by air rose by 2.9% from 2010 to 1,681,680. Visitors arriving at the Macao International Airport increased by 2.8% to 1,655,973, with the majority coming from Mainland China (38.2%); Taiwan, China (33.6%); and Malaysia (6.2%).
…

As Lunar New year, a peak shopping season is drawing, Economic Services department (DSE), Macao Government Tourist Office (DST), Transport Bureau (DSAT), Judiciary Police (PJ), Public Security Police Force (PSP), Macao Custom Service and Civic and Municipal Affairs Council (IACM) were called for a meeting on the discussion of protection of consumer rights for inbound tourists and 'unscrupulous shops'. Consumer Council states that involved departments have been working closely in dealing with 'unscrupulous shops' during the past year and no serious case of shops doing business in unethical ways has been observed recently, though special attention is paid to those shops which are often being complained against. Participating departments at the meeting all agreed to work closely and enhance their surveillance work during this peak shopping season. Interdepartmental cooperation will also be carried out if necessary. Further, business owners in all industries, especially restaurants, are called on to take note that price setting is regulated by law in Macao (Section 8 of Decree Law No. 16/96/M), business owners should abide by this and keep consumers informed of this. Businesses, especially 'Certified Shops' and 'Adherents', should provide good-quality services and products to all local citizens and tourists and help building up the positive image of Macao as an international tourist centre. Consumer Council also reminds that if any citizen or tourist find his or her consumer rights being infringed, he or she should file a complaint at the Council or other departments and provide all necessary detailed information. The Council will also assign its staff to provide services to consumers through its hotline during 11am to 6pm each day during 23rd to 25th January. (Consumer Council hotline: 8988 9315)
…

Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) and the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) will jointly organize celebratory activities on the first day of Lunar New Year (Jan 23) at the Ruins of St. Paul's and Senado Square to mark the spring festival. MGTO will host for the first time a fireworks display on the first day of Lunar New Year to add a festive atmosphere to the city. Visitor arrivals to Macau surpassed 28 million last year, registering an increase of 12.2% over 2010. Close to 25 million visitors were from the Greater China region, with a growth of 13.5% while the number of international visitors rose by 2.2%. As Lunar New Year is a peak season for visitors from the Mainland and nearby region to celebrate this important festival in Macau and many international visitors also choose to experience traditional celebrations here, MGTO and IACM take this opportunity to express New Year greetings to residents and hospitality to visitors. On the first morning of Lunar New Year, joined by representatives of the travel trade, Director of MGTO João Manuel Costa Antunes, President of IACM, Raymond Tam, Deputy Directors of MGTO Helena Fernandes and Manuel Pires will host the eye-dotting ceremony of the golden dragon and lions at the Ruins of St. Paul's and light firecrackers at Senado Square to mark the celebrations. Guests will then team up with the God of Fortune to greet the public and distribute "Lai Si" and souvenirs to residents and visitors. "Lai Si" distributed by the God of Fortune bestow good luck and fortune for the Year of the Dragon. Performance by dance troupe from the Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region will add colors to the joy. A 238-meter long golden dragon will lead a parade through major tourist spots. The vibrant dragon and lion dances signal Macau to be as energetic and spirited as these noble creatures in the Year of the Dragon. Dragon symbolizes dignity and success and these characteristics encourage Macau's residents to strive for accomplishment and work hand in hand for the betterment of Macau. In keeping with tradition, lucky "Lai Si" containing phrase of blessing will be distributed at MGTO counters during Lunar New Year while stock lasts. A splendid fireworks display organized by MGTO will light up the sky of Macau to usher in the Year of the Dragon. From 9pm on the first day of the Lunar New Year, about 20,000 pyrotechnic shells will be fired from 4 barges at the sea area in front of the Macau Tower and the Kun Iam Ecumenical Centre for around 30 minutes. The display, with the theme "Blessing", will comprise eight different scenes: Prosperity, Happiness, Harmony, Hope, Bright Future, Solidarity and Happy Reunion. MGTO will install sound systems at six locations including Avenida Panorâmica do Lago Nam Van, Macau Tower Street seaside, open area between Avenida de Sagres and the Bridge of Nobre de Carvalho, Ave. Dr Sun Yat Sen, Kun Iam Ecumenical Centre, Avenida dos Jardins do Oceano and Estrada Nordeste da Taipa so that the public can enjoy synchronized music to the spectacular displays. The Lunar New Year celebrations are held on the first and second day of the Lunar New Year. Details of the activities are available on the website of MGTO http://www.macautourism.gov.mo During Lunar New Year, MGTO's "Tourism Hotline 2833 3000" maintains its 24-hour operator service to answer tourists' enquiries.
…